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Laramie Movie Scope:
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Weird kid goes on 9/11 snipe hunt

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by Robert Roten, Film Critic
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January 30, 2012 -- This is one of the most divisive films of 2011. It was nominated for a Best Picture award by the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences, and it has also been spotted on a number of “Best Films of 2011” and “Worst Films of 2011” lists. Metacritic rates it a relatively low 46 out of a possible 100. I found it to be a good film, but it won't make my top 10 list for 2011.

The star of the film is a precocious child, Oskar Schell (played by Thomas Horn) who embarks on a kind of scavanger hunt in New York City, looking for a lock that fits a key he found among his late father's possessions. His father, Thomas Schell (Tom Hanks), had often sent his son on these kinds of snipe hunts to find clues he had hidden around the city. His purpose was to get his son to open up to strangers, to improve his stunted social skills. There are hints that Oskar may be mildly autistic.

Thomas Schell is killed during the 9/11 attacks in New York City. Oskar uncovers evidence that he may have fallen to his death when the World Trade Centers collapsed. His father's death affects Oskar very deeply, in part because of a secret he has kept from everyone about what he did that terrible day. He is able to partly confide in an old man who rents a room from his grandmother, but is only able to fully confide in the person who holds the secret to the key.

Oskar tries to keep these expeditions around the city a secret. The only person allowed to accompany him is his grandmother's mute renter (played by Max von Sydow of “Robin Hood”). The old man is not who he seems at first. Oskar's mother, Linda (Sandra Bullock of “The Blind Side”) doesn't know what to make of her son's odd behavior, but she does make a big effort to understand what he is up to.

This is the kind of film that will probably resonate most with New York audiences because it taps in to that 9/11 angst so deeply. It explores the survivor's syndrome and it delves into the grief of sudden loss.

Thomas Horn's performance is the sword's edge that splits the divided reactions to this film. It is a fine performance, but the character is weird. Oskar doesn't really talk or act like a child. He is more like a miniature Woody Allen, without the sense of humor. He talks like an adult with a knowledge of science and math beyond most adults and he thinks analytically, a very rare ability these days. What emerges from this performance is a character played as written, hard, emotionally isolated and not easy to sympathize with. His blunt speech and lack of social skills don't help. There is a spark of humanity in this character, certainly in his imperfections, but it isn't easy to relate to. Either you will side with the humanity of the character, or you will be turned off by his empirical, detached approach to people.

I found Oskar's character hard to relate to, but I found his journey through New York to be one worth following. This film rates a B.

Click here for links to places to buy or rent this movie in digital formats, or to buy the soundtrack, posters, books, even used videos, games, electronics and lots of other stuff. I suggest you shop at least two of these places before buying anything. Prices seem to vary continuously. For more information on this film, click on this link to The Internet Movie Database. Type in the name of the movie in the search box and press enter. You will be able to find background information on the film, the actors, and links to much more information.

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Copyright © 2012 Robert Roten. All rights reserved.
Reproduced with the permission of the copyright holder.
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Robert Roten can be reached via e-mail at my last name at lariat dot org. [Mailer button: image of letter and envelope]

(If you e-mail me with a question about this or any other movie or review, please mention the name of the movie you are asking the question about, otherwise I may have no way of knowing which film you are referring to)