Men, Women & Children (2014)

I was riveted by this movie that was able make the "everyday" profoundly dramatic. No small feat when a movie continually employs texts, online messages and characters staring at their devices. Normally this "dead time" would challenge the pacing and action but the subtext is so subtly built upon with tremendous acting that this movie achieves my expectations of a great drama. Not just tears... er, the roller-coaster of the character's journey but a mirror of the challenges many of us can relate to. In this case, it's life and love in this new digital age. The topic was explored with an unscathing hand so we felt the deep affects of everyday digital minutiae without even needing to explore the more extreme consequences of online interaction like cyber bullying, etc. It felt implied to me. Our worlds and our hearts are built on communication and the platform of that communication, shapes it.

A group of high school teenagers and their parents attempt to navigate the many ways the Internet has changed their relationships, their communication, their self-image, and their love lives. Starring Jennifer Garner, Judy Greer, Dean Norris, Adam Sandler, J.K Simmons and many more "Men, Women & Children" is a film that tries to showcase in different groups of people that try to use the internet but also how each and every single one of them gets affected from it. Now let me start by saying this, the film has a very talented cast and each actor gives a very down to earth performance and i found the drama to handled very well by Jason Reitman, where the film lost it's focus i think was with the story of Don Truby (Sandler) and Helen Truby (DeWitt) and it's not like the actors were bad or anything it's just that the whole story around them was just not very dramatic or interesting to begin with, the most interesting storyline of the movie for me was the story of Allison Doss that was a very dramatic tale and something that many girls in real life suffer from plus Dean Norris (Breaking Bad) also gave a very good performance as well. This is not a movie for everyone for sure i mean i'm sure that some people will find it boring or other just feel like something it's lacking but if you have never seen this before give it a shot you might actually enjoy it a lot. (8/10)

The Internet is a very resourceful place whether it is for research, communication, entertainment, or anything else. The Internet has made an undeniable impact on everyone across the globe since it first hit the cyber world in the early 1990s. It can also be a dangerous place, and that has lead to serious and at plenty of times, tragic consequences -- take cyber bullying for an example and how the petty acts have flooded on social media, leading to infamous cases of suicides of individuals. This film directed by Jason Reitman attempts to showcase an important message about how the Internet and media-based communications can have damaging effects on individuals and their relationships with others. The film follows an ensemble cast of characters in five interconnecting story lines of high school teenagers and the fate of their relationships with their family and peers from the use of the Internet: one following Don Truby (played by Adam Sandler) and the fate of his marriage with his wife Helen (played by Rosemarie DeWitt) from his porn addiction his son Chris (played by Travis Hope) soon inherits, one centering on a single mother Donna (played by Judy Greer) attempting on getting her daughter Hannah (played by Olivia Croccichia) via posting modeling pictures of her online, one revolving around paranoid mother Patricia (played by Jennifer Garner) with her compulsive monitoring on her daughter Brandy's (played by Kaitlyn Dever) social media and text messages, one following single father Kent (played by Dean Norris) struggling to connect with his son Tim (played by Ansel Elgort) who plants himself in online gaming after quitting the football team, then one about a cheerleader Allison (played by Elena Kampouris) seeking online advice on her anorexia.With the fateful events that take place from beginning to end, the film is brutally honest on conveying the consequences of being careless on the Internet. There are many situations the characters experience plenty of viewers can relate to. Themes of infidelity, porn addiction, fame hunting, video game addiction, and doubt in self-image play major roles in the plot as the viewers are pulled deep into the lives of each character when they are face the dilemmas of Internet that damages the relationships with their loved ones. Unfortunately, the film leaves one crucial element to fully develop its message untouched: a solution. As you watch these characters make unwise decisions to have negatively affect their lives, and they never reach a sense of redemption. The film ends on such a dry note and fails to leave any crucial impact, although there is some parting thoughts to be offered. The story line centering on Judy Greer attempting to get her daughter in the modeling business is a bit weak and provides very little offer (probably would have been better as a feature length film), while the rest offer some form of intelligence. The narration by Emma Thompson is not only unnecessary but gets a tad bit distracting and at times, even laughable. Her metaphorical explanation on the satellite and it's relation with phone communications serves almost no purpose to the plot other than explaining something many people know already. On the bright side, the cast does turn in some fine performances, nothing particularly in the Oscar caliber. Adam Sandler gets a chance to venture outside his goofy personality typecast and showcase a strong dramatic performance. It's doesn't mark his first time though, as he's done some dramatic work in the past including 'Punch Drunk Love' and 'Funny People'. The young teen actors use their good time to shine as well.Men, Women, and Children may formulate an important message on he effects of the Internet and mobile communication but it fails to fully justify what it's trying to tell us and falls short of its ambition. The performances are satisfying but they can't save the film from Jason Reitman's uncertain direction and the efforts that never quite pay off.

This film shows the way the Internet changed the relationships people have in real life with others and with themselves. I didn't feel like the Internet was being blamed for those changes, but instead it just gave possibilities that people could take or not. This film is about how insignificant we all are, it makes you put things in perspective and analyze your priorities. Also, you end up having the feeling you don't really know other people even if you live with them.The story centers around a group of teenagers and their parents. I liked the way they took stereotypes of teenagers and showed them in a different light, outside of high school. You have the cheerleaders, the jocks, the loners and they are all complex people instead of just good or bad. I got a "The Breakfast Club" feeling because you see them as people who deal with personal issues and are not as perfect as they might seem. When it comes to the adults, it centers around their romantic relationships and their problems. In all the situations, the Internet functions as an scape from reality, a way to explore new things, being someone different and getting the kind of support they couldn't find in real life. That's why I think the portrayal of the Internet was realistic and not just plain negative. I think this film is a dialogue starter, a great film to be watched by parents and their children. It gets uncomfortable at times but if you talk to each other about your own experiences with the Internet you might end up knowing your family better.