*I'll fully admit that this is one of my worst formulas ever.
Can you ever go home again?
There's an entire sub genre of movies based on that question. It's one of the most common questions asked in film. Just at the top of my head, I can think of This Is Where I Leave You, The Judge, Adult Beginners, The Hollars, and Young Adult that are about that same question. And that's just recently. Push a little further back and there's Garden State, Elizabethtown, Coming Home, Grosse Pointe Blank, Beautiful Girls, and a good deal of Sandra Bullock's output (Hope Floats, Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood). What I'm trying to say is Manchester by the Sea isn't breaking new ground. The thing that makes it better than just about any of the movies I just listed is how it tackles the follow-up to that question: What if home wants you back but you can't let yourself return?
The film begins with Lee (Casey Affleck) living a lonely life as the janitor for some apartment buildings in Boston. He's surly, drinks a lot, and gets in fights. One day, he gets a call telling him his brother has died and he has to return to his home town of Manchester. He ends up with custody of his teen nephew and stuck in this town that he left for a good reason. Let's just say that his brother dying isn't the first bad thing that's happened to him in his life. Several flashbacks catch the audience up with what's going on in the present, where he's making funeral arrangements and figuring out what to do next.
There are some fantastic performances throughout the film. Casey Affleck is incredible. He's like a cross between Coach Taylor in Friday Night Lights and Joaquin Phoenix's character in The Master: a reserved, raw nerve. It's a very internalized performance and enough to convince me that he's the better actor of the Affleck brothers*. It's appropriate that Coach Taylor himself, Kyle Chandler, plays Lee's brother. I was already aware of how good he is at holding back in a role while giving plenty. Lucas Hedge's is Lee's nephew. He has a tricky role. His father's death isn't a complete surprise, but it's still a shock to the system. His mood varies wildly and he pulls it all off well enough. Michelle Williams is Lee's ex-wife. She isn't in the film much, but she has one scene in particular that's rightfully making her an award season favorite this year. The performances are by far the greatest strength of the film.
*Ben's a pretty good director though, so it's still unfair how talented both of them are.
One of the hardest things to do in a film is to successfully meander. People like Richard Linklater and Cameron Crowe have made a career out of it, but it's hard to get right. On one end, you risk the movie being listless or feeling padded. On the other end, you don't lay enough out for the big moments to feel earned. At almost 2 and a half hours, Manchester perhaps wanders a little longer than it needs to. I somewhat question the need to know about the nephew's two girlfriends, for example. It's forgivable because the bigger moments are damn good.
I don't know if this will make sense, but the film is shot it a way that isn't patronizing. Far too often, when filmmakers leave the big cities or sound-stages, they do this thing where they fixate on the things that "poor people" live with. It's normally done out of a genuine interest, but it's pretty elitist. Manchester avoids that. This isn't the nicest part of the world, but it's shot without judgment. Houses seem comfortable. Some areas look nicer than others, not trashed or pristine. It feels like a real place, not a fetishized "quaint" town.
Manchester by the Sea is a familiar movie done incredibly well. It's carried by fantastic performances, especially Casey Affleck in the lead role. It only gives the audience about 80% of what they want to see in a given scene, and that restraint pays off more as the story progresses. It covers some dark topics and has a weird sense of humor that can come out of nowhere at times. It never allows the audience to get completely comfortable in a very deliberate way. It all comes together as a rewarding trip to Manchester.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
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