'Collateral Beauty' fails to deliver the profound experience it aspires to
TOPICS:
movies"Collateral Beauty"
1.5 out of 5 Stars
Director: David Frankel
Writer: Allan Loeb
Starring: Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren
Genre: Drama
Rated: PG-13 for thematic elements and brief strong language
Recommended to: Those looking for a film that bludgeons the audience with the stick of life-changing epiphany.
Synopsis: Howard (Will Smith) used to be a successful advertising executive, but tragedy has robbed him of his ability to engage with the world. To find comfort, Howard writes letters to Love, Time and Death.
Review: The optimist would say that “Collateral Beauty” is filled with surprises. The realist would point out that the biggest of these surprises is that this film was ever made.
Writer Allan Loeb has had an incredibly uneven career. His high points are arguably the mediocre “The Switch” and “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.” His lows have included abysmal outings like “Just Go with It,” “Here Comes the Boom,” “The Dilemma” and “Rock of Ages.”
“Collateral Beauty” might be Loeb’s worst film yet, as it completely wastes the talents of Helen Mirren, Naomie Harris, Keira Knightley, Edward Norton, Michael Peña and Will Smith. Yes, there’s no question that the majority of the cast are dedicated to their roles and turn what easily could have been a much worse film into something that will undoubtedly work for the most forgiving of audiences who can look past the fact that, despite its best intentions, the film is more mean-spirited than it is uplifting and no amount of warmth generated by its various twists in the final act can cover that up.
“Collateral Beauty” is contrived. In fact, it might be the most contrived film I’ve ever seen. There are some nice ideas here, but the execution of those ideas is shockingly poor. It feels like Loeb wanted to explore the relationship that Love, Time and Death share and offer a profound take on how in the darkest of places light can be found.
It was more realistic when J.K. Rowling wrote it.
We’ve all shouted out at the Universe at some point in our lives. Some have even expected signs or answers. Loeb, assisted by director David Frankel, wants to give a physical shape to something that is metaphysical, while allowing for a divine intervention of sorts. It feels overly earnest and shallowly dishonest. A film about Life, Love and Death should above all feel human. “Collateral Beauty” doesn’t achieve that.
