In August 2016, it was announced that Julianne Moore and Ken Watanabe were cast in a cinematic adaptation of Patchett's novel with Weitz as director, and penned by Weitz and Weintraub. By mid February 2017, Sebastian Koch, Christopher Lambert, and Ryo Kase rounded out the film's cast. At the same time, principal photography commenced, and filming took place in Mexico, City, Mexico. As Moore is not a trained singer, she was coached to lip synch for her singing scenes. Reneé Fleming provided the singing voice for Moore.
The film stars Moore, Watanabe, Koch, Lambert, and Kase. To their credit, Moore and Watanabe actually gave committed performances for a change. But that doesn't mean what it once did. She might be guilty of showboating, but Moore's knockout performance is a declaration that the star of Boogie Nights and A Single Man isn't ready to hang up her gloves. I'm happy to report that Watanabe still has his chops. At least not quite. They have one of their best roles as people wavering between bravery and vulnerability.
This is a fine piece of writing, mixing tenderness and danger to an impressive degree. The film encompasses both lightning flashes of brutality and terror and long stretches of incarcerated ennui. Like Patchett, Weitz strained a bit too hard to highlight the terrorists' humanizing traits, which Patchett argued diminished the story's taut ambivalence, making some scenes near the end sound almost like accounts of a Boy Scout jamboree. I'm still not sure what this is all supposed to be about, save for a bunch of scenes that happened to somebody, sometime. The film is too dark to appeal to the faint of heart and too safe to draw in those looking for an honest portrayal of a troubled captor-captive relationship. The film bsolves Weitz for having made Little Fockers and makes up for most of his choices in the past few years. It's simply difficult to throw in with the film's reality-if not its essential story, then its details: the film feels indie art-directed instead of observed. It's captured a corner of a my imagination, getting me to think like I haven't in ages, and for all my mixed feelings those are traits I'll happily celebrate now and until the end of time. Weitz digs diligently for emotional truths and makes the most of his excellent cast. It's a complex emotional soup, taken from Patchett's novel, and one that demands much from all involved. Reactions to this film will depend on acceptance of the two men's performances, which are good despite some contrivances in circumstances that surround them.
This is a fine piece of writing, mixing tenderness and danger to an impressive degree. The film encompasses both lightning flashes of brutality and terror and long stretches of incarcerated ennui. Like Patchett, Weitz strained a bit too hard to highlight the terrorists' humanizing traits, which Patchett argued diminished the story's taut ambivalence, making some scenes near the end sound almost like accounts of a Boy Scout jamboree. I'm still not sure what this is all supposed to be about, save for a bunch of scenes that happened to somebody, sometime. The film is too dark to appeal to the faint of heart and too safe to draw in those looking for an honest portrayal of a troubled captor-captive relationship. The film bsolves Weitz for having made Little Fockers and makes up for most of his choices in the past few years. It's simply difficult to throw in with the film's reality-if not its essential story, then its details: the film feels indie art-directed instead of observed. It's captured a corner of a my imagination, getting me to think like I haven't in ages, and for all my mixed feelings those are traits I'll happily celebrate now and until the end of time. Weitz digs diligently for emotional truths and makes the most of his excellent cast. It's a complex emotional soup, taken from Patchett's novel, and one that demands much from all involved. Reactions to this film will depend on acceptance of the two men's performances, which are good despite some contrivances in circumstances that surround them.
Simon says Bel Canto receives:
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