Tuesday, February 16, 2016

A Home at the End of the World

The Gist: Two profoundly different teenage boys become friends, and occasional secret lovers. When Bobby ends up an orphan, Jonathan's parents take him in. Eventually, Jonathan moves to New York, but when his parents have to move south, Bobby rejoins him. However, Jonathan is sharing an apartment with freewheeling Clare, and her outsize personality and desires end up changing the dynamic of the guys' relationship forever.

After reading the book this movie is based on, I was looking forward to the big screen adaptation, but I was fully expecting a not-so-great end result because of the difficulty of adapting such an intertwined novel.

Alas, I was right, as maybe half the book had to be left out of the screenplay, a move that hobbled the overall story. Colin Farrell and Dallas Roberts do a good job as the two close friends, and Robin Wright is very good as Clare, but ultimately the movie doesn't really engage.

The Bottom Line: Because of the lukewarm result, I would rather recommend the book than the movie, but then again, why miss a chance to ogle at Colin Farrell.

Grade: 6

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