The Last Movie I Saw

I can't remember the last time a movie irritated me as much as Extremely Loud and Dangerously Close. It's one of those films where certain elements are really good, raising expectations for the movie as a whole. But they are separated by passages that are incredibly stupid, maudlin, or hamfisted and the charming bits are ultimately left in the dust. I suppose it deserves a little credit for trying to concoct a story about the implications of 9/11 that doesn't come at the story from an obvious angle-- or anyway, the novel on which the film is based does (maybe the author pulled it off). But you can't really afford to assume the audience will remain on your side just because the plot unfolds from a widely shared tragedy-- that empathy only goes so far, especially since the film tends to make it seem like it the effect on the main character (a boy who lost his father) is the only one that matters. When you're going for precious, it really doesn't help to have a kid who is uncommonly obnoxious at the center of the story. It's disappointing because, as I mentioned above, there was something to work with here, but it just doesn't come off and some fine performances (by Jeffrey Wright and Viola Davis especially) go for naught.