Living a seemingly perfect life in the 1960's, a college football star and his beauty queen wife have a beautiful home in the country, run the local factory, and love their amazing daughter Merry. But when Merry becomes involved in the anti-war movement, their perfect lives begin to unravel.
Ewan McGregor (Swede), Jennifer Connelly (Dawn), Dakota Fanning (Merry), Peter Riegert (Lou), Rupert Evans (Jerry), Uzo Aduba (Vicky), Molly Parker (Sheila), Valorie Curry (Rita), Hannah Nordberg (12 yr old Merry).
American Pastoral begins well and generates interest quickly as the story jumps around the timeline giving us glimpses of different plot points. What it doesn't do however is express what happened to Merry that caused her to become involved in the anti-war movement, or what may have caused her implied emotional and mental issues. The result is a story that is entertaining but not told well.
Acting was solid with McGregor delivering well. Fanning was also pretty good, but Connelly really delivered with solid emotion throughout. Riegert, Evans, and the remainder of the supporting cast fit nicely and contributed well to the film.
Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were enjoyable and fitting for the period and overall theme. Action was mild but good. Dialogue had nice depth but suffered from the timeline shifts. Sound and soundtrack were okay.
Overall American Pastoral is an interesting story but this film suffers a bit with the storytelling method. Those who enjoy crime drama with more emotion than crime should enjoy this one.
With some foul language and sexuality, this should be fine for older teens and above.
Released: 2016
Reviewed: 8.21.17
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Crime, Drama, Dramas based on the book
copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel
Ewan McGregor (Swede), Jennifer Connelly (Dawn), Dakota Fanning (Merry), Peter Riegert (Lou), Rupert Evans (Jerry), Uzo Aduba (Vicky), Molly Parker (Sheila), Valorie Curry (Rita), Hannah Nordberg (12 yr old Merry).
American Pastoral begins well and generates interest quickly as the story jumps around the timeline giving us glimpses of different plot points. What it doesn't do however is express what happened to Merry that caused her to become involved in the anti-war movement, or what may have caused her implied emotional and mental issues. The result is a story that is entertaining but not told well.
Acting was solid with McGregor delivering well. Fanning was also pretty good, but Connelly really delivered with solid emotion throughout. Riegert, Evans, and the remainder of the supporting cast fit nicely and contributed well to the film.
Camera work, sets, and backgrounds were enjoyable and fitting for the period and overall theme. Action was mild but good. Dialogue had nice depth but suffered from the timeline shifts. Sound and soundtrack were okay.
Overall American Pastoral is an interesting story but this film suffers a bit with the storytelling method. Those who enjoy crime drama with more emotion than crime should enjoy this one.
With some foul language and sexuality, this should be fine for older teens and above.
Released: 2016
Reviewed: 8.21.17
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Crime, Drama, Dramas based on the book
copyright ©2017 Dave Riedel
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