It's that time of year when I start tracking down all the Sundance movies from January to fit in before the end of the year. This one was a big curiosity because of Lily Collins. I've never really sought her work out. She sort of pops up though in things I'm seeing anyway. I don't remember her from The Blind Side. I mainly remember her in Mirror, Mirror because I'm oddly obsessed with the closing song of that movie. The Warren Beatty curiosity was mainly what brought me to Rules Don't Apply. Stuck in Love and the Amazon series The Last Tycoon sucked me in because of the whole ensemble. To the Bone I watched specifically for her, as it's a character piece centered around her. Partly, I wanted to know if she could really get any skinnier than she already was. The answer is "yes" and I wish I could unsee that now (although The Machinist is still the gold standard in horrifying skinniness). She's pretty good in the film. I was worried at first when she got the badass renegade introduction at the beginning. They tone that down as the movie goes on. It's clear after a while that her sarcasm and attitude are more of a defense mechanism, and Collins does a great job of knowing when and how to dial it back. She didn't move into "get her an Oscar, now!" territory, but she definitely proved she has some range and should continue to get lead roles in films.
I was impressed by
the supporting cast too. Rhetta gets a small but surprisingly real turn as the
head of the inpatient house. I've only ever seen her do comedy. This was a big
departure and she did well with it. Leslie Bibb also has a limited role and
brings some nice manic energy to it. Carrie Preston, as the stepmom, is sweet
and annoying. Lili Taylor swoops in for some good scenes. I still am waiting
for a Liana Liberato role that gives me an idea of what she can do as an
actress. I've seen her pop up in a number of things. She's never a weakness,
just kind of anonymous. Keanu Reeves as Collins' doctor is fine. I think we all
need to accept that Reeves is not a master thespian. We all know that, but a
lot of you need to get over it. He's more interesting for his ability to choose
roles in fun or worthwhile movies than he is as an actor and that's OK.
This is a Sundance release though, and it feels like it as times, for better and for worse. At least it doesn't pretend it's a "dramedy". This is outright drama. The British love interest (while played charmingly by Alex Sharp) story felt a little contrived. That and the desert vision in the climax felt like they were included just to give the story a more traditional structure and familiar beats. The thing about Collins' Tumblr account somehow leading to a girl killing herself and really everything about Collins sort of being an anorexia community icon was a little too convenient (nearing One Big Leap territory). While I liked the movie, it was a little too messy for me to say anyone needs to seek it out.
Verdict (?): Weakly Don't Recommend
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