In my two most recent reviews (Little Children, Ammonite), I sang the praises of Kate Winslet, calling her the world’s most talented movie actress over the last 25 years (1995-2020). With seven (soon to be eight with Ammonite) Oscar nominations, only Meryl Streep (11) has more during that time. I almost ventured to say she hadn’t taken on the wrong role then, but then I remembered she lent herself to the Divergent series, which I don’t fault. Though a movie like Divergent doesn’t need an actress of Winslet’s caliber to succeed, it is an opportunity to earn a lucrative payday. As a result, she can take on roles in more independent projects. With that said, I may have jumped the gun a little in my reviews of Little Children and Ammonite. I didn’t know Roger Michell’s (My Cousin Rachel, Changing Lanes) melodramatic Blackbird would soon water down her stellar filmography.
Before I get into how much I wouldn’t say I liked this movie, I want to mention that the topic of assisted suicide on the big screen is not one that, in itself, makes for a bad movie. We are all aware of the end of the classic Million Dollar Baby. That had most of us tied up in knots because of how invested we were in Hillary Swank’s character and the relationship between Swank’s character and Clint Eastwood’s character. Likewise, Me Before You is an incredibly sentimental and thought-provoking movie with such superb performances by Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin that I was in tears at the film’s conclusion. And though I haven’t been able to sit through it personally, The English Patient revolves around the topic, and, like Million Dollar Baby, it won Best Picture. Blackbird doesn’t come close to any of the acclaim of these three movies. It is a farce of a film that isn’t good enough to be a Hallmark Channel original.
This movie has much to dislike, but I’ll start with Winslet. What is she doing in a film like this? Did she lose a bet? Did she owe the director a favor? Was it her one chance to work with Sarandon in her career? This has to be one of her worst performances, playing a diluted character that never stood a chance. Winslet stars as Jennifer, the older of two sisters to dying mother Lily (Susan Sarandon – Dead Man Walking, The Client) and father Paul (Sam Neill – Dead Calm, Jurassic Park). She plays the stable responsible for Mia Wasikowska’s Anna (Lawless, Crimson Peak). She tries her best to avoid outperforming a character with limited depth. Though the story revolves around Sarandon’s Lily, we mostly see it unfold through Jennifer’s eyes. She’s married to Michael (a miscast Rainn Wilson in NBC’s The Office), a man she may love but doesn’t go out of her way to show. She is controlling, to the point of being obsessive and somewhat maniacal, needing to know everything about everyone. An amicable Michael seems to go along with his wife’s need to meddle, perhaps to avoid triggering her further.
Their downtrodden 17-year-old son Jonathan (Anson Boon), the most likable character in the movie, is held in high esteem by his parents and grandparents, though he seems unknown to all four of them. At one point, he announces to the family that he plans on being an actor, to which Michael says, “That’s something we can discuss later. We have plenty of time for that.” At best, Jennifer is dismissive. At worst, I’m not sure she cares about anyone except herself. Though the story is not about Jennifer, she is a focus. Winslet plays this inconsistent character with a bit too much anger, though I understand the movie’s plot could push its leads to act outside their norm.
The family has gathered for a weekend at Lily and Paul’s home. The large, beautiful house overlooks a quiet beach, and it can be assumed, though not stated, that this is the home in which the girls grew up. The house has many windows, allowing plenty of sunlight to shine in, which is ironic for a weekend that will end in such sorrow. Lily has gathered her family and, ironically, her best friend Liz (Lindsay Duncan – About Time, Under the Tuscan Sun) for one last weekend before she plans to end her life with the assistance of her husband. She has a degenerative disease (presumably ALS) that limits her physical abilities. Lily currently uses one arm and needs help going up the steps. However, very shortly, we are told that she will lose more of her bodily functions, including her ability to eat, speak, and even swallow. Paul, conveniently a doctor, explains to his grandson that the existence is excruciating. Lily has decided that by the end of the weekend, she will take her own life. Paul will mix a concoction that will put Lily permanently asleep. He will then go for a walk, and when he comes back to the house, he will call 911, and the story will be that she put together a mixture of drugs and drink to end her own life while no one else is around.
Lily has accepted her fate and is at complete peace with it, as have most others by the time we meet her. Before the movie begins, the family learns this was her plan so that, by the time the weekend arrives, they’ve settled any anger and dissent and can try to convince her to change her mind. There will be sadness and love for sure, but many of the other feelings that come out during a person’s death will ideally be avoided. But, of course, we are all human beings, and everything goes differently than planned, especially when we have to make a movie about it that isn’t so drab that no one will want to watch it. Memories are shared, but so are admissions of past misdeeds and opportunities to say what needs to be said on this final opportunity.
The film needs more cohesion. Many disjointed scenes make us feel one way in one moment and completely different the next. In 48 hours, it feels unrealistic to have so many issues, fluctuations, and resolutions. As the weekend progresses, we learn more about a family whose history is dysfunctional. Yet this doesn’t seem easy to fathom with loving parents like Lily and Paul. While Jennifer is the main focus, Anna has many problems, many of which the family doesn’t learn about until this weekend. She is supposed to be the daughter who can’t get her life together, but we don’t get a chance to see that in a believable way. Even as we learn more about her, we have to wonder how we are discovering some of her issues at the same time as her family. I thought her girlfriend, Chris, was Jennifer’s second son for the first half of the film (no joke). While the family has mostly accepted Chris, she seems relatively new to the dynamic and feels misplaced. We learn much more about Lily, Jennifer, Ana, Paul, and even Liz, who also feels misplaced.
Little holds this film together. You’d at least expect some quality acting with a star-studded cast of Sarandon, Winslet, Neill, and Wasikowska. But the four pieces need to fit together as four A-list actors should. It doesn’t help that they have a God-awful script to work with. Even the veteran Sarandon, who is good or great in all of her films, shows very little range, especially for someone whose final hours are quickly ticking by.
Plot 6/10
Character Development 5/10
Character Chemistry 6/10
Acting 6/10
Screenplay 5/10
Directing 6/10
Cinematography 7/10
Sound 5/10
Hook and Reel 5/10
Universal Relevance 8/10
59%
D
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