Genres

Visitors Review

ghostsarescared 2012-05-23 05:13:54

I just want my father.

The last words of this film for me were absolute perfection. While thisfilm did have its flaws, the things it got right made up for all ofthem. There are some profound ideas in this film that can be overlookedif you're too focused on the bizarre storyline. But perhaps ideas likethis can only be accurately portrayed with content as explicit as this.Solondz's films are exactly what they appear to be. They hide nothing,and I think that's what turns people off. People want a fantasy. Theydon't want to see backdrops of Taco Bell parking lots and theycertainly don't want to hear about pedophilia or about the sort ofunhappy talk they hear in their own families hoisted up on the bigscreen. I admit I didn't really care for the 'ghost' sequences but theywere certainly entertaining. The timing and subtlety really shineshere, every actor was excellent. I really didn't know what would happennext-one of the big reasons I am a Solondz fan. That facet alone makeshis films true to life. People call this a bad 'vanity project' but Idisagree. I laughed out loud, I was shocked, amazed, and at the end of the lastscene I was literally breathless.

chinilla1010 2012-05-22 20:53:43

A little gem

This film is a coming of age piece about a young man with obviousdisadvantages that would have beat down most people. Yet he manages tofind God's plan for him while showing those who doubted him that he hadthe right stuff all along. There are other subplot misdirections butthat is the main thrust.Ciarán Hinds, who plays the title lead, is very small in stature, buthe has giant talents. I'm surprised he hasn't been cast in other filmsyet.An engrossing, sometimes funny and sometimes sad film that I found tobe remarkably well made. Everyone involved should be proud of it. Oneof the better little films I've seen lately and frankly it is betterthan some major films release lately. Very pleasantly surprised when Istumbled onto it at Cinemark and plan to view it again uninterrupted onDVD as soon as I can. Why haven't I heard of this film before? Anexcellent screenplay, skillful direction, plus tight period music, artdirection and wardrobe add up to a great modernday feel. Naturalediting, good casting, clear sound even during the big exciting scenesshow this to be a well made film all the way around. This is a film foradults about guys growing up physically and emotionally. Because thereis something they should see in this movie.I saw it last night and I'm still chuckling to myself now and thenabout the Christmas play scene. Thanks to all involved for making areally, really good movie! It has some laughs, but also made me stop toquestion what God's plan for my life might be. It restored some of myfaith that He does have a plan for those of us who are willing to giveHim a chance to lead us to our opportunity to become His instrument. Ifnone of that makes sense to you, you haven't seen this movie!

