The Confirmation

source: The Confirmation

This movie is more about karma and real live as opposed to religion. The spiritual principle of cause and effect is exemplified by a father (out of luck carpenter Walt, Clive Owen) and his son (Anthony, Jaeden Lieberher) who are doing almost all it takes to get the stolen toolbox back. For everything that goes wrong, something good happens. The connection with "faith" dissolves and reasoning becomes more and more important. You have to make up your own mind. If you think it is a good act, do it if you believe in it. Intent and actions of Walt (the cause) are influencing the future of Anthony (effect) and at the same time "healing" Walt. Good intent and good deed contribute to good karma and future happiness. The adventure to find the thieves responsible and ending up bonding in the process is a metaphor for the everybody's real live story. All of us are struggling with our own demons in our own way. And we all do what we have to do to get things right. Excellent movie and down to earth. Not fancy but doesn't need to be to bring the message across.

Clive Owen is so handsome and an excellent actor who needs to be seen more on screen and TV. Equally as significant and talented is the youthful 8 year-old who played Anthony;keep an eye on this kid. As it progresses, the characters flesh out revealing the father's desire to stay close to his son while battling unemployment, alcohol, mean people. All the kids in this movie are accomplished at their craft and endearing demonstrating what life is like for so many kids today while they walk that unpredictable line between parent's weakness vs desire to be loving to their kids.THIS is a MUST SEE MOVIE that stays with the viewer through subtle plot and good acting.

Walt, (Clive Owen) a recovering alcoholic, has his 8-year old son, Anthony (Jaeden Lieberher) for the weekend while his mother, Bonnie, (Maria Bello) and stepfather go away to a religious retreat. When Walt's specialized finishing tools are stolen he and Anthony get to know each other better trying to get back those tools that Walt desperately needs for his next job on Monday. This opens with Anthony in the Confessional Box and he cannot come up with any sins for the past 8-weeks. The Priest - almost at wits end - tries his best to help jog Anthony's memory but nothing surfaces. Anthony is undecided whether or not he should do his Confirmation. We see some unfortunate things happen to Walt that Anthony is surprised at but comes to understand that Walt is really a good person who is trying to do the right thing. We see Walt almost give in to alcohol, but Anthony becomes the adult and thwarts the attempt. Walt suspects Anthony but never lets him know it. Walt is always the good father, but acts more like a good friend and because of this Anthony gains new respect for him. Walt's friend Otto (Robert Forster) explains to Anthony what withdrawal symptoms are when Walt scares Anthony who thought his father was very drunk. It is possible that an adult Alien from outer space came to Earth and inhabited Jaeden as Anthony as we see him act more like an adult than an 8-year old. It's either that or Jaeden Lieberher is more than really good, or it was the Director doing all this. Whatever this is, it works big time. The chemistry between Walt and Anthony is so good you don't care how long it will take to find those tools. The banter between them including fatherly advice about Confirmation and Anthony's acceptance of it is pure gold. The dialogues are sincere and honest. And we see humor injected at times. You never want this to end. Clive Owen is one of the best actors around, and should be considered to be the next Bond, James Bond. My next choice would be Jim Caviezel. Will Smith would be my third choice, but I digress This almost closes with Anthony in the Confessional box again listing sin after sin to the same priest who is now besides himself listening to the many sins Anthony spouts. And this is just one day after his last Confession. I would list them but then I would give away many of the things that happened to both of them as they went about finding those tools. So you see, Anthony (or that Alien) wasn't all that innocent in this trek. This does close with Bonnie watching Walt and Anthony saying good-bye until the next week-end and she knows Anthony's Confirmation will happen and Walt will be there. This is a great family movie and you may wish there were more movies like this. (we can only hope) (10/10) Violence: Not really just a little scuffle at a Pawn shop. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Small stuff and not much of it.

It's no accident that about a third of the way through the movie, Clive Owen and Jaeden Lieberher, as father and son in The Confirmation are watching an old episode of The Rifleman - the quintessential TV western that was more about a father relating to his son in difficult and dire situations than it was about his gun. Clive Owen plays a divorced, alcoholic father who sees his son Jaeden Lieberher on weekends. One particular weekend, the father has his woodworking tools stolen. These are specialized carpentry tools that are irreplaceable. The son accompanies his dad on a series of misadventures in an attempt to recover the lost tools, which he must have for an upcoming job that he desperately needs. While a comparison can be made to the classic The Bicycle Thief, this movie stands on its own merits as an endearing case study of a boy's love for his father, willing to do whatever it takes to keep him on the straight and narrow path, and enabling both parent and child to rise to the occasion and succeed. This is a wonderful role for Owen and it is beautifully played. While Lieberher's character may seem a bit more precocious than would be expected of such a young boy, it does not come off as unbelievable. This is a movie the whole family can enjoy, all the more so because of its timeless themes of suffering and redemption, and not portraying fathers as the likely losers you so often see in Hollywood these days.

