Well this was just a bit depressing wasn't it? I'm all for nostalgia, but this sure isn't what I think about when it comes to pulling up past memories. I try to reserve that for the warm, comforting moments that lend resonance to a person's life. Even something inspirational that might have occurred in the past that glows with fondness over time. So I'm not sure what the film maker was trying to do here. To be sure, there were some defining moments in the picture, as when the insurance adjuster (John Ortiz) stated to some clients - "Every story has details I've never heard before". And two very emotional scenes had exceptionally well written dialog; one was between Helen (Ellen Burstyn) and the memorabilia shop owner (Jon Hamm), the other occurred in the diner between crash survivor Kathleen (Mikey Madison) and the parents of Tallie (Annalise Basso). But gee, having the young teen die in a car accident seemed like an awful way to frame a story about nostalgic moments. More than anything, I felt bad for mother Donna (Catherine Keener) who initially nixed the road trip that ended in her daughter's death, and then relented when it became apparent that Tallie had no inclination to hang around with her Mom and Uncle Will. Now Donna would be left to contemplate her measure of blame in Tallie's death, even if irrational.
On top of all that, it was quite apparent that the scriptwriters did no homework at all regarding that Ted Williams signed baseball. The figure cited by Will the shop owner was in the range of eighty to a hundred thousand dollars, and his phone conversation with another collector hinted at a reasonable profit for him upon resale. But all it takes is a quick internet search to reveal that a similar ball sells in the neighborhood of three hundred fifty to four hundred fifty dollars. They're just not that rare, no matter how pristine the condition. Internet auction sites will suggest more, but usually in conjunction with other famous player autographs as well.
But the kicker for me personally in this story was the name of that insurance guy who opened the story with Ronnie Ashmore (Bruce Dern). His name was Daniel Coleman in the story, and the reason it's so poignant is because I knew a Daniel Coleman from my hometown who died years ago as a young adult from leukemia. That's a bit of nostalgia that depressed me even more as this picture unfolded.
On top of all that, it was quite apparent that the scriptwriters did no homework at all regarding that Ted Williams signed baseball. The figure cited by Will the shop owner was in the range of eighty to a hundred thousand dollars, and his phone conversation with another collector hinted at a reasonable profit for him upon resale. But all it takes is a quick internet search to reveal that a similar ball sells in the neighborhood of three hundred fifty to four hundred fifty dollars. They're just not that rare, no matter how pristine the condition. Internet auction sites will suggest more, but usually in conjunction with other famous player autographs as well.
But the kicker for me personally in this story was the name of that insurance guy who opened the story with Ronnie Ashmore (Bruce Dern). His name was Daniel Coleman in the story, and the reason it's so poignant is because I knew a Daniel Coleman from my hometown who died years ago as a young adult from leukemia. That's a bit of nostalgia that depressed me even more as this picture unfolded.