2012-05-22 11:20:33

A Great Companion to "Happiness" Loses Some Of Its Bite In The Second Act

Without a doubt, Todd Solondz's creepy, disturbing, and subversively hilarious masterpiece "Happiness" was my favorite film of 1998. Savage, but divisive, I've discovered through the years that the film tends to engender strong feelings of either hatred or of adoration with little middle ground. To be fair, with its mature themes and aggressive frankness, it may be one of the most squirm inducing comedies of all time. And yet this tale of three sisters and their immediate family also resonates with a certain amount of truth. The world is how we construct it but, often times, that construction is nothing more than an illusion. And those closest to us are either complicit in that deceit or are the only ones who can see through the cracks. A skewering of middle class ideals and insecurities, "Happiness" was a pitch perfect blend of the outrageous and the macabre. When I heard that Solondz intended to revisit this masterpiece, casting new actors, it seemed like an inspired addition to his increasingly non-conformist resume. Shirley Henderson, Allison Janney and Ally Sheedy now inhabit the roles originated by Jane Adams, Cynthia Stevenson, and Lara Flynn Boyle respectively. All three do an excellent job of recapturing the essence of their character's neuroses--Sheedy, unfortunately, has more of a cameo but her scenes are dead-on hilarious. The film begins with an absolutely perfect scene between Henderson and her husband that mirrors the first scene from "Happiness" in a sublimely funny way. When we move on to Janney, a control freak desperately looking for love, I knew that Solondz had done it again. The primary plot points involve Henderson dealing with a past lover's suicide (Jon Lovitz's ghost interpreted by Paul Reubens--inspired!), Janney's ex-husband (Ciaran Hinds) being released from prison, and Janney's son dealing with some pretty adult concepts. However, as the film progresses, the very funny bits become overshadowed by bigger issues. Redemption and mortality end up being central themes--which I think is fantastic--but the blend between comedy and significance falls short of the delicately balanced "Happiness." The film loses a bit of its subversive edge and tone and by the end, I felt a little short-changed by the abrupt finale. I loved the actors--Janney and Henderson do most of the heavy lifting and are terrific. Young Dylan Riley Snyder, as Janney's son Timmy, carries much of the film and is an intriguing combination of creepy and sympathetic. I adored the first half of "Life During Wartime," but having a fresh viewing of "Happiness" under your belt will help you appreciate how great it really is. Ultimately, the second half wasn't as effective for me and I was left a little cold. About 3 1/2 stars overall, I'm rounding up for ambition. Go watch "Happiness!" KGHarris, 8/10. DVD/Blu-ray specs:New digital transfer, supervised and approved by director of photography Ed Lachman, with DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray editionAsk Todd, an audio Q&A with director Todd Solondz in which he responds to viewers' questionsMaking "Life During Wartime," a new documentary featuring interviews with actors Shirley Henderson, Allison Janney, Michael Lerner, Paul Reubens, Ally Sheedy, and Michael Kenneth Williams, and on-set footage of the actors and crewNew video piece in which Lachman discusses his work on the filmOriginal theatrical trailerPLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic David Sterritt

2012-05-21 17:50:09

A more adult sequel to Happiness

A more adult sequel to Happiness with a new cast reinterpreting the characters. Brings a new reevaluation of how we perceive them them and layers of complexity, especially with the actors baggage. Paul Reubens, Michael Kenneth Williams, Shirley Henderson & Ally Sheedy stand out.

2012-05-12 05:50:41

The great Todd Solondz did it again.

Few people possess the ability to unmask human weaknesses the way ToddSolondz does it. With virtuoso technique he shows the silliness of theprotagonists behavior and I find myself laughing out loud to situationsthat would be extremely painful, had I been in them myself. What I ammost amazed by is that, just like in 'Happiness', the only characterswho feel true and free of "phoniness" are people, who usually would beantiheroes or simply to immoral to ever show up in a normal Hollywooddrama. The pedophile and the divorcée, who calls herself a monster,belong to the very few who actually try to express what the reallyfeel. The great Todd Solondz did it again.

Moviefreak4653 2012-05-11 15:45:50

Perhaps it Could Have Been Better about acknowledging "Happiness", but nevertheless a Great Film

