There are plenty of films about losing a loved one. And the focus becomes on those who are left to mourn and how they will go on with their lives. How will they be able to survive without them? Of these type of films, there are some that miss the mark. Their attempt fails along with their film. Then there are films that are able to make a connection and get you invested in their story and have you caring for their characters. The Greatest is one of those films.
The Greatest is about a love between two people that never got to flourish. It came to a halt because of a deadly car wreck. Bennett (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Rose (Carey Mulligan) always noticed each other at school, but never said one word to each other until on the last day they broke their silence. They did not get to spend too much time together because the car wreck killed Bennett. Rose never got the chance to get to know the guy she has liked since her high school days began. Allen (Pierce Brosnan) and Grace (Susan Sarandon), Bennett’s parents, are devastated but deal with the loss of their oldest son in very different ways. Allen does not want to face it. He does not want to talk about it and if someone tries to, he will dodge it and change the subject. He is trying to be strong for the rest of his family, but the pain is just piling up on the inside.
On the other hand, all Grace wants to do is talk about the accident. She wants to know what happened and how his last few minutes were. Was he calling out for her? Was Bennett in pain? And Grace feels responsible because she is his mother. She should have been there. So Grace directs her anger towards Rose. She does not like her and blames her for the loss of her son. So it does not help when Rose knocks on their door to tell them that she is 3 months pregnant with Bennett’s child.
And Allen wants to help her because Rose has no one else. She has no family to support her. But Grace will not hear any of that. She wants her son back and does not trust Rose one bit. She thinks Rose may be making it all up just to get sympathy or money. Meanwhile, Bennett’s younger brother, Ryan (Johnny Simmons), is being left out completely. He hates his brother for leaving him, but he has always lived in his shadow. He has a history with drugs and needs his parent’s help now more than ever. Every person seems to be preoccupied with something else and they are not focusing on what they have right in front of them.
The Greatest shows us how something tragic can be turned in to something miraculous. Rose wants to have this child and wants to know about the man she loved before they ever said one word to each other. Allen and Grace have to let go and take care of the son they still have. This film is about being knocked down and then getting back up. These characters have a right to be sad. A right to cry. But they also have a lot to be thankful for. And this film is about them realizing that. The story has so much emotion and is so heartfelt. You cannot help but imagine what Allen and Grace must be going through. And how his little brother must feel about all of it. The film makes you have this connection with this family and their problems. You feel for these people and it is the result of having talented actors who make their performances genuine and make you believe in what they are trying to do.
Brosnan and Sarandon are wonderful together. Their characters have such a different way of dealing with their son’s death and it is wearing them down and tearing them apart. Their performances are strong just like the people they play. And Johnny Simmons is a talented young actor whose character has to go through a lot and still try to have a normal childhood. It is a tough thing to pull off, but Simmons does it. Johnson is a name I have become very familiar with in the past few weeks. He has a small but important role in this film. His character sets off the motion to what the rest of these characters say, do or feel. But he has also played a young John Lennon in Nowhere Boy (which I reviewed earlier) and he is Kick-Ass in Kick-Ass. He has shown up out of nowhere, but he has impressed with every role he takes on.
Now we get to the talented, sweet and graceful Mulligan. She made a huge splash in An Education, which she received an Academy Award Nomination for. And she is just as good, if not better, in this film. You just cannot take your eyes off of her. She digs deep and lets everything go. As Rose, she is full of grief and despair. But she is about to become a mother and she has to be strong for the both of them. Mulligan does a tremendous job again. We should not expect anything less at this point.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
Check out the SoBros Shop. Become a Patron. Give us money for no reason. Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @SoBrosNetwork. Watch on YouTube.
