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I been interested in Collateral Beauty since the first trailer premiered, both because of the actors involved as well as the idea of meeting the physical embodiments of Death, Time, and Love.
From Warner Brothers:
"When a successful New York advertising executive suffers a great tragedy, he retreats from life. While his concerned friends try desperately to reconnect with him, he seeks answers from the universe by writing letters to Love, Time and Death. But it's not until his notes bring unexpected personal responses that he begins to understand how these constants interlock in a life fully lived, and how even the deepest loss can reveal moments of meaning and beauty."
You would think it tough to combine the ideas of Death, Time, and Love to the Christmas and holiday season. Yet, the holidays is when much of this comes up. Thoughts of family both close and lost, and the end of the year brings them to the forefront.
Led by Will Smith, the cast is great, across the board. Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Michael Pena, Naomie Harris, Helen Mirren, Kiera Knightly, and Jacob Latimore all do great work-as you'd expect. Smith embraces the pain & disconnect of
Howard's loss, spending the first third of the movie (barring the opening) cold & non-communicative. He stays understated, with only momentary bursts of emotion to release what he's built up.
But with eight characters dealing with multiple storylines, I think the focus got lost, so that we spend only a brief amount with each. I was left wanting more than the somewhat superficial treatment they get. I especially think Winslet's Claire gets short shrift.
Mirren, Latimore, and Knightly get to have the most fun as the embodiments of abstract concepts. I was happy to see them appear each time, especially Mirren. They are the most entertaining part to watch in action.
But the reasons for Death, Time, and Love appearance to Howard in the story go from being understandable to somewhat duplicitous, tainting their intentions. It becomes murkier than I expected was intended by director David Frankel.
But Howard and Madeleine (Harris)' story is the strongest, as it should be. They work well together, having a natural chemistry, as Harris works to get through the wall that Smith has built to isolate himself. They keep the movie moving forward.
The film isn't about everyone living happily ever after at the end, as much about finding your own way to move forward in life.
While I did enjoy it (and shed a few tears), I thought Collateral Beauty missed the opportunity to be a classic.
