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Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Movie Review: ‘Third Person’

JOBLO.COM "Third Person" deals with the interweaving lives of many different characters, including those portrayed by Liam Neeson and Olivia Wilde.
JOBLO.COM
“Third Person” deals with the interweaving lives of many different characters, including those portrayed by Liam Neeson and Olivia Wilde.

★★★☆☆

In his new cerebral drama “Third Person,” director Paul Haggis artistically tests the limits of how far we will go for love. With a style reminiscent of his Oscar-winning movie “Crash,” the film follows the lives of three couples in three major cities. The film opens as Michael (Liam Neeson), a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, struggles to complete his latest novel in a hotel room in Paris. The audience learns that Michael “feels through the characters” in his novels. Even his own journal is written in third person.

Michael’s young lover Anna (Olivia Wilde), a sultry and emotional author, arrives in Paris to reveal past pains in their relationship. Meanwhile, Scott (Adrien Brody), a businessman in the fashion industry, meets the gorgeous and distressed Monika (Moran Atias) in a bar in Rome. Scott discovers that Monika’s daughter is being held hostage, but the ransom is too high for Monika to pay. Enamored with this woman’s beauty and ferocity, Scott accompanies her around the city, accidently causing as much harm as good.

Finally, Julia (Mila Kunis) is trying to make a living as a hotel maid in New York after losing custody of her young son. Although her ex-lover and son’s father Rick (James Franco) pities Julia, he still does his best to keep their son away from her. While the New York storyline is the least romantic of the three, it highlights a different, but equally captivating, kind of love: the bond between parent and child. Haggis leaves no stone unturned in this exploration of love and loss.

“Third Person” is jam packed with A-list faces that add familiarity to the film’s appeal, yet this ultimately limits what the film is able to accomplish. The on-screen relationships between the characters prove to be somewhat dissatisfying. With the exception of Michael, who receives enough attention to become something more than one-dimensional, the characters lack necessary development.

Although Kunis is given limited screen time, she delivers a stunning dramatic performance in her first maternal role. Her character grapples with poverty, guilt and selflessness — a persona Kunis takes on with ease.

However, Franco’s role as a famous artist and concerned father does not quite fit his strengths as an actor. Personally, I prefer watching him ride off into the sunset with Seth Rogan. His performance in “Third Person” is touching, but it definitely stands in stark contrast to his past work in action and comedy.

It is Neeson who gives the greatest performance of all, successfully capturing a medley of powerful emotions. In fact, since the film revolves around his life as a writer, it might have been better if there were fewer A-list faces to distract from Neeson’s melancholic and beautifully crafted character.

As the film progresses, Haggis continues to play with time, location and self-identity. Michael conducts a meta-analysis of his own mind, and the results that play out on screen are quite unexpected. The film maintains a somber, almost tense tone throughout its duration, which is accompanied by a hauntingly simple piano that plays consistently in the background

While this movie will likely receive less praise than some of Haggis’ other works, like “Crash,” it is worth a trip to the theatre if you’re in need of a new summer drama. Ultimately, the film has a lot of potential, and all the pieces of the story fit together nicely, but the individual stories come up short. The film’s premise and ending are truly quite clever, but Haggis’ execution unfortunately just doesn’t hit the mark.

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