James White (2015)

Pretty Good

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

"James White" is the story of the New England Patriots' running back struggle to make the team, and insert himself as a 3rd Down specialist. Just kidding! And only die-hard football fans will get that one. "James White" is actually a mediocre somber film about a mother dying from cancer and her party-festive son's struggle to care for her. Writer- Director Josh Mond sure insert some "Mond"ay blues in this film showing the deterioration of a middle-aged woman dying from cancer, and her party-loving son's difficulty dealing with it. The Mond issue here is that there is not much more to this. The film lacked a layered screenplay, and creative direction. However, I must state that the acting was superb! Christopher Abbott dazzled as the title character, and Cynthia Nixon was outstanding as James' dying mother Gail. So I would not subject "James White" to the bench, but I would not exactly touch down with "James White". *** Average

James White follows a twenty-something year old man who lives with his mother and, after the passing of his father, begins to struggle with the loss. During this time his mother's cancer returns and he tries to take care of her while balancing his own personal relationships and emotions. To start off all the actors are great. Everyone was pretty genuine in their line delivery and even in the way they moved. They were all perfect, and their characters were great too. The main character and his girlfriend have great chemistry almost immediately, and everyone else is interesting and realistic, making it all the more shocking when something horrible happens. And that happens a lot. This movie can be very hard to watch at times, and not in a bad way. It's hard to watch because you can't stand to see such great characters go through such bad things, and when a movie can make you feel for the characters then it's definitely done something rightSurprisingly, this movie features a handful of lengthy shots. While some of them contain lots of dialogue, some of them also contain little to no dialogue and barely any movement. While it may not seem difficult or impressive, these actors had to stay in character sometimes for a full five minutes and just sit with each other and exchange a few words, maybe move around a little. And all of it was very natural. It's subtle things like this that make this movie stand out from other depressing family dramas.At points, however, this movie could be a little slow. There isn't a lot of music, and while that isn't necessarily a bad thing it can make it difficult to keep your attention focused when the only thing emitting from the television is a soundless scene of someone barely moving. It generally didn't take away from the movie, it actually added to it a little, but it was still there. Also, the outcome of the movie was a little on the predictable side, but it didn't distract too much from how incredibly well-made the movie is. Overall James White is just fantastic. It's filled with great characters, great actors, and some horribly good realism. While it can be a little slow and a little predictable, it doesn't take away from the movie enough to make it even remotely close to being a displeasure to watch. In the end I'd certainly recommend this movie.

I went out and seen a great movie tonight called James White.James White (Christopher Abbott) is a asshat who lives off his mothers (Cynthia Dixon) couch. His mother is battling cancer and during her remission his estranged father dies. James has a narcissist personality and is on a drunken and drugged fueled downward spiral. He heads to Mexico with his friend Nick (Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi) to escape from from his responsibilities. While he seems to be in a perpetual fog as a means of escaping his harsh reality he meets a girl Jane (Makenzie Leigh). Just as he starts to relax his mothers cancer returns and he receives that dreaded call. He returns home and has to put all of the emotionally irresponsible crap behind him and take care of her.James is a bitchboy who does his best but with two worlds colliding his anger and frustration over how to take care of his mother whom he loves more than anything makes him increasingly lost.The actors rolls are on fleek. Nixon with her portrayal of a cancer patient throwing up, collapsing, losing her memory, wandering aimlessly, the bathroom scene and agony of facing death is definitely award winning. Having seen someone die from cancer and living with it I must say Nixion portrayal of this is awesome. Abbott's roll shows multi sides of expressions of grieving which makes for a difficult viewing. The heart break and devastation of both watching someone you love die and trying to work through living with the pain is how it ends at the crossroad of choices and again definitely award winning.

James White (Christopher Abbott) is caught in an endless cycle of self-destruction. He has just lost his father and fears losing his ailing mother (Cynthia Nixon) who he has been taking care of for years. He spends his days drinking, sleeping around and lashing out at others, doing anything to avoid confronting his grief and emotions, which he keeps under the surface, bubbling and waiting to burst. Life has been unfair to him, and this behaviour that manifested sabotages any chance of career or personal growth. He might be using his mother's condition as an excuse not to step out of his comfort zone and try harder in life, which is reasonable to some extent, but he can't seem to change. In his prime, he is jobless and taking his mother's couch as a bed.This narratively loose drama doesn't offer anything particularly new in giving us a glimpse into the struggles, both internal and external, faced by James. There is not much closure or emotional reward to be given. This is summed up perfectly in one of the very few scenes in which we see James surrendering to his emotions, crying while repeatedly yelling "I don't know what to do".The best aspect of the film is the acting. Nixon gives an authentic, heartbreaking performance that's understated. Abbott, on the other hand, is given a character that requires patience and sensitivity to sympathize with. James internalizes many complex emotions throughout the film and what goes on in his mind is not always clear to the audience. It's a tricky act to balance but Abbott pulls it off. Their mother-son relationship is the only thing that's certain in their lives and is the core of the film.The film could have very well ended during its most powerful and stirring scene with James and his mother in the toilet. She can't get up, so they sit and talk about what their ideal life would be like and the future they had hope for. They feel at peace as both of them stay in this moment, still and smiling. This is when the bleak reality of the film truly sets in, as we see these people, both kind and full of dreams and desires, trapped in an unfortunate life.