I saw this movie yesterday, and while I’m awake at 3:45am because I can’t get the disturbing images of Midsommar, which I also saw today, out of my head, this is the film that impacted me most today, and probably this year.
I didn’t know what to expect past what the charming trailer presented, and it was executed *far* better than I had even hoped. My girlfriend who grew up loving The Beatles, and I who never really liked them, both cried during the film. It really focused on the power of great music, the grip it holds on people’s hearts and lives, and I found it all to be such an emotional rollercoaster that Kate McKinnon (a national treasure at this point) was thoroughly needed to keep lightness in my heart. What most impressed me about the screenplay was that this was the rare film where danger and guilt and “digging your own grave with a lie” were presented, but the character was never forced to fall to atone for what he considered an offense to reality. That single fact is what made me cry tears from the beauty, not from sadness or unfairness or heartbreak (a la “A Star is Born”).
I realize some critics didn’t enjoy the film because of its “hokey” plot, but what are movies if not a chance to ask “what if?” and tell a great story? Well, it was a true pleasure to witness one that executed “what if?” perfectly, and it was a *great* story.
Extra props to the heart-warmingly unexpected “cameo.” That blew us away. Perfection.