Third Person Review

RYAN: I am blown away by Third Person. It’s written and directed by Paul Haggis, who wrote and directed the Oscar-winning Crash and there are similarities here – in his storytelling and impact.  It’s a bit softer, more romantic than Crash, but still heavy, deep, intriguing and utterly brilliant.

CAROLINE: That’s an endorsement.  We did really both love Crash so I’m not surprised he’s serving up some more good stuff.  Is it all different stories that interconnect again?

RYAN: Sort of, only this time they more parallel each other than actually intersect.  And I love how on the edge this movie is the whole time.  The characters are all dealing with heavy issues and emotions re so totally just under the surface of their skin – like they could crack at any second.  And I was actually quite confused about how it all would come together and it really isn’t obvious by the end, at least to me, it wasn’t.

CAROLINE: I’d probably be totally lost.  I always needed you to help explain confusing things in movies so if this one threw you for a loop…

RYAN: It really did.  But I brought a friend to the screening and we literally spent an hour afterward talking about it, speculating, figuring it out – he knew pretty much right away what the glue in the movie was, which dawned on him appropriately at the end of the film when it’s supposed to.  It went over my head but once we started discussing it, we talked through the whole film and it’s so brilliant how it makes sense.  I wanna see it again now.

CAROLINE: And it’s a long movie, right?

RYAN: It’s two hours and fifteen minutes and it is definitely slow and deliberate at times.  And it’s not for everybody.  It’s rated R and real drama so it will play better to mature audiences with attention spans.  I was into it the whole time but they could have probably shaved out about twenty minutes.

CAROLINE: How’s the ensemble cast?

RYAN: Beyond.  This should be one of the first major awards contenders of the year.  Adrien Brody, Liam Neeson, James Franco, Kim Basinger, Olivia Wilde, Mila Kunis, Maria Bello… all so freaking amazing.  Olivia and Mila especially – they each had moments where I was like, “Oh come on!  That’s nomination-worthy!”

CAROLINE: I love that.  And it takes place in different cities?

RYAN: Rome, Paris and New York and it’s cool to see them all, obviously. I just love each of the separate story lines and characters.  Their lives are so frustrating and it’s all so sad but dramatic.  And it hits you.  And Paul is so talented as a director, building tension.  It’s cramazing.  And I was so so glad that there was a scene between James and Mila.  It’s their fourth film together and I was obsessed with them in Oz the Great and Powerful, so to that end, it was really cool seeing the Wizard and the Wicked Witch of the West together again.

CAROLINE: Only you would think that.

RYAN: The design is really cool.  The costumes, the art, the sets.  It’s all a major part of the storytelling.  It’s such a delightfully intricate movie.  I was just super impressed with all of it and although it’s early in the awards game, could see it making a splash.

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