REMARKABLY BRIGHT CREATURES
Starring: Sally Field, Lewis Pullman, Colm Meaney, Joan Chen, Kathy Baker, Beth Grant, Sofia Black-D’Elia, and Alfred Molina
Director: Olivia Newman
ROBERT
When I heard there was a new film in which a legendary actor has a rewarding relationship with an aquatic animal, my mind went to Dolphin Tale, which was a benign family film. Remarkably Bright Creatures is anything but benign because it lures you in as an Odd Couple-like pairing with Sally Field and Lewis Pullman. They are different, but what they understand about each other and their layers of experienced vs. inherited grief can span generations, time, and even species. It is the right amount of dark to snatch your hope, but sweet and sincere enough to gift it back. Prepare to devolve into a puddle.
KATIE
Remarkably Bright Creatures is a heart-warming, slightly saccharine film that’s elevated by a moving performance by Sally Field. The cast is strong, but without Field, it would feel too sentimental. Her performance as Tova is full of genuine emotion and had me tearing up. Alfred Molina‘s voice-over as the octopus is great, but the film forgets about him at times, so he feels like an unnecessary component of the story until we’re reminded of him again. It’s a Sunday afternoon with a cup of tea kind of film, comfortably cozy and touching, but not hard-hitting.