Let me start off by saying, I had the hardest time getting to watchthis movie. It's almost as if I wasn't meant to see this, but seeinghow I am a huge admirer of Todd Solondz I was determined to see this.First, right when we discontinued our service with Comcast- this comeson via on demand. Then the closest theater this came too, was within athree hour drive. Last, no word at the time of a DVD release, butthankfully all the waiting soon payed off, for this came on a moviechannel- sure I had to wake up at 5 in the morning to watch it- butit's all good.Anyways, about the film. Coming into this, I was excited, but worried.Excited because it is a Solondz film, but also because "Happiness" isone of the best film ever; therefore I thought it would be a treat tosee what the characters had been up too. I was also nervous, nervousbecause "Happiness" ended on (obviously) such a high note, and I wasworried perhaps this film would take unnecessary directions orexplanations for some characters.Ultimately, the main conclusion is this film is a treat, for Solondzfans, and "Happiness" fans. It maybe doesn't really tackle any giantexplanations, but maybe that's a good thing. First, the humor, waswonderful. I love dark, dry, and macabre humor, and "Life DuringWartime" perhaps is one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) example ofhis audacious humor. Again, you feel the need to laugh, if only to makeit a comfort or to reassure yourself that the punchline/situation washumorous. Next, I appreciated the way the characters from "Happiness"(in particular Trish, Helen, Joy, and Timmy) were treated. Everybodywas written with reasonable depth, and well continuity. The acting wasalso great in particular from Shirley Henderson, Allison Janney, PaulReubens, and Dylan Riley Synder.I must also say, I didn't like the way Bill Maplewood was portrayed inthis one. Sure you can never, and I mean never, compare to DylanBaker's perfect performance of Bill Maplewood, but it just didn't feellike the same character. Yes, with different actors there is thestatement of "that was that movie, this is this movie," but all I'msaying is I just didn't believe (nor maybe want to believe) that it wasBill Maplewood. Also while on the subject of characters I was there wasmore of Helen (not just because she was my favorite sister from"Happiness), but perhaps there was more to her. Last I didn'tparticularly care for the pacing of the film, and also didn't like theending. I think it left to many open doors (for such wonderful, wellwritten characters to begin with), and also think it should have had anod at the exciting ending of "Happiness." Overall, maybe ultimately"Life During Wartime" could have maybe been longer, or more emotional(for lack of a better word) than "spiritual." So much so that I almostwant a third movie with these characters just to see them more. Ofcourse I guess with Solondz you can never tell if he's mocking hischaracters, or sympathizing with them. Overall Life During Wartime",though it had it's faults, is still a great movie, and shows Solondz'swriting is still as fresh and exciting as ever.

timbertea 2012-05-04 22:29:45

If you've read these reviews

You keep seeing words like "disappointing", "pretentious", "not veryentertaining". No, that isn't the right word, this is a truly awfulmovie, with many scenes of incredibly poor acting, bad camera angles, adreadful plot that is purely vulgar for the sake of being vulgar.Remind you of a lot of movies lately? I've seen plenty of bad movies, ones where I felt like I wanted my$1-14 back, or where I wanted the back the time I had wasted watchingit. This movie I want my money back, my time back, and to erase it frommy memory. The most uncomfortable thing about this movie is realizing how far themovie industry has fallen, and my country with it that this is the kindof thing that passes for art.

Framescourer 2012-05-04 11:02:01

Difficult, dark and frankly intractable subjects in a film too light of touch for them

What's it about? 'Wartime' could be quite literal, as America is stillat war in Afghanistan. Or perhaps the war is an allusion to thetroubles in Israel, this being an overtly Jewish picture much of thetime. Wartime has other allusions though - family, lovers, and theconcomitant pain and death - and all this is in keeping with thefaintly soap-operatic excess of the film.Some good things first. The pre-title sequence could be sold to cinemasas a short in its own right. Michael K. Williams may never get a roleas good as Omar (in The Wire) but he deserves it - the man has range.Opposite him is the remarkable Shirley Henderson, an almost perfectSolondz character-actor. These two, along with Paul Reubens as thegeek- spectral Andy provide the backbone to the film where sorrow andself- pity can suddenly run up against twisted, spitting malevolence.Exploring the middle-ground cats' cradle of forgiveness is thebrilliant Alison Janney with wonderful support from Dylan Riley Snyderas her sharp but immature son Timmy. Ciaran Hinds deserves plaudits forplaying his difficult role exactly as it should be, i.e. grizzled butlucid and with a hint of dangerous masculinity.Yet the film doesn't land any substantive punches because it's just tootough a topic. Solondz's sense of style is cultured and precise -effective - but leaves little room for the mental sidestepping that theaudience must do. There's a hopscotch game of melodrama, allegory,humour and even glamour which cannot sustain the blunt existentialabyss at the lip of the bruised heart of the film. Or maybe its sodepressing I can't bear to consider it myself. 6/10

