COLLATERAL BEAUTY
US, 2016, 97 minutes, Colour.
Will Smith, Edward Norton, Kate Winslet, Michael Peña, Keira Knightly, Helen Mirren, Jacob Lattimore, Noemie Harris, Ann Dowd.
Directed by David Frankel.
This is a drama of worthy themes, even high-minded themes. This is manifest in the title, particularly high-minded, the focus on beauty. Several times throughout the film there is an explanation of the title: that with suffering and tragedy, something good can emerge, a collateral to the suffering in the experience of a new beauty.
In many ways this is a small drama, a focus on a man who runs an agency, full of enthusiasm, giving pep talks, explaining the significance in marketing and in life with the focus on Love, Time, Death. He is played by Will Smith, initially enthusiastic and inspiring, then, after three years, suffering a deep personal tragedy, the death of his six-year-old daughter from a rare disease, his inability to cope, the repercussions for his wife, divorce.
For the rest of the film, we have a rather morose Howard, sitting alone at home, setting up most elaborate domino patterns in the office and then collapsing them, not communicating with his friends, with the staff, the business going downhill with the need for a sale, he sitting at home, writing letters to Time, to Love, to Death, going out to post them.
His three enthusiastic partners at the agency, Edward Norton as Whit, Kate Winslet as Claire, Michael Peña as Simon, are becoming more and more desperate.
When Amy, Keira Knightly, comes for an audition to the agency and startles Whit with her rearranging of a slogan, he follows her to a theatre where she is in rehearsal, directed by Brigitte, Helen Mirren.
The drama that follows is a challenge to plausibility and the film moves into the realm of special messages, possibly angels, the tradition of It’s a Wonderful Life. In this way, Collateral Beauty is reminiscent of a 2014 New York drama, which includes time travel, also plausibility-challenging, A Winter’s Tail (with Russell Crowe and Colin Farrell). While both films are worthy in theme, other words that will come to mind are fey and twee.
Howard is challenged in a particular way, involving a video and a private detective, Ann Dowd, and Howard encountering representatives of Love, Time, Death in the form of knightly, Mirren and the young Jacob Lattimore.
Also in the picture is Madeline, who oversees a group for parents bereft because of the death of a child. Howard attends, begins to relate very well to Madeline – and you might guess the ending in this regard.
For a small film, the car seems to be over-qualified. The themes are attractive but the whole experience is rather ephemeral – and there is a need for a warning for audiences who automatically baulk at sentiment.
1. The title? Worthy, high-minded? The role of sentiment and feeling?
2. A New York story, the advertising agency, homes, apartments, streets, Upper Manhattan, the theatre, the board rooms, the group meetings? The musical score?
3. The plausibility of the plot, at an ordinary natural level, supernatural level?
4. The strong cast?
5. Howard, Will Smith, his initial pep talk, the focus on Time, Love, Death? Three years passing, his grief, divorce, the death of his daughter, the elaborate domino patterns and his toppling them? Alone? Writing letters to Time, Love, Death, posting them? Grief, the videos of his daughter?
6. The agency, the concern of the executives? Howard’s health, the decline of the business, the need for a sale?
7. The differing personalities: Whit and his being Howard’s best friend, his own personal life, divorce, the private detective, his daughter not wanting anything to do with him? Claire, giving her life to the business, growing older, no children? Simon, his family, his illness, concealing it from his family?
8. Amy coming for the audition, the encounter with Whit, her rearranging the slogan, his following her across the streets, into the theatre, the rehearsal, meeting Brigitte?
9. The idea about the performance? Amy and her becoming Love, hiring Raffi and his becoming Time, Brigette becoming Death? The setting up, Sally, the private detective, her video camera? The mixed feelings about the project, everybody agreeing? The film, the editing, the deleting of the characters leaving Howard talking on the street, in the subway?
10. The execution of the plan, the situations, Amy and her relating well to Howard, the confrontation in the subway, on the street? Sally filming? The nature of the discussions, Howard’s input?
11. Going to the board meeting, the screening of the film, Howard and his reaction? His signing the documents for the sale? Signing the document about his daughter’s death?
12. Howard and his going to the group, meeting Madeline? The revelations, the members of the group, the death of children? The friendship with Madeline – and her talking about the loving message on the day of the divorce, the continued love? The video with the daughter, the photo of mother and daughter?
13. Whit, going to see his daughter, the change in him? Her acceptance? Simon telling his wife about his illness, and her knowing? Claire searching out Raffi, Upper Manhattan, the
money, the talk about her life and the possibility for children?
14. Howard and Madeline, looking back at the three on the bridge, their disappearance – Angels, spiritual powers…?
