Genre: Drama
Related Titles: Cafè Society, Blue Jasmine, Cassandra's Dream
By Leanne Harragan
Four lives get mixed up in the bustling Coney Island amusement park. Ginny is a former actress working in a clam house married to Humpty a common carousel operator. Their lives are changed when Mickey a lifeguard aspiring to be a playwright and Carolina (Humpty's estranged daughter) arrive for the summer.
First things first, I in no way support Woody Allen or condone anything that he has been accused of and I don't support any of the big names that decided to sign on to work alongside him. I went to see this film in attempt to beat my cinema record of last year.
Before seeing this I hadn't seen a trailer or anything and this was nice as I didn't know what to expect. There were some really good things about this film, my favourite being the look. Set in the 50's you can imagine the style and look that was being aimed for and it consistently looked really slick and perfect. The film was also set in Coney Island and predominantly at the funfair and the boardwalk, so the use of the lights and the ride sound effects to change the way a scene looked or sounded was a good effect.
The plot itself was just fine, the intertwining of four people worked but wasn't overly original, there were lots of parts that I definitely expected. I think what made this work was the performances all round. Kate Winslet as Ginny was the standout for me, a woman struggling through life: working a job she hates, unhappily married, a child that is causing trouble all the time and not enough money to makes ends meet. While she was an unlikable character her performance was great and she remained a consistent strength throughout. Similarly Juno Temple played young, sometimes foolish Carolina with a certain charm that made you feel sorry for her.
Overall, I feel that while this film wasn't boring, it wasn't very original or overly exciting. It is dark and dismal for the most part and doesn't have the usual twist or happy ending that you so often expect or root for in a film.
Rating: 6.5/10
By Rebecca Mannick
Coney Island hosts the drama of this unhappy family struggling to make ends meet. It has all the bright light and sounds that you would expect from a thriving 1950's amusement park. Cue Carolina, seeking refuge from her gangster husband she asks her father Humpty (Jim Belushi) for a place to stay. Disrupting the equilibrium of this dull family their story pans out. Ginny (Kate Winslet) has an affair with playwright lifeguard Mickey (Justin Timberlake) which is her only escape from her mundane life and unhappy marriage.
The wonder wheel, is not featured in the storyline but only for a couple establishing shots. From what I can take from it, its a metaphor for the lives of the family on Coney Island. Just going around in circles with no real high or low, just constantly stuck in a rut. The whole movie is based around Ginny and her affair with Mickey. She is more wrapped up in her life than to pay care and attention to her son from a previous marriage who finds enjoyment in starting fires. Her only passion in life was acting and any chance she gets to show off her 'jewellery' she can. Fantasising about being an actress, and convincing herself that she is playing a 'role' of struggling waitress working and living in Coney Island. Ginny becomes angry and jealous of Carolina when Humpty idolises her and supports her in her quest for bigger and better things.
This movie was thought provoking but other than that it was quite basic on surface level. Kate Winslet's performance was excellent, she was able to capture the frustration of an individual fighting to become something more, but external things stopping progression. To be honest if I was you I would give this a miss, average at very best.
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