Movie Review: The Tree of Life

The Tree Of Life

PG-13, 2 hr. 18 min.

Directed By

Terrence Malick

Genres

Drama, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy

Main Actors: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, and Sean Penn

30 Minute Rule: This movie did not meet my 30 minute rule by any stretch of the imagination. The very reason I even have a 30 minute rule is because if a movie does not capture my imagination in the first 30 minutes, it has not earned the right to keep me for another hour or more. The Tree of Life actually loses me in the first 30 minutes and I can't find any reason to stay along for the ride. I did not finish the movie. BUT, stay here. I'm going to give you mine and other's points of view.

Easy on the eyes factor: 9. Very good cinematography. A great 50's look. Brad Pitt & Jessica Chastain; good looking people.

Plot: From Terrence Malick, the acclaimed director of such classic films as Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line, The Tree of Life is the impressionistic story of a Midwestern family in the 1950's. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father (Brad Pitt). Jack (played as an adult by Sean Penn) finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith. Through Malick's signature imagery, we see how both brute nature and spiritual grace shape not only our lives as individuals and families, but all life.

My Review: So. How can I do a review a movie that I did not even finish? A movie that I only saw a quarter of? Well, because this movie has been an area of contention for me and my movie pals since it premiered in NYC several months ago. We have debated it, discussed it. had heated arguments about it, and even insulted each other's taste about it.

My friends, Kenneth & Julie, who are avid moviegoers saw it first. They went to the NYC premier. They hated it. The imagery, the whispering, the strange cuts and edits of the film. They thought it was an artistic mess. But they also witnessed people leaving the theatre in the middle of the film and complaining about what they thought they were watching. Their review: Awful.

A few months later, the IMDb reviews began hitting the internet and also critical acclaim about what a wonderful and artistic film this was. How the imagery and visuals were a enhancement to the film and did not take away from it. Users and Critics were giving it 7, 8, and 9 stars. It was nominated for 3 Academy Awards including Best Picture! I had to see it! Of course with all of the buzz, many more people ran out to see and rent this movie and now more reviews are floating in. Only this time, 1 star, 2 stars, 3 stars. "Awful", "Junk", "Pretentious".. .were words to describe "The Tree of Life". People were hating it. Now I'm confused as to how a movie can be loved and hated so far on both ends of the spectrum.

My friend Michael, also and avid movie watcher viewed it. He called me to protest that "it was actually pretty good!" He said that Kenny and Julie were way off base and it the movie had really good redeeming qualities. So I had to see for myself.

I popped the DVD in with an open mind. Actually, I popped it in with a very positive mentality, because Michael and I have similar movie taste. If he liked it, I'm sure that I would like it. 30 minutes later, that could not be further from the truth. I absolutely hated it. Probably more than Kenny & Julie did. It WAS pretentious as others had said. It took you down paths that were extremely unnecessary. It was as if someone was telling you a story and kept using the words "umm" and "basically". It was that annoying. There was crazy imagery and dinosaurs and pictures of sky and landscape that for me did absolutely nothing. One image that stood out most for me was, this effect where they made it look like you were peeking out of a womb. The screen was all black and there was a sort of oval slit in the screen. Like a child looking out through his mother's vagina. And you could see light and color and stars on the other side. It was so annoying. I wanted to scream.

I called Michael to tell him my thoughts and he shunned me. "You have to keep going. You're almost there!". He sounded like a dentist who proclaims, "i know this is uncomfortable, but we're almost there". As the patient, you don't care, you just want it to stop.

In fairness, I read many reviews on "The Tree of Life". And a lot of people really liked this film. Many even preface their review with "this movie is not for everyone". And it's not. Some people will try to tell you that if you don't get it, you lack intellect or artistic integrity. And some will say that if you do like it that you're a pseudo intellect trying to one-up the rest of world. Have it your way. In essence, it's similar to any other strange piece of art that sits in a museum. Some will stare at it and have an emotional connection with it. Others will walk by it and say "what a piece of crap". Taste truly comes into play.

Rating: Will not rate. Did not see enough of it.