I like the setting. I understand that Wilmington, North Carolina has an active film industry and that it often stands in as a generic mid-Atlantic beach town. It wasn't a "Southern" film. If they identified the real location, then the actors would have to speak with accents and it would just complicate things. But I liked the idea that a writer would live on a non-commercial beach.
Jennifer Connelly was one of the most beautiful teen stars of all time, but as an adult she just comes across as masculine, somber, and sexless. I never noticed her prominent nose in her early films, but when women get old, they lose baby fat and their features stick out.
Greg Kinnear does tend to play the same guy over and over, like others have mentioned, but he certainly does it well. Maybe he's just playing himself. Either way, I like him.
If you're going to have an affair with the neighbor, at least one of you has to feel some guilt. I don't believe that neither would, and I found that disturbing. Also, Kristen Stewart is playing too many of these roles where she's contrasting her girl-next-door looks with sexual antics and profanity. I don't like it.
There's nothing more annoying than a precocious teenage girl. But I'll admit that this actress played the transition from that to sensitive girlfriend quite well. Sorry, I don't believe that a 19 year old would get her book published. Why not make her a 24 year old grad student? Why does the little brother fall for the druggie girl? Does watching blood drip from her nose turn him on, or watching her inhale Arnold Schwarzenegger's son's tongue? Sometimes young guys fall in love with a girl strictly for her looks and then give her a personality in their fantasy. This one did drugs, slept with a mean jock, and gave her body away to our protagonist almost immediately. Can you spell loser? But I do believe that such a kid could fall for her.
I also believe that there are liberal parents who let their kids smoke pot, curse, and have sex. That's especially true for secular writers who believe that life is about having experiences. So I had no problem with believing that these parents would act this way.
Like the other reviewers, my favorite character was the cynical girl's new boyfriend.
I also feel that the ending was too perfect. They stacked the deck.
I do however agree with the general premise, which is that love between family members as well as romantic love, is complicated and messy. You can't just turn it on and off. It lingers.
The music was too "indie" for me. It felt like they were trying too hard to be like an episode of Dawson's Creek.
Jennifer Connelly was one of the most beautiful teen stars of all time, but as an adult she just comes across as masculine, somber, and sexless. I never noticed her prominent nose in her early films, but when women get old, they lose baby fat and their features stick out.
Greg Kinnear does tend to play the same guy over and over, like others have mentioned, but he certainly does it well. Maybe he's just playing himself. Either way, I like him.
If you're going to have an affair with the neighbor, at least one of you has to feel some guilt. I don't believe that neither would, and I found that disturbing. Also, Kristen Stewart is playing too many of these roles where she's contrasting her girl-next-door looks with sexual antics and profanity. I don't like it.
There's nothing more annoying than a precocious teenage girl. But I'll admit that this actress played the transition from that to sensitive girlfriend quite well. Sorry, I don't believe that a 19 year old would get her book published. Why not make her a 24 year old grad student? Why does the little brother fall for the druggie girl? Does watching blood drip from her nose turn him on, or watching her inhale Arnold Schwarzenegger's son's tongue? Sometimes young guys fall in love with a girl strictly for her looks and then give her a personality in their fantasy. This one did drugs, slept with a mean jock, and gave her body away to our protagonist almost immediately. Can you spell loser? But I do believe that such a kid could fall for her.
I also believe that there are liberal parents who let their kids smoke pot, curse, and have sex. That's especially true for secular writers who believe that life is about having experiences. So I had no problem with believing that these parents would act this way.
Like the other reviewers, my favorite character was the cynical girl's new boyfriend.
I also feel that the ending was too perfect. They stacked the deck.
I do however agree with the general premise, which is that love between family members as well as romantic love, is complicated and messy. You can't just turn it on and off. It lingers.
The music was too "indie" for me. It felt like they were trying too hard to be like an episode of Dawson's Creek.