Manchester by the Sea Review

3.0 Stars

 

Manchester by the Sea is the story of Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck), a janitor for residential buildings in Quincy, Massachusetts. He grew up in Manchester with his brother, but left after a tragic incident forced him away and turned him into an angry, antisocial loner.  He is called back to Manchester when his brother Joe (Kyle Chandler) dies from a heart condition.  Unexpectedly, Lee is named the legal guardian to his 16 year old nephew Patrick (Lucas Hedges) and also the trustee of Joe's estate until Patrick comes of age.  Lee is left with no other choice than to return to Manchester full time to fulfill his obligations and must face again the incident that prompted his leaving years before.

Manchester by the Sea is nominated for 6 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director (Kenneth Lonergan), Best Actor (Casey Affleck), Best Supporting Actress (Michelle Williams) and Best Supporting Actor (Lucas Hedges).  Affleck won the Golden Globe for Best Actor, but the film lost to Moonlight for Best Drama.  

We've seen movies like this before where someone who isn't ready is thrust into taking care of another child's life and it completely turns their world upside down, though ultimately proving to be the best thing that ever happened to them.  Catherine Zeta-Jones did this in No Reservations.  Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel did it in Life as We Know It.  Jean Reno did it in The Professional.  And we all know that some kind of tragedy happened to their biological parents to end up in this situation.  It's no different in Manchester by the Sea as we already know Lee's brother Joe died from his heart condition.  What sets this film apart is the mysterious incident that drove Lee from Manchester in the first place.  I won't give away the tragedy, but it's something the town, Lee's wife, and especially Lee blame on Lee for happening.  When his brother's dead forces him back to Manchester, Lee is confronted by the tragedy once again and is overcome by the conflict of his desire to flee once again versus his obligation to his brother's wishes to care for Patrick and his property.   

 

From the preview, it appeared that the writing and performances looked marvelously beautiful, compelling and tragic.  However, I felt the movie dragged for most of it and I was confused and disoriented by some of the musical selections that seemed disjointed.  The end was rather abrupt without a real resolution to anything.  Though La La Land cleaned up at the Golden Globes, the buzz for Best Picture and Best Actor seem to be pointing in large numbers to Manchester by the Sea.  I don't see this taking La La Land down for best picture.  I also don't see Michelle Williams taking home the trophy for Best Supporting Actress.  She had one good scene where she attempts to apologize to Lee that lasted a few minutes.  Other than that, he performance was nothing memorable.  She didn't give a poor performance, that was just the character's role as it was written.  

 

I gave it a 4.0 Star prediction based on several factors: the riveting preview, the wins and nominations, and previous performances by Affleck and Williams.  I'm reducing that rating to 3.0 Stars.  I'm glad I rented it rather than spent the full money in the theatres.  I doubt I'd watch it again and it won't be making it to my home collection.  I can see Casey Affleck taking home the honors for Best Actor, and Manchester by the Sea might be a strong contender for Best Original Screenplay.  Other than that, rent it if you're in the mood for a dragging drama.  So, what movie will be on my mind next?  We shall see.