Professor Walter Zarrow (Sam Waterston) and another man are attacked on the streets of New York. Sam (Corey Stoll) comes to his side as he lies dying. Walter was bringing his weekly flowers to his wife Marcia (Glenn Close). His son Adam (Tim Blake Nelson) is dealing with his wife Jill (Jessica Hecht)'s cancer scare. Their kids Hal (Ben Konigsberg) and Ella (Hannah Marks) are dealing with sex issues while smoking weed on the roof. Walter's student Sophie (Kristen Stewart) is struggling with self-harm. Jeffrey (Michael Kenneth Williams) is desperate to force Joe (K. Todd Freeman) into drug treatment. Sarah (Gretchen Mol) is a soccer mom struggling with buried anger. These characters weave a tapestry of interconnected lives.
The cast is top level. They deliver fine individual scenes. There is a compelling drive to uncover the connection between the characters. The connections aren't as poignant as it needs to be. The extended mugging section should come a little earlier so that the characters have more space to deal with the consequences. There is plenty of good acting. The plot is interesting although not the most compelling.
The cast is top level. They deliver fine individual scenes. There is a compelling drive to uncover the connection between the characters. The connections aren't as poignant as it needs to be. The extended mugging section should come a little earlier so that the characters have more space to deal with the consequences. There is plenty of good acting. The plot is interesting although not the most compelling.