2012-05-04 00:49:05

Not Solondz's most bizarre film, but close

A few years ago I watched this film at a local art house. A few days ago I was making coffee and it must have been the swirling motion in my cup (as I stirred in the cream and sugar) that hypnotized me, causing the resurfacing of a few repressed memories - namely from this film. As I recall, there were about seven or eight other people in the theater, most of whom were sitting by themselves and probably not mentally prepared for the hour and a half long ride of horrifying abnormality and sheer discomfort that is typical of director Todd Solondz's films, which according to Wikipedia are inspired by his experiences growing up in New Jersey - and I BELIEVE IT, wholeheartedly. So, why did I give five stars to this film? Mainly because of the circumstances under which I watched it. As I mentioned, Solondz's films are abnormal and discomforting, which made watching this film amongst complete strangers in a dark theater and from the back row quite amusing. Like in true horror movie fashion it was not uncommon to see people sinking down into their chairs, letting out sharp gasps and sighs, covering their faces, and turning their heads disapprovingly from side to side. As for myself, I too was taken by surprise, especially when the young boy (Timmy) cries out "I hope I NEVER get molested!" At that point I pretty much lost control and had to gag myself with my coat because I didn't want to appear rude and insensitive towards the subject matter or attract the glaring faces of the combined seven or eight people in the audience. I think this movie really got the better of some people.Without question, this is the work of Todd Solondz.

2012-05-03 12:07:33

Sort-Of Sequel to HAPPINESS Raises Plenty of Questions.

At first glance, LIFE DURING WARTIME seems not so much a sequel to his lauded 1998 film HAPPINESS as a reimagining of it. The themes remain similar, but the cast is entirely different. The characters are the same, but the tone seems to have shifted from pitch-black comedy to a sadder, more soulful feel. While all this is true, LIFE DURING WARTIME picks up ten years after HAPPINESS left off, and focuses almost exclusively on how a family beseeched with sadness, insanity and perversion tries to move on in the face of decades of accumulated resentment. Forgiveness is a key component of whether or not they fail or succeed, and Solondz spends most of the films' 98 minute running time quietly ruminating on whether or not you can truly "forgive the unforgivable." The cast may be different, but the performances are yet again uniformly excellent, with the strongest coming from young Dylan Riley Snider as the soul-searching 13 year old Timmy Maplewood, Alison Janney as his impenetrably chipper mom, Trish and Michael Kenneth Williams as the recovering-pervert husband of Trish's sister Joy.While not for everyone, Solondz asks difficult questions in his films. He doesn't provide easy answers, nor does he preach to the audience or mock his characters. He treats them deftly and with sensitivity and this, in the end, adds a weightier subtext to what, in lesser hands, could be seen as a mere freakshow.

nofo04 2012-05-01 13:23:55

A thought provoking film

I saw Life During Wartime today at the Toronto International FilmFestival. This definitely will be a film to divide audiences--likeSolondz's other works from what I've heard. I'm definitely on the sideof having enjoyed and appreciate it as an intelligent, thought-provoking, and well-written dark comedy/drama (it certainly defiesclassification!). Admittedly the pace is slow and the film drags occasionally. Most ofthe scenes consist of conversations between just two characters, thatalternate between depressing and unintentionally hilarious (owinglargely to self-absorbed or tactless exchanges). LDW is a smart film, it's true-to-life, and it has a lot to say aboutthe nature of forgiveness. You'll see a lot of crying and peopleapologizing to each other. All of the characters are victims, in a oneway or another, and are at with with themselves or with demons fromtheir past. And each character has a different stance on forgiveness.The audience is left to wonder whether it's best to forgive and forget,forgive but never forget, forget but never forgive, or neither forgetnor forgive)... Confused? So was I, but it's fun to discuss afterwards, and put thevarious characters views on forgiveness into place after the film--andhow factors like religion and age interact with these views. Solondzalso prompts us to consider the role of forgiveness in 9/11 and the warin the Middle East. In the end the only real complaint I had was that the film ended sosuddenly. I hope we get to revisit these characters one last time. Fornow, I'm going back and watching Happiness (which I haven't seen in 10years, and will certain help fill in some gaps given that it focuses onthe same family).

