GoblinGamer
Well-known member
Bill Nighy and Imelda Staunton's riveting showdown is the sole bright spot in 'And Sons', a laborious and convoluted film that struggles to deliver on its promising cast.
David Gilbert's 2013 novel, adapted for the screen by Pablo Trapero and Sarah Polley, follows Andrew Dyer, a cantankerous old literary lion who has lost his touch and is now living in exile with his longsuffering Czech housekeeper Gerde. Nighy brings his signature wit to the role, but it's not enough to save the film from its convoluted plot and implausible twists.
The story centers around Dyer's revelation about his relationship with Andy, a teenager who may be the illegitimate son of one of Dyer's siblings. The film tries to milk this twist for drama, but ultimately fails to deliver. Instead, it meanders through a series of awkward confrontations between Dyer and his children, played by George MacKay and Johnny Flynn.
Staunton shines as the estranged wife, Isabel, who is still reeling from the family's dark past. Her scenes with Nighy are always compelling, but even they can't elevate the film above its overall messiness.
Trapero's direction feels uneven, and the screenplay struggles to balance the various plot threads. The result is a film that feels like it's trying too hard to be clever, rather than allowing the characters to shine through.
Despite its shortcomings, 'And Sons' has some genuinely amusing moments, thanks in part to Nighy's quick wit and comedic timing. But these moments are fleeting, and ultimately can't save the film from its overall lack of focus and coherence. The real standout is the showdown between Staunton and Nighy, which is riveting even if it doesn't entirely make sense.
In the end, 'And Sons' feels like a missed opportunity, with too much emphasis on plot twists and not enough on character development. Even with its talented cast, the film can't quite come together, leaving viewers feeling frustrated rather than moved.
David Gilbert's 2013 novel, adapted for the screen by Pablo Trapero and Sarah Polley, follows Andrew Dyer, a cantankerous old literary lion who has lost his touch and is now living in exile with his longsuffering Czech housekeeper Gerde. Nighy brings his signature wit to the role, but it's not enough to save the film from its convoluted plot and implausible twists.
The story centers around Dyer's revelation about his relationship with Andy, a teenager who may be the illegitimate son of one of Dyer's siblings. The film tries to milk this twist for drama, but ultimately fails to deliver. Instead, it meanders through a series of awkward confrontations between Dyer and his children, played by George MacKay and Johnny Flynn.
Staunton shines as the estranged wife, Isabel, who is still reeling from the family's dark past. Her scenes with Nighy are always compelling, but even they can't elevate the film above its overall messiness.
Trapero's direction feels uneven, and the screenplay struggles to balance the various plot threads. The result is a film that feels like it's trying too hard to be clever, rather than allowing the characters to shine through.
Despite its shortcomings, 'And Sons' has some genuinely amusing moments, thanks in part to Nighy's quick wit and comedic timing. But these moments are fleeting, and ultimately can't save the film from its overall lack of focus and coherence. The real standout is the showdown between Staunton and Nighy, which is riveting even if it doesn't entirely make sense.
In the end, 'And Sons' feels like a missed opportunity, with too much emphasis on plot twists and not enough on character development. Even with its talented cast, the film can't quite come together, leaving viewers feeling frustrated rather than moved.
. Bill Nighy is always a joy to watch, but even he can't save this mess. And Imelda Staunton is wasted in this film - she's so talented and deserves better material 
. The plot is all over the place and it feels like they're trying too hard to be clever. I mean, who thought it was a good idea for a 60-year-old man to try to pass off his son as someone else's? It just doesn't make sense 
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I was laughing at some of the moments with Bill Nighy, but even those were fleeting.
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and Imelda Staunton is a total pro 
but even they couldn’t save this movie from being a mess. The plot is all over the place and it feels like they were trying to pack too many twists in. It’s like they wanted to be clever or something 
not because it was actually good. I wish they’d focused more on character development and less on trying to be clever. It’s a shame because with a better script and direction, this could’ve been something special 
It feels like they're more interested in being clever than in actually telling a coherent narrative. And yeah, Bill Nighy's character is great, but even he can't carry the whole film on his own 
The female cast, especially Imelda Staunton, is where I think the real magic happens - when they're on screen together, it's genuinely compelling 
Bill Nighy is just trying to bring his A-game but it's like he's swimming upstream against a tidal wave of convoluted nonsense. And Imelda Staunton is the only one who can even begin to redeem this mess, her scenes with Nighy are always so charged and intense... it's like she's the only sane person in a world that's gone utterly mad 
. And don't even get me started on George MacKay and Johnny Flynn, they're wasted in these roles, so much potential but it just gets lost in the chaos of the story 
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The plot twists are just cringeworthy and the direction feels all over the place 
. Imelda Staunton though, she's on another level as perusal 
that showdown between her and Bill Nighy tho is EVERYTHING 
but overall I'd say it's like they got lost in trying to be too clever instead of just letting the characters shine 
David Gilbert's novel must've been way more fire than this adaptation 
. But the plot was all over the place 
, and my husband and I just ended up guessing what was going to happen next 
. Overall, not worth the time or money 
. Even with a talented cast, it just didn't come together 
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. The whole thing feels like a messy puzzle that never quite comes together. And don't even get me started on how awkward those confrontation scenes were 
. It's like they took all these interesting ideas and characters and turned them into a slow-cooked stew with too many ingredients. 
. And let's be real, 2 hours and 15 minutes is just too long for a film that's this meandering 
. Overall, it feels like they were trying to make a movie instead of actually making one 
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unfortunately it's all overshadowed by the convoluted plot and awkward family drama 
i'm still trying to wrap my head around it after watching it for the second time 
and whats with david gilberts book adaptation? did they really need to change so much? 
but yeah overall i was just kinda meh about it tbh 
. I think that's what really gets me, though - it feels like the movie is trying too hard to be clever instead of letting the characters breathe and shine on their own. It's like, I get it, twists are cool and all, but sometimes you gotta let the drama unfold naturally... *sigh* anyway, the showdown between Nighy and Staunton was seriously intense 
. Imelda Staunton's scenes with him were the highlight of my movie experience, tbh 
. The rest of it just felt like they were trying too hard to be clever and didn't quite succeed 
. Anyway, if you're a Bill Nighy fan, you might enjoy And Sons, but for me, it's a skip 
The cast deserves better than this convoluted mess of a movie. 2/10 would not watch again 
but the plot is like totally confusing what even is up with that twist? 
. But Trapero's direction is all over the place and it feels like they're trying too hard to be clever 
, she's like the only adult in that film 