This film tells the story of a young boy who spends a weekend with his alcoholic biological father. Together, they go through a roller-coaster ride of unconventional experiences. I can't really guess from the title what "The Confirmation" is about. After realising it's about a poor alcoholic father and his frequently lying son going to find a stolen toolbox, I can't say I have developed much adoration for it. The son, Anthony, is very annoying because he looks so innocent and yet does so much bad stuff. Although one can argue that he harbours good intentions, seeing him repeatedly lie, stall and even attack others makes me dislike him. As for the father, it's very sad that his tools get stolen, and it's even sadder that the works he is in seems to be surrounded by people who have not made it up the social ladder. The film is just sad, not funny at all. If it wasn't for Clive Owen in the film, I would not have watched it.

While girls play with dolls, boys play with guns. This movie shows men telling children to behave as "men", being violent and hide their feelings. Homophobic comments like: "this guy is 90% a women" or "you'r stepfather is an authentic women" are present in this film. It's upsetting that children are being raised watching this type of movies.

The film makers chose not to feature the intense desperation of the Italian film The Bicycle Thief, used zero profanity, and a deadpan kid. Those may actually be reasons why some would dislike this film, but I found it all oddly seductive. Like another reviewer mentioned, nobody was vicious or truly mean here. Almost everyone, despite their poverty, had soul. Imagine a world where even in a gray desperate setting, people restrain themselves from the savagery that such places evoke in the real world. Some may ask why you need to cast a British guy in a film set in Washington and filmed in Canada. But I found Owen endearing and the dialogue he was given sublime. Someone decided that his face and demeanor fit the character, and I believe they did. Good call. Most of the "stars" are not really stars, and I appreciated seeing them get some work. Robert Forster is perfect for these roles, and Maria Bello totally looked the part. I don't know why they needed to make the boy be eight years old. The actor was way older than that. Clearly an eight year old would not be able to think or act as this one did. They should have made him 10, although the actor was 12. The unbelievable age thing was an awkward glitch for me. I'm glad they didn't use a soundtrack. The silence helped illustrate the depressed nature of the town. I've been to a depressed town in Washington. It's real. For whatever reasons, these film makers made the choice to present this story in a sort of Jim Jarmusch existentially absurd way. I liked that approach and did not judge it by other potential ways of doing it. I accepted it for what it was.

I didn't find this movie bad at all, how the actual 6.3 vote had let me guess. It is not a masterpiece either, but it has different elements that let you enjoy the light ride. Indeed, the little Jaeden Lieberher is the real protagonist along some nice children and he is just so tender that should deserve a 10/10 him alone. The plot is around a son before his coming confirmation who looks at is divorced father struggling between his problems during a tragic weekend. The child inside the confessional that open and then close the movie is so sweet to worth just by itself the whole film. If you are a parent you could easily appreciate this movie. 8/10

At one level The Confirmation (2016) is a simple and endearing story of a young boy spending a weekend bonding with his recovering-alcoholic father. However, the Catholic ritual in the film's title and the church confessionals that bookend the film suggest more serious themes. Although labelled a comedy, the story is really a dramatic portrait of the growing distance between traditional notions of morality and the ethical relativities of today's post-GFC world. Eight year-old Anthony (Jaeden Lieberher) has not spent much time with his father Walt (Clive Owen) since the divorce, and when mum has a weekend away with her new husband it is a rare chance for father and son to bond. Walt has a lot of issues, including alcohol, unemployment, a foreclosed mortgage and a broken down truck, so the weekend does not look promising for Anthony whose confirmation is only a week away. When thieves steal Walt's specialised hand- made carpenter tools, the pair spend the weekend tracking them down and in the process get to know each other. It is an emotional journey through neighborhoods that have hit hard times and where even thieves are pitiable and forgiven. There are several near-encounters with real danger and scenes of conventional comedy where many conservative parental boundaries are ignored. Through it all, it is a story about an irresponsible loser whose life is being turned around through the emerging relationship with his over-responsible son. The film starts with an impatient priest urging an innocent child to confess his sins and ends with him amazed at just how many sins can be committed in such a short time. In between, of course, Anthony had a coming of age journey in the real-world. Some may think the narrative unoriginal and the adult-child inversion a predictable cliché. But it does not look or feel like that. It is a heart- warming and tightly scripted two-hander with everything anchored by excellent acting performances that balance emotional insight with a well-paced plot line. Owen plays an unstable but good man, and his performance is pitched at just the right level to be both convincing and likable. However, the real star is Lieberher who authentically plays wise-beyond-his-age innocence and growing understanding of his father. Their synergy together is delightful. The moral of the story is that what priests expect and life delivers are vastly different, and young Anthony has learnt more about human values in a weekend than many learn in a lifetime.