tieman64 2012-04-30 20:43:54

Come Sit On My Lap

"People can't help it if they're monsters." – Bill (Life DuringWartime) Director Todd Solondz takes the various dysfunctional characters of hisearlier film, "Happiness", recasts them, and places them in "LifeDuring Wartime". This facial reshuffling then becomes an enquiry onSolondz's part: have these people changed? Are major personality orlife changes even possible? How contingent is human behaviour? Howreversible are past scars?"Happiness" was a jet black comedy which jumped from paedophilia tosuicide to masturbation to divorce to murder, deftly hopping from tabooto taboo with a kind of soul crushing cruelty. For Solondz, everythingis a masquerade, humans are petty, pathetic and cruel, and every gooddeed merely masks something horrible at worst, hypocritical at best.With "Wartime" Solondz tries to recapture the cringe comedy andsatirical edge of "Happiness", but fails entirely, modern audiences nowdesensitised to his particular brand of sensationalism. With the tabooshocks out the window, his audience is then free to focus on the film'sclunky message: the past scars the future, Solondz says, but all shouldbe forgiven, lest a cycle of animosity, hate, fear and torment beperpetuated. The film then aligns these themes to the events ofSeptember the 11th; America as a nation should forgive those who abuseher, as those upon whom pain is inflicted in the film should forgivetheir tormentors, or themselves if necessary. It's all very reductive,but far from the misanthropy which critics of Solodnz often accuse himof spouting. If anything, Solondz's a jaded idealist, his charactersall looking for a way out of the rut he keeps digging them deeper into.7/10 – Aesthetically and dramatically, the film can't touch Solondz'searlier works. Worth one viewing.

Bruce-49 2012-04-26 20:06:03

No Comparison

I would really like to see Todd Solondz produce something on the levelof WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE or HAPPINESS again but I'm afraid that I'lljust have to settle for watching those earlier works. To be fair, Idon't know what he could have done with the characters from HAPPINESSthat would have worked better. I revisited HAPPINESS before seeing LIFEDURING WARTIME to refresh my memory. That film crackles throughout withuneasiness. When we laugh, it's to release tension. It's not the cast'sfault that this film lacks the same punch. While unrated in the US, myguess is that this would have received a PG-13 or an R for a fewexposed breasts. HAPPINESS would have been NC-17 for sure. HAPPINESSwas about getting whatever happiness one can no matter the cost toothers. This is a film about forgiving and forgetting and moving on. Ican certainly forgive Todd Solondz for what he tried to achieve hereeven as the film fades from memory.

match-3 2012-04-26 14:23:21

Let's hope the next Solondz film isn't a "spiritual sequel"

