Saturday 10 February 2024

Movie Review: Endings, Beginnings (2019)


Genre: Romantic Drama  
Director: Drake Doremus  
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Jamie Dornan, Sebastian Stan  
Running Time: 110 minutes  

Synopsis: 30-something Daphne (Shailene Woodley) breaks up with her long-term boyfriend Adrian, abandons her job, and moves in with her sister Billie (Lindsay Sloane). Daphne quits drinking and commits to being single for a while, but at a New Year's Eve party she meets free-spirited Frank (Sebastian Stan) and the more serious Jack (Jamie Dornan). She is soon romantically involved with both of them, despite learning they are close friends.

What Works Well: Shailene Woodley tries hard to make something out of the perpetually smoking and none-too-bright Daphne, while Wendie Malick as her effectively off-putting mother Sue deserved more screen time.

What Does Not Work As Well: Director and co-writer Drake Doremus enjoys filming his sideways-drifting characters from the back with unnecessarily jerky camerawork, and much of the improvised dialogue is unsynched from the visuals. All the attention-seeking flashiness fails to mask the embarrassment of three purpose-free hormone bags engaged in emotionally asinine behaviour, and the drama quickly becomes exceptionally tedious. Daphne's search for companionship is not helped by Frank and Jack being virtually interchangeable, other than when engaging in sex.

Conclusion: How to fail at life by really trying.



All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.

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