26 reviews
Just because Jamie Dornan hailed in the Fifty Shades franchise, doesn't mean he should be associated with that character for life. If you want to enjoy the movie, please try and disassociate him with Fifty Shades. It's a different side to him and it shows his talent because he completely switched roles✨
- theofficialteentalk
- Oct 11, 2020
- Permalink
I sat through this film with an open mind, despite seeing some of the one star reviews trashing it as the worst film ever; It's true that it's not the best film in the world, but it's certainly not the worst.
I came out of it feeling that it did a pretty good job of telling the story of several purposefully flawed characters and the relationships between them. Characters that are human, that have errors in judgement and make mistakes, that lie, and that use each other for their own gain, while ultimately being people that are seeking redemption for their indiscretions and insecurities.
My main issue with the film was that it didn't explore the characters to their full potential. We get glimpses of their back stories, glimpses of why they're in the positions they're in, and glimpses of their real-world flaws; but there are so many characters and stories that there's not enough time to explore it all. The first half of the film plods along with too much filler that doesn't add much value to the story or characters, while the second half is much improved but leaves little time to patch up the holes.
It would have been nice to flesh out the characters. Particularly Nick (Jamie Dornan) and David (Billy Crystal, who feels especially underused), and there's not much to explain why Tara (Lola Kirke) is in the crisis she is. Similarly we learn from early in the film that lead character Andrea (Jemima Kirke) is recovering from addiction and suffering from writers block, but like her on-screen and real-life sister, we never really find out what happened at that time, or how she got to where she is.
Ultimately, it's a fairly decent film that's as flawed as its characters. With a little more flesh on the bones of the story and characters, this could have been great drama. Unfortunately, everything feels underdeveloped and rushed.
Worth a watch if you like slower-paced character driven pieces, but don't expect it to be perfect.
I came out of it feeling that it did a pretty good job of telling the story of several purposefully flawed characters and the relationships between them. Characters that are human, that have errors in judgement and make mistakes, that lie, and that use each other for their own gain, while ultimately being people that are seeking redemption for their indiscretions and insecurities.
My main issue with the film was that it didn't explore the characters to their full potential. We get glimpses of their back stories, glimpses of why they're in the positions they're in, and glimpses of their real-world flaws; but there are so many characters and stories that there's not enough time to explore it all. The first half of the film plods along with too much filler that doesn't add much value to the story or characters, while the second half is much improved but leaves little time to patch up the holes.
It would have been nice to flesh out the characters. Particularly Nick (Jamie Dornan) and David (Billy Crystal, who feels especially underused), and there's not much to explain why Tara (Lola Kirke) is in the crisis she is. Similarly we learn from early in the film that lead character Andrea (Jemima Kirke) is recovering from addiction and suffering from writers block, but like her on-screen and real-life sister, we never really find out what happened at that time, or how she got to where she is.
Ultimately, it's a fairly decent film that's as flawed as its characters. With a little more flesh on the bones of the story and characters, this could have been great drama. Unfortunately, everything feels underdeveloped and rushed.
Worth a watch if you like slower-paced character driven pieces, but don't expect it to be perfect.
Ok pretty much sums it up. slow in many parts. ok acting. the story just didnt intrigue me
5
5
- natcalgary
- Feb 11, 2019
- Permalink
I was at a screening in Tribeca and barely made it through this incredibly boring movie. If you thought Jamie Dornan was a terrible actor after 50 shades wait till you see the homeless version of Christian Grey (That beard.....god!) in this movie having a "Friends with Benefits" relationship with the disgustingly sloppy Jemima Kirke. The two have as much chemistry as Bin Laden and George W did and there is nothing original about this story or its predictable conclusion. It's clear this director must have had a "Friends with Benefits" relationship with someone to have gotten this made. Billy Crystal was it's only saving grace and everytime he appeared it was like being given a glass of ice water in hell!
- anonymoustipster-04593
- Apr 25, 2018
- Permalink
As a huge Jamie Dornan fan I have to say how disappointed I am in this movie ..
So boring, slow, badly scripted and poorly played! if you want like just waste your time, watch it. otherwise, i don't recommend it
This is one of the worst movie that I ever seen. The script is poor . Finally I understand why did they wait more than two years for show this movie. The only good in the movie is Jamie Dornan, but if you want to watch this because of him, go and see A private war or My dinner with Hervé. Don't waste your money and your time on this movie, it's not worth it. They should rename it for Unwatchable.