First off, while I'm not a fan of everything Solondz has done, Iconsider Happiness one of my all-time favorite films. Thus, I wasreally looking forward to Life During Wartime, but after the film wasover, I ended up wishing that Solondz had just left Happiness alone. Itfeels like a direct-to-video exploitation release, or maybe even anespecially polished but ultimately off-model fanfic selection in analternate universe where Happiness somehow holds the stature of HarryPotter.I am OK with the decision (probably forced, given the current statureof folks like Philip Seymour Hoffman) to recast everyone involved. Butgiven that this is effectively billed as a spiritual sequel, it's hardto get past some of the resulting serious discrepancies in performanceand character. Ally Sheedy, Allison Janney, Claran Hines and Michael K.Williams all turn in otherwise-good performances that unfortunatelyhave very little in common with their characters' originalpersonalities, making believable continuation impossible. DylanSnyder's Timmy represents a new character that effectively replaces therole of Billy in Happiness, but he's nowhere near as believable orlikable as that character was.Shirley Henderson, in particular, totally misses the tone and purposeof Jane Adams in the role of Joy, who was perhaps the only"sympathetic" character in the original (other than Billy). We nolonger experience Joy as a sweet, lovable granola-crunchy dreamer andworld-worn lifelong loser. Instead, Henderson comes off as some kind ofgenerally-emotionless whispering wee faerie with none of Adams' warmthor ability to generate pathos. I do, however, greatly enjoy PaulReubens' spot-on performance in the place of Jon Lovitz's originalAndy-- although Andy's role in this movie is now inexplicably central,given how little he really mattered to Joy past the first half-hour inHappiness.It's hard for a Happiness fan to get past the labored and extremelydrawn-out exposition that results from all these characterdiscrepancies. You get the feeling that Solondz is having to takeunusual pains to catch us up on the story, and to get us to buy NewActor Y in the role of Old Actor X. The movie starts to finally lift upout of these dregs in the last half hour or so, just in time to make uswonder what the point was, and/or why he didn't just create an entirelynew universe with his entirely new cast to save himself (and us) allthe trouble. I can't imagine a viewer who has never seen Happinesswould find its first two-thirds any more satisfying for all the effort.Most troublingly for those who can't help but compare (andappropriately so, given the "spiritual sequel" billing), Happiness is adarkly hilarious movie, with most of the humor coming from the unspokensadness and/or maliciousness of its desperate characters' interactions.Life During Wartime simply isn't funny, and isn't similarly "subtle."It's melodramatic, almost soap-opera-like in tone, with few of thewonderfully dissonant, squirm-in-your-chair moments that made Solondz''90s works so entertaining (and so fun to show to the uninitiated). Itoften feels like we're being hit over the head with the "purpose" ofeach character in Wartime, rather than letting their actions / wordssimply speak for themselves as it was in Happiness.This might have been a somewhat OK movie if it had been a fresh startwith no baggage from Solondz' masterwork. Obviously, it's hard for anydirector / producer / screenwriter to escape from their widely-belovedpast works if they choose to do something different. But in this case,Solondz actually *chose* to bring that baggage along, and dares fans ofthe original to make comparisons (as is immediately evident from eventhe opening scene and credits to anyone who remembers Happiness). I'mnot sure if this was a cynical effort on the part of Solondz-- who hashad documented troubles getting funding for his 00s movies-- to cash inon the relatively small Happiness fanbase, giving them a movie thatthey "have to see," even though these two films ultimately have verylittle in common.Solondz' more recent work in general has been disappointing to me, buthis misguided effort to "continue" Happiness has been by far thebiggest and most bitter disappointment yet, failing to add anythingnew, interesting or even tone-appropriate to the universe he wants usto revisit. I desperately hope he's done making "spiritual sequels"now, and will have something really new to say (hopefully as funny ashis old stuff) when his next project rolls around.

Frank Spinelli 2012-04-25 16:32:35

Highly Polished but Lackluster

Life During Wartime is Todd Solondz's highly polished but lacklustersequel to Happiness. Now separated from her imprisoned, child molesting husband (ClaranHinds), Trish (Allison Janney) falls in love with the very normalHarvey Wiener (Michael Lerner) whom she plans on marrying so that herlife can get back on track now that she's left New Jersey and began afresh start in Miami. Meanwhile her sister Joy (Shirley Henderson)tries to escape her string of failed relationships by seeking refuge inMiami only to be haunted by ghosts of her past. Terrified she will endup like her sister and mother, Joy jets to Los Angeles to visit withher self absorbed, successful sister, Helen (Alley Sheedy), who offersher little hope of guidance because she is suffering from the crushingweight of her own success. Trish's husband is released from jail andsets out to reunite himself with his sons only to run into CharlotteRampling in a bar one night for probably the most riveting and highlycharged scene in which she quickly cuts to the chase and seduces himinto a one night stand. In the end happiness is never achieved. Trishdoesn't marry Harvey because Timmy misconstrues his affection for childmolestation in what has to be the most unbelievable of the final acts. Ultimately, Life During Wartime explores the themes of betrayal andforgiveness. Can Timmy forgive his father for being a pedophile as heforgave his mother for lying to him when she told him his father wasdead? Timmy's quest for answers come as his Bar Mitzvah approaches. Heasks his mother, are pedophiles terrorists? In response she asks, areyou saying you would forgive the 911 terrorists? His answer, well, notthose terrorists because they're dead.Solondz is known for his quirky characters on the verge of an emotionalbreakdown however remaining completely detached from each other.Happiness remains the superior of the two films, although Life is morepolished in its production. Perhaps that is what is missing. Happinessand Palindromes captured the rawness of movies made famous in the1970's with similar musical overtones. In Life, Solondz feels moreHollywood, less Indie. Even the performances, although all areexceptional, miss the mark of their original actors, particularlySheedy's, Helen and Henderson's, Joy.I don't understand why Solondz made the sequel. New characters werecreated for no apparent reason and most are left to fade away offcamera like some bad Greek tragedy. Missing is the dark humor he sobrightly captured in the desperate interactions and inherent depressionof its characters. The situations are not funny but drawn out andtedious, particularly the scene with Bill and his son in his collegedorm. I do commend Solondz for taking the chance with a new cast.Unfortunately, it is the material that pales the most in comparison.

