Exceptionally Loud and Incredibly Close

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Plot: Nine year old Oscar (Thomas Horn) was very close to his Dad, Thomas (Tom Hanks), and they played scavenger hunt games in New York City. Thomas was killed in 9-11, and had left heart rending messages on the answering machine for Oscar. One day Oscar finds a key hidden in his Dad's closet, and Oscar begins to search for whatever lock the key fit. He visits hundreds of people in New York looking. At one point he is helped by an older mute man (Max von Sydow.) 

Review: Exceptionally Loud and Incredibly Close is an ambitious movie because it takes on the meaning of 9-11 from the point of view of the survivors. Of course, the movie works hard to make us experience the senselessness of this, and to experience the horror, guilt and loneliness the families experienced.  It is only a film, and so it takes some melodramatic turns and plot twists designed to comfort the audience from the bleak, existential message.

Many have found solace in God after 9-11, but EL&IC does not. The approach to 9-11 is notable for its absence of faith. It stares emptiness and doubt right in the face. There are outstanding scenes including one where child actor Horn rants for 2 minutes about the hopelessness of his search for more clues from his father. The recognition that the search is hopeless is like accepting that his father is irrevocably dead. 

The film takes a while to get going, the plot lacks believability, and Tom Hanks is like a cartoon of a good Dad. A more believable plot might have been too bleak for audiences to sit through. It has a series of great scenes that make the movie worth seeing mixed with scenes of lesser quality.

I liked young Thomas Horn throughout. Sandra Bullock underacts the whole time, and only has a few good scenes. Tom Hanks is likeable enough, but is not a realistic character -- probably by design.

Finally, EL&IC generally avoids trading on the horror of 9-11 for entertainment value. Aside for 15 seconds at the end of the movie, the film is not offensive because it is about survivors  not the disaster itself. It avoids gallows humor about the towers falling -- which would have been very offensive. There is no humor in the movie at all.

Cast: Thomas Horn, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock

Directed by: Stephen Daldry, based on the book by Jonathan Safran Foer

Rating:   3.5 stars: The good parts are good, and it takes on tough issues. It is imperfect though.

More: Lots of great pictures of New York City


Even more: I want to see it again. Maybe even buy a copy.

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