MovieChat Forums > Collateral Beauty (2016) Discussion > I saw the film earlier this week

I saw the film earlier this week

posted 8 years ago by djp2000
13 replies | jump to latest

I went to a screening of Collateral Beauty 3 days ago. I wasn't too sure what to expect, but I do like when Will Smith takes on more serious roles like this one that aren't just action or humor-filled.
Some critics will say the movie is a bit hokey but I think it works well as a holiday film. Smith doesn't dominate the screen time, it's more shared evenly with his co-stars. But he does show some real emotional depth towards the end. This is a good Christmas movie to take the family to and Will Smith still shows why he's one of the most bankable movie stars out there today.

[–] quball87 8 years ago

How does it end?

[–] marielapenn 8 years ago

how's Keira Knightley in it and how much of a role does she have?

[–] djp2000 8 years ago

To answer the replies above... I'll just say there's a twist at the end that was nice. And I liked Keira Knightley the least in the film. She just wasn't the right fit and didn't make much of an impression.

[–] callambuj 8 years ago

how was Winslet's role? she has enough screen time??

[–] djp2000 8 years ago

how was Winslet's role? she has enough screen time??

Kate Winslet, Edward Norton, and Michael Peña play Will Smith's co-workers who he also considers his closest friends. They feel that he's going crazy ever since the death of his daughter 2 years ago and concoct a plan to save their company which Smith runs. I'd say they all have fairly equal screen time.

[–] callambuj 8 years ago

i got that from the trailer .. i just wanted to know about her performance.. thanks for telling that she has enough screen time

[–] Megagug 8 years ago

Is the twist that Love, Time, and Death are actually just therapists/counselors that Kate Winslet hired?

Winter is coming, BITCHES!!

[–] jimmy-crain 8 years ago

The first act reveals that Norton, Winslet, and Pena hire a group of actors to act as Love, Time, and Death. They need evidence that Howard's lost his sanity and that he's unfit to lead the company. Then the ending reveals that Mirren, Knightley, and Latimore's characters are not just actors. They're actually Love, Time, and Death.

[–] beardtothemichael17 8 years ago

Is Jonah Hill in this? I know he was spotted on set when filming took place, but I thought it was odd he wasnt mentioned in the trailer or any marketing.

[–] hager1951 8 years ago

Curious how you saw the movie when it hasn't even been released yet?????????

[–] jimmy-crain 8 years ago

A screening was held a few days ago. If you have a Twitter account, you'll see tons of audience reactions there. Apparently it went fairly well. A lot of people liked the film.

[–] Vins_gurl18 8 years ago

I also liked the twist at the end about the grief counselor. It made me cry. I didn't catch on at first. That threw me for a loop at the end. I felt SO bad when it became obvious. :(

[–] blaqueknight2000 8 years ago

Spoilers everywhere! Just skip my post if you haven't seen it.

I liked the symbolism in the movie.
Love Death and Time.
Its was great in that the very principles he used in his marketing campaign were what was happening to his friends and each of them related to the actors that were playing the parts.
Whit was seeking love from his daughter but was also looking for love, which is why he took to Amy.
Simon was terminally sick and Brigitte played Death but at the same time, was there to console Simon.
Raffi helped Clare understand that she had more time than she thought if she just changed her perception about affecting a child as opposed to having a child.
They got me with the end with the Olivia thing. Not a dry eye in the house on that one. I kind figured they knew each other when Madeleine said "I wanted to invite you in but I didn't want to blow up your spot". That seemed like something that they may have said to each other before. It seemed "relationship-py" for lack of a better word. She was dealing with grief while Howard was avoiding it. The card with "I wish we could be strangers again" was also prophetic in that it was actually carried out by their separation and rekindling.
Lovely movie. People are going to criticize it to hell because that's what they do around here but I thought it was a great script performed by a great cast. Keira Knightley pulled back a bit in this one. I would have liked to have seen a more sturdy performance from her because she's capable of it. Helen killed it. She deserves all the praise she gets.