A Movie All About...Death!
To an outsider, Allen (Pierce Brosnan) and Grace Brewer (Susan Sarandon) are happily married with two teenage sons. Life seemed great until they got the call that would set their world spinning into a world of pain and anguish. While out on a date with his girlfriend, Bennett Brewer (Aaron Johnson) had been in a deadly car accident. Weeks after the funeral, the only survivor of the accident, Bennett's girlfriend (Carey Mulligan) shows up at Brewer's door only to announce that she's pregnant and needs a place to live. Her presence in the home will help some, and hinder others from facing their son's death and grieving that loss. Will the family survive and stay together? Or will the loss of a loved one create chasms too deep for recovery.
I'm not typically a fan of movies that focus around death and grieving, but something about this movie kept me captivated. This shouldn't come as a big surprise with Susan Sarandon starring as the grieving mother. She is MAGNIFICENT!! Her award winning moment for both me (and my husband) was the morning of the funeral when she wakes up and you can see the reality settle into her as she bursts into tears. True to real life when something tragic has happened and you awake form a deep sleep only to realize that the nightmare you thought you were having is in fact a reality. Sarandon's character isn't afraid to face the loss of her son but she does it by turning to others in fierce blame. Brosnan on the other hand, grieves in the method of sweeping it all under the rug. I love how close to reality his character is too. When the girlfriend moves in he uses her as a scapegoat and distraction from facing the grieving process.
Lastly, Carey Mulligan. I know she doesn't have the background of Sarandon or Brosnan, but she will because after you watch her in The Greatest, you won't soon forget her. The love story between the three main characters will be worth the tears you'll shed. A movie all about death with a silver lining, The Greatest is an independent film that needs more recognition because it's absolutely a fine work of art!
Motherly Advice: I had my filters set on most and I was spared a whole lot of expletives, (Mulligan's character has quite the potty mouth) also a couple of scenes containing heavy petting, and some of the bloody accident scene. The Greatest contains incredibly intense scenes about death and grieving which may be a little 'heavy' for the younger kids. I would recommend this movie for the more mature kids-ages 14 and up.
Trisha-Lover of the Silver Lining
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