My only fear after walking out of this movie is whether or not I can give an honest assessment of the film. I was so excited to see it, I think it's possible that I could've overlooked the weak points.
With that being said, this is just too intriguing of a film to pass up. This is a film that captures the dizzying NYC pacing so well, millions of stories running concurrently, and the Sadfie brothers make sure we understand that. Main dialogue is pierced by any and every sound possible -- ringing phones and doorbells, salesmen, body guards, basketball stars, rap stars, seedy and otherwise undesirable folks that have all somehow found their way into Sandler's character, Howard's, life.
They got great performances from damn near everyone. Even KG did an excellent job. What could've been a glaring instance of an athlete acting stiff was saved by KG actually making the most of his time on screen -- which is actually more than just a few lines.
Yes, Julia Fox does a great job in this. By the end of the movie, I found myself surprised by her role in this, as I figured she would only play a minor part.
Shadowing Howard as he maneuvers through New York is, as I've stated, anxiety inducing. At virtually every step, there is someone bidding for his attention, every time he turns his head we notice an ominous presence inching closer, but we can't dwell on anything in this film. Fortunately, the audience get some relief from a few genuinely comedic moments. I found myself laughing a bit more than other audience members, which I think might've been because they just weren't keeping up with the dialogue. Nonetheless, there are some fukking funny moments in this that will make everyone laugh.
Another aspect of relief comes in the form of Howard's evidently infectious gambling optimism. This man is so deep in shyt that only someone with a gambling problem could withstand the odds against him, anyone else would've crumbled.
We're taken from jewelry stores to pawn shops; from Passover celebrations to apartments with side pieces/women; high school drama production to the inside of a Benz trunk. It's like the saying goes, don't blink or you will miss it 100%.
Howard is fascinating, but as long as he runs the streets, we don't ever truly understand what he's doing, who he's hurting, and etc. We're trying to untangle everything with Howard, and it makes the 2 hour run time seem like a half hour.
Great film go watch it dammit.
Edit: hit post reply a lil early, lots of edits made to my original post!
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