I think audiences expected a superhero story since ryan reynolds is on the cover, but were instead confronted with a story that made us think about everything a superhero story leaves out. Ryan reynolds actually has a reasonable character that doesnt take up 90% of the script with pointless one liners for once, and the story is really heartfelt and funny in little ways. For the first 3/4 of the film or maybe a little further i was really enjoying it, so long as jeff convincingly maintained his innocence. However, then comes an abrupt U turn into problematic territory.
I will say that the ending kind of drags, and they really should have ended on mr excellent flying away, since many of these later scenes made the whole thing very uncomfortable. Especially after him inviting a bunch of minors to his and providing them alcohol because he feels lonely, having the 40-50 something jeff daniels kiss a girl on the lips who is stated to be around 15 years old or younger kind of makes me question the integrity of the protagonist. If jeff wrote his own character, then he may just be some kind of IRL pervert trying to make an excuse to spoon with and kiss emma stone.
Until the ending, i was all the way with the idea of him as just some sad guy who didn't know what he was doing, and i also was willing to believe that the initial "you're such a beautiful girl" was poor phrasing and meant more earnestly. Instead, by the ending, we are left with jeff having painted himself as a complete idiot, a pervert, and an irresponsible jerk who is causing a lot of stress for the people around him. It's especially awful for him to traumatize and sexualize this poor girl like that when she clearly is lonely, already damaged, and looking for a father figure.
By the end of the film, they have systematically removed everything that would allow us to relate to the protagonist, and it becomes pretty creepy that he's exposing a bunch of children to his problematic immaturity. Playing some quaint and whiny indie music while this all happens only makes him look like more of a creep and a narcissist. He doesn't even finish the book. Frankly, the fact that he says his wife views everyone as a machine just makes him seem worse, as if he's resentful towards her for expecting him to behave like a halfway functional adult.
I will say that the ending kind of drags, and they really should have ended on mr excellent flying away, since many of these later scenes made the whole thing very uncomfortable. Especially after him inviting a bunch of minors to his and providing them alcohol because he feels lonely, having the 40-50 something jeff daniels kiss a girl on the lips who is stated to be around 15 years old or younger kind of makes me question the integrity of the protagonist. If jeff wrote his own character, then he may just be some kind of IRL pervert trying to make an excuse to spoon with and kiss emma stone.
Until the ending, i was all the way with the idea of him as just some sad guy who didn't know what he was doing, and i also was willing to believe that the initial "you're such a beautiful girl" was poor phrasing and meant more earnestly. Instead, by the ending, we are left with jeff having painted himself as a complete idiot, a pervert, and an irresponsible jerk who is causing a lot of stress for the people around him. It's especially awful for him to traumatize and sexualize this poor girl like that when she clearly is lonely, already damaged, and looking for a father figure.
By the end of the film, they have systematically removed everything that would allow us to relate to the protagonist, and it becomes pretty creepy that he's exposing a bunch of children to his problematic immaturity. Playing some quaint and whiny indie music while this all happens only makes him look like more of a creep and a narcissist. He doesn't even finish the book. Frankly, the fact that he says his wife views everyone as a machine just makes him seem worse, as if he's resentful towards her for expecting him to behave like a halfway functional adult.