PAGE 30 • APRIL 2012 • TABLE HOPPING VIDIOTS
Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close • Young Adult
by BRIAN MILLER
When the Academy Award nomina- tions were announced earlier this year, there were a number of surprises on the list. For me, the fact that 50/50 wasn’t represented in a single category was nothing short of egregious, but I was equally shocked to see EXTREME- LY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE on the Best Picture ballot. While enlivened by impressive performances by Holly- wood heavyweights Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Max von Sydow and newcomer Thomas Horn, the 9/11 based drama failed to meet its lofty potential. Instead of emerging as the type of soul-shaking drama that it should have been, it in- stead left behind a bitter taste that will leave most viewers shaking their heads. Oskar Schell (Horn) and his father Thomas (Hanks) share a bond that is unlike any other. Foregoing typical father-son activities such as playing catch or going to ball games, the two create puzzles and riddles that are based upon science and geography. Oskar has difficulty coping with high levels of stimulation, and is awkward uncomfortable with social interactions. Aware of his son’s eccentricities and quirks, Thomas forces him out of the house by challenging him to solve mys- teries. His most recent endeavor is the grandest of them all; Oskar is searching for a lost burrow of New York City that his father said had floated away long ago. Based upon open-ended clues supplied by his father, the boy braves the streets of NYC in order to piece together the puzzle. Headstrong and determined, the task encompasses his entire life. Then, before his journey reaches its conclusion, “the worst day” happens.
“The worst day” was September 11, 2001, and Oskar had been sent home early
from school. Blissfully unaware of the carnage unfolding around him, it isn’t until he presses “play” on the family’s answering machine that his world begins to collapse. In a series of heart-wrenching and progressively unsettling messages, Thomas pleads with his wife to answer the phone. He was trapped in one of the Tower’s and though he expounded optimism, the fear can be heard in his voice. It
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is then that Oskar looks at the television, and watches powerlessly as the tower, and his life, crumble before his very eyes. Three years later, Oskar enters his father’s bedroom for the first time. In the closet, he finds an envelope with the name “Black” written on the outside. Within the envelope itself, the young boy finds a mysterious key. Convinced that the object was left by his departed dad for him to find, Oskar sets out to speak to everyone in New York City with the surname Black, in hopes of finding the lock that matches the key.
EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE is meant to be a story about the triumph of the human spirit, set amidst the worst tragedy our nation has ever seen. While there is certainly an inspiring tale to be told, the film fails to illicit the emotion it should. As the troubled boy goes from home to home, learning the back stories of the men and women around him, we should be utterly enthralled. Instead, many of these side stories are stagnant, rendering Oskar’s search tedious and dull. Even when aided by a silent and sad stranger (Best Supporting Actor nominee Max von Sydow), interest is certainly peaked, but the lackluster results remain the same.
Though much praise should be bestowed upon 14-year-old Horn for carrying such a heavy-handed and complex project, it would be fair to admit that his char- acter never resonates with the viewer. This is no fault of the talented youth, but rather, a fundamental flaw in Oskar’s character development. In addition, the con- stant use of the horrifying images of the tower’s falling almost becomes too much to bear. Couple this with the repetitive use of Thomas’ anguished voice-mails, and the film begins to feel more like an exploitation than an exploration. Unlike the haunting UNITED 93, and even Oliver Stone’s inspiring WORLD TRADE CENTER, EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE leaves the viewer conflicted and troubled, rather than stirred and inspired.
The last time screenwriter Diablo Cody and director Ivan Reitman teamed up,
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