Lullaby

source: Lullaby

The story centers around Jonathan (Garrett Hedlund), the wayward son who has flashbacks to his past. He has traveled from LA to be with his dying father (Richard Jenkins), who has been fighting cancer for 12 years. The family gets together, feuds, and then bonds in ways that were missing before. Sister Karen (Jessica Brown Findlay) studying law has filed a court injunction to prevent her father from being taken off the machines. This allows us to have a heart warming story about people and kids dying from cancer. Jonathan meets Meridth (Jessica Barden), a 17 year old with a death sentence as they bond smoking in the hallway. In case you have Puffs left over from "The Fault in Our Stars," this one is designed to help you finish the box, although it really failed to create that Puffs moment until the end when they over reach for it. Amy Adams has a role far smaller than her billing. This is your typical try to feel good about life Indie with acoustical accompaniment. The film needed a few more light indie moments as it seemed to be heavy just for the sake of being heavy. Good performances by the cast. The film teaches us that smokers are criminals and they stink. Parental Guidance: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

A triumph of 2-dimensional characters, drawn with a crayon, of whom it's impossible to care about even one. From cliché tropes and dreadful TV movie dialog to the insulting racist and antisemitic stereotypes, we move from one uncomfortable, phoned in faux-motional outburst to another, punctuated by belabored death bed pronouncements croaked from said bed that seems to be all over the fantasy hospital-- its inhabitant looking on, ghostly and benign. This ham handed pro assisted suicide flyer is a small, small film, that never should have made it past broadcast television. Avoid at all costs.

This movie hit very close to home as my mother decided to stop all medical intervention 4 years ago. We didn't have the messy family dynamics but there were 13 family members in the room from great grands to her husband so many personalities. This movie did a great job of revealing the process after a loved one makes a choice to stop medical intervention except not everyone dies so quickly. She was not overdosed on morphine but she was heavily dosed to keep her comfortable and not aware she was suffocating slowly. One day of waiting for all the hoops to be jumped through and then it took 2 days for her to die and like in the movie the room exploded with cries. If you want to understand the experience this is a good movie to see.

Watched this movie about a family dealing with a loved one's final days after having fought cancer for years. The cast was solid all around but the script is where this movie fails its audience. Jennifer Hudson,who plays a nurse on the cancer floor,is portrayed as a crass,crude and heartless person who insists that visiting hours are over and complains that too many people are crowding her hallway. Its extremely disrespectful to all the hard working nurses who are on the front line of advanced cancer patients,doing their best to provide comfort and compassion to the dying. No nurse would EVER tell a family member that a patient would have to wait to be cleaned up if they soiled their bed as Hudson's character does in this movie. They would move as quickly as possible to help. It is because of scenes like this that really brings this film way down....

Quality Concept, Quality Writing, Quality Directing, Quality Acting, Quality Soundtrack! If this movie doesn't win an Academy Award the Hollywood establishment is simply beyond hope! Whenever I see Richard Jenkins' name on a production I stop and take a close look. He's the sort of actor who is so good at his job that it doesn't seem like "acting" at all. Thus when I noticed that he was part of the cast in Lullaby I pressed enter on my Apple TV control and settled back to enjoy the ride. And what a ride it proved to be! Terms like Gut Wrenching only hint at the roller coaster ups and downs of a script beyond excellent and words like "real" are so spot on that even the most rabid cliché hater must of needs use that descriptor... One wonders how anyone could survive the writing of this script, or the directing of this movie, or the acting out of these roles. Difficult conundrums faced with hesitancy but ultimately depicted with brutal honesty and yet delicate sensitivity! The sort of movie everyone can be proud of being involved in...and that includes even the act of watching it. Bravo, and thanks to all involved!

