I love lists of great movies. I devour books put out by anyone with any say-so in the entertainment industry about the 100 greatest films of all time. I also love seeing movies that many people haven't seen. There may be a little cinephile hipster living in the corner of my heart.
That's why my heart skipped a beat when, several months ago, the cover story for Entertainment Weekly was "The 50 Greatest Films You've Never Seen." I haven't worn out a magazine that hardcore since my Lego catalogue days. This is the reason I subscribe to this magazine.
I worked my way though it, found some promising titles, and kept track of which ones were available on Netflix. I've watched some and haven't been disappointed.
But tonight I had the pleasure of watching Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo as once orphaned siblings whose lives have turned out drastically different. Sammy (Linney) is a single mother living in her hometown and working at a bank under an uptight boss (Matthew Broderick). When Terry (Ruffalo) comes to town broke and looking for money, Sammy embraces him into her arms like the prodigal son. In that moment of joy, Sammy doesn't realize Terry's ulterior motive, or just how much of an impact he is going to make on her and her son. Oh, her son. What he needs most is a dad, and Terry fills that desperate need in his life as best as he can. Never have you had your heart broken so over a kid before.
In the end this film is about family, and as a very family oriented person I can tell you that I spent the second half of the movie in tears. The acting, the writing, the Bach integrated throughout the film, everything about this is sublime. It doesn't matter that the film lost in the measly two categories it was nominated for. It's gold in every aspect.