- szasza-11403
- Feb 9, 2019
- Permalink
Written by, directed by, but not starring.... emma forrest. Looks like her first directing gig. The story centers on two sisters, andrea and tara, played by lola and jemima kirke. And the web of men who come in and out of their lives. All the characters have their own baggage. Pent up anger, and it comes out now and then at who-ever is nearby. Lots of talking about feelings, passes made but not completed. To cheat or not to cheat. The trivia section implies that some of this may have been taken from forrest's personal life. Her husband at the time, mendelsohn, plays martin. Co-stars billy crystal, jamie dornan. They play kiss them for me by siouxsie & the banshees for about 3 seconds near the beginning... clearly for effect. Great tune! Thankfully, they play more of it later on. That, shiny happy people, and primal's come together were all released in 1991. It's mostly good... script kind of goes all over. How they treat their pets is symbolic of how they treat other people in their lives. A lot of time spent on that. Shots of the hollywood sign. Some confusion when nick goes to a twelve step program. He claims to be a writer slash doctor, but we don't hear him say he's an alcoholic. Or a user. Or what kind of meeting it is.
Please don't make more movies like this.So boring!!!
Jemina is one of the worst actress i ever saw
- mauriziopirasmetal
- Feb 7, 2019
- Permalink
... really..?! ... forsaking Martin, Tara has-hots makes-moves on-married-David... don't know how many reviewers dropped-couple-several rating-points for that fantasy... overall well produced, and the actors do their thing with few if any missteps... outside of Martin's singing (his being a veteran-rocker)... really, was that irritation-length necessary
... running a hundred minutes in length, all involved starting and ending pretty much in the same place ... imagine all these folks at least had some fun in the making of this straight-to-DVD production... for all the rest of us, at least there's consolation in having fast-forwarding.
... running a hundred minutes in length, all involved starting and ending pretty much in the same place ... imagine all these folks at least had some fun in the making of this straight-to-DVD production... for all the rest of us, at least there's consolation in having fast-forwarding.
I loved this film. yes it is independent..which i prefer than big budget hollywood tosh. jemima and lola are amazing in it. it is fresh..raw...different. gee it is not 50 shades...i refuse to watch some movies and that is one...the hype. this however is a great film...probably not for those who like hollywood blockbusters and that sort of thing. Maybe more for people with a sense of adventure and a more broad outlook. i loved it.
Hands down this is the worst film I saw at Tribeca this year and to be honest it's the worst film I've seen at any film festival in the last 5 years. As a film historian and film buff I make it a point to try and see at least one film a day and what struck me about this one is how monotonous and non consequential it was. Every character, line of dialogue and sequence in the film was so homogenous it felt like like I was sedated and being forced to watch paint dry in a straight jacket. I don't care how many of the 50 producers on this movie (like VJ-45463) give it a 9/10 rating and justify it's existence for an "intelligent" audience (I have a PhD in Political Economy and Government from Harvard thank you very much); this movie is less watchable than a dog eating it's own excrement only to regurgitate it and devour it once again; repeating the cycle endlessly! Clearly hollywood producers will do anything to sell their movies including redefine intelligence (oh and Ms. Forrest was divorced after this film was shot -- perhaps Mr. Mendelsohn astrally projected himself into the future and read my review!).
- perryjoanna
- May 11, 2018
- Permalink
The movie is totally boring and Slow. It was just waste of money and time and absolutely has to get to the movie theater!
It's one of the worst movies I've ever seen. So slow and meaningless! What a waste of time.
This is not his style. A messy man with messy beard. He was horrible.
Fifty shades made both Jamie and Dakota the symbol of Love, sex and beauty.
But don't waste your time and money for this horrible movie
Untogether's ensemble cast is peppered with familiar names (a testimony to the high regard in which the writer/director is held), although the best performance is given by Jemima Kirke, who nails the simmering resentment of a past-her-prime elite author while nursing her inner pain and searching for the revelation that will turn everything around. (It comes by way of a too-obvious visual metaphor.) Lola Kirke is less emotive and affecting as Tara; the character is bland and the performance doesn't inject much energy. As Andrea's love interest, Jamie Dornan may be trying to distance himself from Fifty Shades of Grey but I have to admit he was more arresting as that series' steel-eyed stalker. Meanwhile, Ben Mendelsohn expresses the soulful weariness of someone who can't quite let go of the past. In a secondary role, Billy Crystal gives his best performance in a long time as the rabbi whose activist past captures Tara's attention. Jennifer Grey and Alice Eve are on hand for name recognition; they don't have real roles.