Andrew Levitas makes his screen writing and directing debut in this little film LULLABY and for a first time effort, despite all the rough unfinished edges of the canvas, he gives notice of a man with a fairly keen perception of the complex interrelationships of dysfunctional families. Jonathan Lowenstein (Garrett Hedlund) lives in Los Angeles attempting to become a singer of note and has been estranged from his wealthy New York family for years, always feeling as though he was unable to live up to his father's expectations. One day, he suddenly receives word that his terminally ill father Robert Lowenstein (Richard Jenkins) wishes to be taken off life support after a 12 year struggle with lung cancer and has 36 hours to live. When he agrees to visit his father, he unintentionally sets up a family conflict with no easy resolution. His mother (Annie Archer) has been caretaker of Robert and is happy to have the family reunited: Karen (Jessica Brown Findlay), the younger sister in law school, struggles with resentment for Jonathan, Jonathan detests the fact that he must observe the dying wishes of Robert (including setting up Seder when Jonathan has a history of disregarding his Jewish heritage), cope with Karen's acerbic flairs, deal with a stranger Meredith (Jessica Barden) who is 17 years old and dying of bone cancer who shares her needs with Jonathan and he with her, and re-encountering his lost love Emily (Amy Adams). Some of the best moments are provided by Jennifer Hudson as the potty mouth bitchy nurse, Terence Howard as the attending physician who is to aids Robert's 'assisted suicide', and Daniel Sunjata as a policeman who joins in the Seder. Though there are funny moments the story hangs on the subject of death and end of life situations, sharing the manner in which we evaluate our lives and our purposes in this life at that transformative moment of death of a loved one. Though falling frequently into the overplayed anger/grief/sobbing triad the actors are very fine and they make the film worth watching. Grady Harp, July 14

(2014) Lullaby DRAMA Co-produced, written and directed by Andrew Levitas that has inspired rock musician, Jonathan (Garrett Hedlund) returning back home to NYC to see his dad, Robert (Richard Jenkins) who suffering immensely from cancer, deciding to finally pull the plug. He wants to do this, not with his wife (Anne Archer) and son but also with his successful lawyer daughter, Karen (Jessica Brown Findlay) who is attempting to prevent him from what she felt was her dad making an irrational decision. I liked some of the general conversation exchanges between brother and sister, as they put their differences aside.

This is a truly beautiful and deeply moving film. While it may sound a bit depressing, it's anything but. It's funny fresh and completely life affirming. The performances are flawless and Garrett Hedlund and Richard Jenkins are magnificent. Jessica Brown Findlay, Anne Archer and Jessica Barden are also wonderful. Jennifer Hudson has never been better. The music and feel of the film is fresh and really satisfying. It made me want to call everyone I hold close and tell them exactly how much I appreciate them and love them. Life is short. See it!!

I first noticed Garrett Hedlund in On The Road, where I thought he was brilliant, in all senses of the word. The trailer for Lullaby also looked enticing. After watching the movie I can tell you that I don't regret my decision, I liked it very much, but it is not something that you can relax with or something that can be enjoyed at all times and by anyone. The plot is simple: family patriarch is dying and the family gathers around him at this difficult moment. We get to understand each character, mostly Hedlund's though, and their interaction. Courageous bald cancer girl and ex-girlfriend clichés are also present to further the story. People have talked about the length of the film and, indeed, to witness human uncomfortable suffering for two hours felt a little too much. However all actors played well, except maybe Jessica Brown Findlay, but she is just beginning, cut her some slack; the script was very nice and I could find no real flaws in the direction or other production values. Maybe bracing through two hours of good film is not so bad after all, is it? My personal take from the movie is that people always expect something from you and when they have nothing to lose, like when they are dying or are overwhelmed by pain, they actually demand it. I am still not convinced that being annoyed rather than involved is the bad thing to do. It makes for a good movie to get involved, I guess. Bottom line: watch out for Garrett Hedlund, he will be rising. The movie was great, but watch it when you are in the mood for consistent emotional dramatic tension, not at breakfast before you get to work. i think it is also cathartic for people who lost or are going to lose somebody soon. And Richard Jenkins is always good in the role of the dying or dead father, isn't he? :)