So, yeah, I'm combining two reviews in a single blog post. I've been hoping to avoid posting capsule-style reviews and to keep writing longer reviews of the movies I see. However, at the current moment, I'm about six or seven movies behind in my reviews (not including those for movies I've watched on DVD or Netflix). This is the only way I can think of to catch up.
That said, I've combined these two movies -- Flight and The Sessions into a single post because, in my mind, they are very similar. While the stories and the style of film-making couldn't be any more different, both of these movies have the same strength and suffer from pretty much the same weakness.
To sum it up: Both Flight and The Sessions are three-star movies anchored by four-star performances by their leading men.
Flight tells the story of Whip Whitaker -- played by Denzel Washington -- an airline pilot with a drinking problem. It opens with a harrowing depiction of an emergency plane landing wherein Whip miraculously and heroically lands the plane with minimal casualties despite almost a total loss of control.
That sequence is among the most thrilling you'll see at the movies all year long. If you've seen the previews, you know how it's going to turn out. Still, I was captivated and my heart was pounding as I watched it unfold. Sadly, I was never as interested in the rest of the movie as I was in the opening moments.
After the crash landing, Whip becomes a hero in the press and in the public. Of course, those heaping praise and accolades onto Whip don't know he was drunk at the time. The main storyline of the film deals with Whip's efforts to work with his lawyer (Don Cheadle) and union rep (Bruce Greenwood) to cover up the fact that he had been drinking before and during the flight.
But, for the most part, that story is in the background. Flight is basically a character study of an alcoholic. And, in depicting the physical and psychological symptoms of Whip's disease, Washington gives one of his finest performances in years.
Denzel always has a way of classing up and giving credibility to every movie that he's in, even if that movie happens to be ridiculous. But, without fail, his best, most memorable performances come when he's playing sinners instead of saints and Flight is no exception. Book it: Denzel will be nominated for yet another Oscar for this performance.
The problem with the movie is that it doesn't delve very deep into Whip's character. He is a man dealing with demons that are only hinted at in the story. We see the physical manifestations of Whip's alcoholism and we get a glimpse as to what it does to his personal relationships. But, the movie only hints at the backstory.
Don't get me wrong, a backstory isn't necessary for a movie like this to work. In fact, the movie does work on most levels. But, at the heart of the movie is this one character and the script just doesn't give enough depth to that character to make it fully compelling.
These shortcomings don't make it a bad movie, they just keep it from being a great one, and, given that it was director Robert Zemekis's first live-action movie in years, I really hoped it would be great. Still, it's a solid piece of work and worth your time.
The Sessions tells the true story of Mark O'Brien -- played by John Hawkes -- a poet and journalist who was struck with polio at a young age, forcing him to live the majority of his life in an iron lung. While doing research for an article about the sexual habits of disabled people, Mark decides that he wants to lose his virginity.
He enlists the help of a sex surrogate -- played by Helen Hunt -- who provides such services legally on a therapeutic basis. But, because he is a devout Catholic, he only does so after getting the go ahead from his priest -- played by William H. Macy.
Hawkes is simply outstanding in the leading role. As with Flight, the entire success of The Sessions hangs on the top-line performance and, for the most part, he hits it out of the park. His role is among the more physically demanding that you will ever see and, in most other years, he'd be a shoe-in to win the Best Actor Oscar.
This is great to see because Hawkes has been around for a long time and has become one of the go-to character actors in Hollywood. It's good to see him this kind of attention for his talents.
The supporting cast is also very good in the film. Helen Hunt appears to be headed toward a Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role as the sex surrogate, which will also be well-deserved. Though I do have to say that, while I hate to sound like a prude, she was naked for far too much of the film. William H. Macy has been getting some justified Oscar buzz as well.
As you might expect, given that I've coupled these two reviews, The Sessions suffers from the same near-fatal flaw as Flight. While the early scenes of the film begin to uncover the inner workings of the main character -- his loneliness and occasional despair, particularly when his condition has shut him out of a fundamental part of the human experience.
There's a sequence in the film depicting Mark's relationship with one of his former assistants. They become the best of friends and, eventually, he tells her he's in love with her only to be rebuffed in his affections. This is the only real moment where we get a sense of how emotionally painful and difficult his condition can be. But, for the rest of the movie, this element is ignored in favor of a focus on the physical limitations of his disease and awkwardness of his first sexual encounters.
So, while you feel for O'Brien and are sad for his plight, there are precious few scenes wherein you get a sense how this has all affected him. And, once again, this wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if not for the fact that the movie relies almost entirely on your sympathy for the lead character.
Like I said, Hawkes is great in the movie. But, there really isn't a big emotional moment for his character in the story. There's no Oscar-clip moment for him that I can recall. I walked out of the movie missing that moment and wishing that it had been there.
Still, the movie works, so long as you're not entirely turned off by the subject matter.
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