Far from boring! I saw this movie at the Tribeca Festival too, where it was warmly received by the audience. It's a great ensemble piece by a starry cast, the two Kirke sisters, Jamie Dornan, Ben Mendelsohn (who used to be married to Emma Forrest), Billy Crystal, Alice Eve, plus a bonus cameo from Scott Caan. The movie had some great one-liners and although it's probably not one for the multiplexes it's one for an intelligent audience. A remarkable directorial debut from a very talented writer.
I have followed the creative journey of Emma Forrest for decades, whether her books; articles; interviews; or current screenplay. Universal and personal themes expand vigorously throughout her oeuvre. Ms. Forrest's self-referential view of the human condition touches every raw and refined emotion manifested by women and men alike. If you have read her books, as a lagniappe, you will recognize the symbolisms characterized by various actors in the movie "Untogether," which I saw recently at The Tribeca Film Festival.
It took many years to complete the "Untogether" project, and it was worth the wait.
It took many years to complete the "Untogether" project, and it was worth the wait.
- relevantinfo
- May 1, 2018
- Permalink
Everyone who is a mess can totaly relate to everybody in this movie. Its life.
All specter of our lifes. Not black and white but all in between. So much feelings and beautifuly sensual. Just loved it.
My husband and I don't always agree on movies but we watched Untogether two nights in a row and really enjoyed it. It's a movie for adults and it is literate and funny and sexy and musical. Besides being a novelist, Emma Forrest, the writer/director, was a journalist who reported on music and musicians. Hence, excellent music choices accompany the story, which also happens to be beautifully filmed. Forrest knows the literature game and gave us a nuanced portrayal of that world, which sure isn't filled with Jane Austens. Its denizens are smart and predatory and worth watching. All the actors did a fine job in roles that we might not have seen them in before. Sure, Jamie Dornan has a brief fling with a pair of stockings as a sexual prop but his character is nothing like the character he's most associated with. (Note to next director: Please do not hide Dornan's face with a beard. It's telling a lot of Untogether's publicity shows him without the beard.) Who knew Alice Eve could be so corporate and vicious? The Kirke sisters were great too, playing younger or more former junkie-ish than their real selves. Both of them have beautiful lips and know how to use them. (An actor's lips can convey so much when they aren't covered in hair.) Ben Mendelsohn, as a former pop star well into anonymous middle age, was touchingly boyish and sensitive. I gave Untogether a 10 to counteract the unjustified 1s that lazy, or maybe illiterate, reviewers gave it. (Note to naysayers: If you give a horrible rating, be prepared to justify it.) In actuality, its an 8 and well worth the time of adults who like their movies to have a story.
- Portrait-of-a-Statue
- Feb 9, 2019
- Permalink
This movie looks at the human condition when it comes to why we are attracted to people who remind us of the past, even when that experience was painful. It is a reminder that no one is perfect and we all have a deeper story to tell. You can feel each characters inner struggle with being honest with themselves. Great acting and writing gives this drama a fresh perspective on dysfunctional relationships.
- jawhite-84147
- Jun 13, 2020
- Permalink
I'm no film genius or cinema-file. I just enjoy movies, movies that aren't about superheroes or space adventures. I disagree with the bad reviews of this movie. I just watched to through, two times in the past two days, and I rather enjoyed it. Maybe it appeals more to women because we can see ourselves in the female characters. They are quite complex and I feel well acted by Jemima and Lola Kirke. Every woman I know can relate to feeling trapped or disconnected like these two young women. I found Jamie Dornan's performance layered and really different from anything I've seen him in. Ben Mendelson was perfect as the aging rock star. He was the character I was most rooting for throughout the film. He added some humor to the film as well. Billy Crystal and Jennifer Grey were lovely as the charismatic rabbi and his supportive wife. I found the writing very witty and interesting. I guess I just don't see all the flaws the other reviewers are finding. I enjoyed the film very much. I recommend it to any woman who likes intelligent quirky characters and films.
It was good film. In fact Jamie Dornan is much more enjoyable to watch in this than that trash franchise 50 Shades of Grey nonsense. He's not a bad actor but that franchise did him no favors. This story is about people who are spending to much time pretending not want to be together when they really do want to be with one another.
- denise_actress
- Aug 30, 2020
- Permalink
This indie film weaves an atypical storyline that if you stay with it delivers in the end. The Kirke actresses Jemima & Lola play off of their real life sisterhood with true authenticity. It's always a pleasure watching the brilliant Ben Mendehlson diving deeply into a character. Top it off with Billy Crystal playing a rabbi, a role he was born to play.
Honest film with an incredible cast. Some people don't like raw authentic films such as the person who wrote an ignorant review before me.