Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close stars child actor Thomas Horn as Oskar Schell, an eccentric ten-year old who lost his father in the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. A year after the tragic day, Oskar finds a key in his father’s closet and decides to search all of New York City to find the lock that it opens. He has only one clue: the word “Black” is written on the envelope that the key was in. Oskar assumes that this is the last name of the person who owns the lock that the key will open, so he compiles a list of nearly 500 people with the last name Black and embarks on a journey to unlock the mystery of the key. The key is a vehicle - it is Oskar's way of trying to hold on to the memories of his father.
I read some of Jonathan Safran Foer's novel but couldn't really get into it enough to finish it. I did, however, read enough to get an idea of who Oskar was and what he was all about. Although I don't feel that the screenplay captured him very well, Horn's stellar performance was enough to make up for it. His scenes never lack a feeling of genuine emotion and believability. Horn never hits one false note. The same can not be said about Tom Hanks, who plays his father. I was turned off by his over the top delivery. It reminded me of when an actor goes on Sesame Street and teaches kids at home about the alphabet. I did like Sandra Bullock in the role as Oskar's mother quite a bit. Max Von Sydow did as well as he could have given the circumstances (his character doesn't speak). I don't know what Viola Davis or John Goodman were doing in this movie - star power I guess.
I found some of the 9/11 stuff pretty offensive - mainly the shots of Hanks falling through the air. Capturing that on film was completely unnecessary and probably very hurtful to a lot of people. That could have been conveyed in a much more subtle way, or taken out completely. It offered zero to the sadness of him dying in the attacks. It really took me out of the story.
There were a lot of character traits about Oskar that were never really explained fully, and some not at all. One was about him having "heavy boots" - in the book, Oskar says this a lot when he finds it tough to move. In the movie, he says it twice and both times it felt very odd and out of place. The movie never really explains why Oskar and the doorman (Goodman) use insults and profanity to communicate with one another. It is strange to hear a grown man call a child, especially an eccentric child who most likely has autism or Asberger's, a retard. Very offensive. It is never really explained why Oskar dives into these incredibly quick, angry rants about people or things around him. It just seemed strange. And what about Oskar's dad saying that New York once had a 6th borough? He tells his wife that he does it so Oskar will go out into Central Park and be forced to communicate with strangers in order to become more social. But what parents would encourage, let alone force, their 10 year old son go out into NYC alone? I don't get it. Also, the title is never really explained. From what I understand, there is something about birds and a downstairs neighbor.
Putting all of that aside, I can not deny that this movie did tug at my heartstrings. At its core, it is the story of a young boy who is struggling mightily to understand why his father was taken from him. It is about a mother who is devastated by the loss of her husband and fears that she is losing touch with her son more and more each day. These are real stories; real emotions. And they worked for me. Especially in the few scenes when Oskar and his mother are alone in a room, forced to confront the emotional trauma that each one has gone through since "the worst day." It was gut-wrenching to see a kid have to go through so much pain so early in life. The messages that Oskar's dad left on the answering machine were horrifyingly sad. The final phone conversation between Hanks and Bullock was tough to watch. Anyone and everyone can put themselves in that position and feel the helplessness; the desperation.
I absolutely loved what Oskar said at the very end of the movie. It is as inspirational as it gets to hear such a young boy say something that is filled with such maturity, acceptance and hope.
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