After his wife's death, Russell Crowe can't cope with being a single father. He may be a beloved successful writer, but he has deep psychological problems. Twenty-five years later, his daughter Amanda Seyfried is getting her masters in psychology and volunteering at a children's center. The film cuts back and forth between the past and the present, and while normally I don't like those types of movies, Fathers & Daughters is an exception.
For some unknown reason, this film was completely ignored during awards season, even though the acting is phenomenal and Brad Desch's script is powerful. Russell Crowe gives the type of performance that is deserving of an Oscar, but he didn't even get a nomination. He hasn't shown off his acting chops like this in over ten years. Kylie Rogers plays his little girl, and her performance in the film is incredible and heart-wrenching. I hope she has a marvelous career as she grows up; child actresses with that much talent are hard to find. I thought Amanda Seyfried would cheapen the film with her lack of talent, but surprisingly, she wasn't bad. Her character is written to have tons of problems, so her unlikability isn't really her fault. While I may be critical of actors sometimes, I'm the first to admit when someone shows their hidden talents, and Amanda has a couple of very well-acted scenes in the film.
This is a very heavy movie, so get out your Kleenexes and have the pause button ready; you'll need to take a couple of breaks and have a good cry. I watched it with my mom, but anyone brave enough to watch it with her dad will probably shed twice as many tears. Rent it, though, even if you need to watch it by yourself. It's worth it.
For some unknown reason, this film was completely ignored during awards season, even though the acting is phenomenal and Brad Desch's script is powerful. Russell Crowe gives the type of performance that is deserving of an Oscar, but he didn't even get a nomination. He hasn't shown off his acting chops like this in over ten years. Kylie Rogers plays his little girl, and her performance in the film is incredible and heart-wrenching. I hope she has a marvelous career as she grows up; child actresses with that much talent are hard to find. I thought Amanda Seyfried would cheapen the film with her lack of talent, but surprisingly, she wasn't bad. Her character is written to have tons of problems, so her unlikability isn't really her fault. While I may be critical of actors sometimes, I'm the first to admit when someone shows their hidden talents, and Amanda has a couple of very well-acted scenes in the film.
This is a very heavy movie, so get out your Kleenexes and have the pause button ready; you'll need to take a couple of breaks and have a good cry. I watched it with my mom, but anyone brave enough to watch it with her dad will probably shed twice as many tears. Rent it, though, even if you need to watch it by yourself. It's worth it.