Together

source: Together

First of all let me say that I normally like James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan. Sharon Horgan is normally a good comedian so I was looking forward to see what kind of comedy this would be. I read another reviewer stating she cried and laughed during the entire movie, it was that good, so yes I was looking forward to it. But what a disappointment it turned out to be. As if we were already not bombarded enough with the Covid propaganda every day, somebody had the great idea (that's sarcasm by the way) to make a boring movie about it. All you get is a neverending conversation between James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan. Sometimes also a neverending monologue about their stupid opinion of the whole crisis. A complete letdown. I know it's just a movie but at one point I couldn't stand their faces anymore, hopefully this feeling will go away when they appear in another movie. I can't believe anybody enjoyed this stinker. Highly overrated if you ask me. But if you hadn't enough of the Covid propaganda, you know that thing they write 30 articles about per day in every newspaper, that thing you hear non-stop about on the news since two years, then yes you will enjoy this piece of garbage.

Sharon Horgan and James McAvoy acting together, with a screenplay by Dennis Kelly (who worked on the script for Utopia), and directed by Stephen Daldry. What a line-up! I am trying to watch it, but the constant acting to camera, and angrily moaning about the relationship, is wearing. Everything else is excellent - camerawork, sound, lighting, physical direction, costumes, make-up, editing, and everyone else in the team doing a superb job. I just wish the script was less about complaints, and there was no speaking to camera. It is like being harangued.

The dark comedy "Together" chronicles the topsy-turvy year of a COVID-19 locked- down couple, He (James McAvoy) and She (Sharon Horgan), and briefly, their son, Artie (Samuel Logan). We are treated in excruciating closeups to the upended lives of lovers, for whom the claustrophobic life has brought out the meanest and most loving sides of their volatile personalities. She is a righteous liberal running a refugee-aiding agency and He, probably a Tory in disguise heads a boutique tech company. In the first at they can't stand to be with each other. She is occupied with saving her mother from the pandemic by placing her in a care facility (clueless about the fate of that decision!) and he with encounters at the grocery store that stoke his misanthropic anger. As we remember the dialogue treat of Richard Linklater's chatty series with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, main director Stephen Daldry and writer Dennis Kelly also provide their actors with smart dialogue and room to improvise as they attempt to explain the love/hate feelings to their partner. The pandemic is, of course, prominent and tyrannical, but the depth of their feelings leads us to believe that COVID has given them a chance to take a bite out of reality that may have never surfaced in normal times. Consummate actors like McAvoy dine on chances like this, and he doesn't disappoint. Each closeup shows how he uses his face to relay a thousand nuances, mimicking the multiple strands of the virus and the countless sides of human nature. Many times, the actors talk to the camera, violating happily the sacred fourth wall but creating an unusual intimacy with us, the visitors. When McAvoy as He recounts an encounter with a "hero" in Walmart, his varied reactions are magnetizing as you may wonder how an actor can summon up these amazing expressions. We know, however, by the end of this remarkable long take the ambiguities of his character and the tragedy of the pandemic. The third act concludes in Aristotelean balance while it leaves open life to continue its uncertainties, virus or no virus. "Together" shows how we are in this together, and talking it out may be one successful way to overcome the unfairness of life.

Greetings again from the darkness. As expected, we are beginning to see an influx of "pandemic" movies and TV shows. What wasn't expected is the unique and creative approach in this one from Co-directors Stephen Daldry (THE HOURS, 2002) and Justin Martin. The script is from Dennis Kelly and the writing, directing, and acting all work together seamlessly to create quite an unusual viewing experience. The weight of the movie rests on the outstanding performances from James McAvoy and Sharon Horgan (GAME NIGHT, 2018). They don't simply break the fourth wall, they outright obliterate it. These two characters, whose names we never learn, talk directly to us viewers at least as often as they do to each other. The story begins in March 2020 on the first day of COVID quarantine, and carries through for a full year. As we open, the relationship has admittedly run its course, though as the days go by, circumstances can change things. The two are joined in the house by 10 year old son Artie (Samuel Logan), who spends an inordinate amount of time hovering in the background, hearing the two adults say things he shouldn't hear. They appear to devote very little time to the boy's stress ... although their own feelings are front and center. It's a bit off-putting at first as we adjust to the couple speaking directly to us. On top of that, the sharing of personal information and the overlapping dialogue of their caustic exchanges meant to hurt, make this feel a bit like we are intruding. But the conversations are so relatable since we've all experienced the uncertainty and frustration wrought by the pandemic. In a short amount of time, we understand these two. He shares the story of his early confrontation with a grocery clerk over his son's food choices, while she explains the guilt associated with an ailing elderly mother during a lockdown. Their "mushroom" story is certainly one for the ages, and again, provides much insight into these two people of distinctly opposite political spectrums. Daldry and Martin filmed this in just 10 days, and with the entire piece taking place on the lower level of the couple's flat, the film has a definite stage feel - accentuated by the long takes and aura of live performances. The dialogue stands in for action, and Ms. Horgan's explanation of the reality of "exponential growth" in regards to COVID is one of the most stunning math classes you'll attend. This is a case study of personalities and the relationship effects of a pandemic, and it is infused with enough dark comedy to keep it entertaining, rather than depressing. Some similarities exist to the SXSW film THE END OF US, though this one is quite a different viewing experience. Bleeker Street is releasing TOGETHER in theaters on 8/27/21 and digitally on 9/14/21.

This crept up on me. It was just on in the background, but then I was caught by it. The acting was superb, and the script funny, sad, poignant. I'm sure it was an insight into many relationships and the ups and downs they faced during lockdown. It was compelling viewing, which is very rare nowadays.

Tired of this "Here is Our Family" movie tripe. Keep it. Zero Stars.

Filthy language and more like a discussion with the audience. Thankfully we got our tickets switched to see a different movie.

Here we have a bickering couple - who are only staying together for the sake of their child - having to face up to lockdown and losing someone close to them. As the lockdown progresses their previously destructive relationships slowly changes in to one that involves more understanding and empathy. There's also an exposure of the early blundering of UK health officials - sending infected patients back to care homes were carnage was inflicted - and the slow response of the Government to putting into place a lockdown. It's superbly acted - and if you haven't seen it - I'm sure you can catch it on the BBC iPlayer.

Lot of overly exaggerated acting by the two leading actors who played the couple. There's nothing to make you interested for this bored-you-to-death British movie. The couple in this movie were not likable at all. I even spotted the guy who played the husband who looked at the camera very often. When they sat at the counter eating mushrooms, his mouth didn't shut tight when chewing, so the noises came out of his mouth were just too overwhelmingly loud and annoying. There's absolutely nothing worth you to invest over 10 to 15 minutes of your awakening time to watch this lame movie. Just another very typical British movie, totally unnecessary.