COLLATERAL BEAUTY review by Mark Walters – Will Smith can’t get over his grief soon enough

COLLATERAL BEAUTY review by Mark Walters – Will Smith can’t get over his grief soon enough

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COLLATERAL BEAUTY is a movie that wants you to find it clever and poignant. Will Smith plays Howard, a rather brilliant idea man who runs a marketing firm, and his world is destroyed when his 6-year-old daughter passes away. Years go by, and Howard comes in day by day making domino puzzles, never communicating with his fellow employees or really contributing anything. His only real activity outside of the office is riding his bike around the city, sometimes stopping outside the window or a grief support group, but never finding the strength to go in. When his co-workers Whit (Edward Norton), Claire (Kate Winslet) and Simon (Michael Peña) realize they’re going to lose a major account and perhaps the whole company because of their founder’s behavior, they decide something must be done. After hiring a private detective, they learn that Howard has been writing letters and mailing them, not to people but to “Time”, “Love” and “Death.” Whit comes up with a daring plan to hire three theater actors to pose as Time (Jacob Latimore), Love (Keira Knightley) and Death (Helen Mirren), and have them actually confront Howard about his feelings, in hopes this will somehow break through with him and move things forward.

This is where the advertising for this film feels very deceiving. In the trailers, we get the sense of that story I just outlined, but it’s presented as if Time, Love and Death are supernatural elements that appear and talk to our leading man. It’s never once indicated that within the story they’re actors being pulled into some sort of con. And when you start to think about the overall crux of the story, you realize the three co-workers are (in essence) just trying to save their job by concocting a rather absurd plan. Granted, it is a desperate times calling for desperate measures sort of situation, but it still seems kind of self-serving and shallow in a sense. And yeah, there’s a sort of subplot in which the actors (while debriefing each of their employers) start to help those folks with their own lives, but it all feels a little contrived and convenient. Meanwhile, Will Smith’s character is still in agony and can’t seem to communicate just why.

Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Michael Peña, Helen Mirren, and Keira Knightley all seem like they’re trying their best to make the material work, and their readings for their respective characters are sincere, but the script by Allan Loeb (HERE COMES THE BOOM) just never seems to catch. David Frankel (MARLEY & ME) is the director here, giving the proceedings a heavy amount of shmaltz factor, and only toward the very end delivering a truly emotional and moving moment… and then, after you think the film might have redeemed itself, it wraps up with a cheesy twist that really wasn’t necessary. COLLATERAL BEAUTY isn’t a complete loss, as the performances are pretty solid and what’s on screen is (for the most part) entertaining. Newcomer Jacob Latimore (THE MAZE RUNNER) gives a nice read with the “Time” role, holding his own with Smith in their various interactions, and Naomie Harris is quite enjoyable as the grief counselor trying ever so carefully to connect with Howard (this is a far cry from her brilliant performance in this year’s MOONLIGHT though). Helen Mirren is easily the standout in the film, making her character funny and endearing the way only she could. Keira Knightley feels the most underplayed, and I wonder if some of the subplot between her and Edward Norton got cut for time.

And speaking of running time, COLLATERAL BEAUTY might have been served better had it been a tad meatier, as the one hour and 37-minute length feels tighter in places than it needs to be. Some might view it as an interesting study on the concept of grief and how we process it, but most will probably find it a little predictable and by-the-numbers. It’s a shame, as Smith really can do great stuff when given the right material, but this isn’t going to be the entry that proves that.

COLLATERAL BEAUTY opens December 16, 2016

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About the Author

Born and raised in Dallas, Mark has been a movie critic since 1994, with reviews featured in print, radio and National TV. In 2001 he started the Entertainment section of the Herorealm website, where he contributed film reviews and celebrity interviews until 2004. After three years of service there, he started Bigfanboy.com, which has become one of the Dallas film community's leading information websites. Bigfanboy hosts several movie screenings in the Texas area, and works closely with film and TV studios and promotional partners to host exciting events and contests. The site also features a variety of rare celebrity and filmmaker interviews, and Bigfanboy.com regularly covers the film festival circuit as well. In addition to Hollywood reporting, Mark has worked for many years as an advertising and sci-fi/comic book artist. Clients have included Lucasfilm Ltd., Topps Trading Cards, The Dallas Mavericks and The Dallas Stars. From 2002 until 2015 he managed the Dallas Comic Con, Sci-Fi Expo and Fan Days events in the DFW area. He currently catalogs rare comic books and movie memorabilia for Heritage Auctions, and runs the Dallas Comic Show conventions, but remains an avid moviegoer and cinema buff.