napierslogs 2012-04-25 05:56:42

Twisting normal life into something that is weirdly funny and strangely bizarre

Dark, funny and tragic, "Life During Wartime" is like a satire of oneof those dysfunctional family dramedies. But by creating charactersthat are just outside of arm's reach and having them say things thatare more tragic than funny, it's more like it is a family dramedy thana satire of one.Joy (Shirley Henderson) is married to a drug addict and phone sexaddict and she thinks she's going to cure him, instead she's offwandering this world on her own. Trish (Allison Janney) has finallyfound a "normal" guy and is raising her kids to forget about theirpedophile father. I remember enjoying Todd Solondz's previous films"Welcome to the Dollhouse", "Storytelling" and "Happiness" (which thisis some kind of bizarre continuation of – some of the same characters,none of the same actors), but this one was presented to me as if theseare somewhat "normal" people but they don't do anything or say anythingin normal ways.It is funny. To some people, it's funny in a laugh-out-loud way becausethe filmmaker is daring enough to have the characters say things whichnormal people wouldn't say. To other people, it's funny because it's areal representation of how dark the world is. To me it's funny in anawkward and uncomfortable way since these "normal" characters aresaying such inappropriate things.I was left on the outside looking in because these "normal" charactersare not normal, they are weird, bizarre and off-putting. Solondz wastrying to walk that very thin line of laughing at the characters butcaring about them at the same time and going through the same emotionalturmoil that they are. I ended up on the wrong side of that line, whereI nervously laughed at them occasionally but didn't care about them atall.It's not really straight-out funny enough to be a satire, but thenagain, Solondz doesn't really do anything straight. This is goodwriting and good filmmaking where subtle hints at the characters'fantasies become their reality, which become an indictment of thesociety that we live in – "Life During Wartime." As the saying goes,it's funny because it's true, but the characters are just a little toofar from normal to be true.

M. O. 2012-04-20 07:59:29

The enemy is within.

Todd Solondz comes back one more time resuming stories about joy andsorrows, forgives, forgets and regrets, the same gears that leaded hisprevious works as Welcome To Dollhouse (1995), Happiness (1998) andPalindromes (2004), in one way or another.Here the story surrounds the life of a kid and the members of hisfamily that are trying to discover the meanings of when and how couldpeople achieve the joy or the happiness in their lives just forgivingor forgetting something harmful enough to be forgotten or forgiven.As always, Solondz plays with dark humor all the time just to relievethe weight of complex dramatic themes, giving the right balance neededto make real hard life discussions into something as ordinary as abreakfast.The characters are well constructed and it's interesting the way theylead with the relationships between them. All the time 2 characters arediscussing in a table or with something between them, using it like aplace where they can put and throw - or sometimes hide - all theirproblems and differences but at the same time blocking and impeding thereaching of each other, like a battlefield.Words are like guns and watching those characters hurting each otherand using each other words like bullets is shocking because that's whatwe are, and we are responsible for that. Life During Wartime deals withcomplex themes, sometimes is a difficult movie for the raw, bitter andimpacting dialogs, but you can't run away from them forever.As another one said: "Todd Solondz is unique and so are his films. Heforces you to look through an angle that we systematically ignore".Great work once again.

ihrtfilms 2012-04-19 16:05:06

Perhaps not as dark as Solondz' previous works.

Life During Wartime is of sorts a sequel to Happiness, but Todd Solondzchose a different cast for his latest film to play the same characters.I have seen Happiness, but don't remember it well enough and going intoWartime was actually unaware it was a continuation of events.Three sisters, Joy, Helen and Trish are utterly different souls leadingutterly different lives. Joy is a little scattered and has justseparated from her husband and is visited by the ghost of a former coworker. Trish lives with her two younger kids, one of whom Timmy ispreparing for his bar mitzvah. She has started dating again after herhusband was jailed for molesting children, but she is unaware he hasbeen released. Trish is a successful screenwriter in Hollywood, but isold and distant towards the rest of her family.The sisters lives intertwine together and with characters from eachothers past and all three try and long to find love and happiness andis for the most part very enjoyable. I recall, perhaps vaguely thatSolondz' other films are a little hard going and often harsh, yetWartime feels a little brighter. However there are some uncomfortablemoments in it, such as where Trish explains her feelings towards to hernew man to her son or Timmy's inquisitive questioning about 'faggots',but moments are few.Acting across the cast is excellent with a fine performance from AlisonJanney as Trish and whilst squeaky voiced Shirley Henderson can oftenbe annoying in this she is almost endearing. It is a dark film andwhile it never shocks out right, it does venture to the borderline. Andwhile it's not laugh out loud there are some funny moments in it. Youdon't have to be familiar with Happiness to enjoy this film, even ifit's a typical audience divider film, it works well on it's on. Nor doyou have to be a Solondz fan to enjoy this, though those that are willrelish the film even more.More of my reviews at iheartfilms.weebly.com

Sheikh_Kamal_El_Voldemort 2012-04-17 21:21:46

Okay of a movie, but not one of my favorites

Once in a generation a film comes along that reminds us about thatspecial person who makes such an impact on our lives, and the lives ofso many others, while remaining unaware of the effect that they havehad. In the 1930's it was "Goodbye Mr. Chips." In the 1940's is was"Good Morning Miss Dove." And now comes "Life During Wartime." Thesethree films have one thing in common. They cover a lifetime of cheeringand examining the beauty of life and the effect it has on us as well asyhose we have come into contact with.Ciarán Hinds creates a bravura performance as Bill, and should have wonthe best actor Oscar for his role, even as Robet Donat did in "GoodbyeMr. Chips." This film was special to me for two reasons. I had a chorusteacher in high school had affected me in such a way as Bill did hisstudents. And years later I had the opportunity to work with and teachDrama to young people from age six up. I have seen this story from bothsides, and it still affects me so very much.My only argument with the film is in the final scene. If the Governorwas so dedicated to Bill why did she not do something about retainingthe pedophile program in that school? It is a small plot point, but Iwas curious. All in all though this is a wonderful film, and should bein everyone's film library. It earns two thumbs up from me.

ar656 2012-04-17 11:18:56

It is America as America pretends it is not.

When in a discussion with others, others have the duty to present theirargument in the clearest way, but it is OUR duty to try to understandit. Just saying "well, you did not convince me" does not cut it. Inworks of art, like in discussions, for the work of art to "work", be ita poem, a book, a monument, a picture, a piece of music, or a film, itis necessary that the "artist" presents his work in the best possibleway, but it is the duty of the public, to try to understand it.Todd is one of the great masters of American cinema. He is particularlyinterested in Middle America, middle class, in the suburbs. And one ofthe main characteristics of middle class everywhere, is that there arecertain things you do not talk about. And this is just the way it is:YOU JUST DO NOT TALK ABOUT THEM. Those things could be your fatherbeing a paedophile, why do terrorists hate us, or a humongous pictureof a young Palestinian throwing a stone at an Israeli tank hanging onthe wall of a successfully Jewish writer.Basically, this movie and most of Todd's work is about a country thathas made "Don't ask, don't tell" the motto of its every day life.