Men, Women & Children

In today's world of computers… Forget about the internet: after watching Men, Women and Children, I am more afraid of people who inhaled this film, became convinced that it truthfully reflects reality and then disconnected from the internet as soon as the credits came to an end. Reitman’s atrocious directorial and screenwriting cockup is a prime example of a thesis picture (basic thesis: we all live in bubbles) that would very much like to be current and comment on the burning issue of the moment. (In case you didn’t already know, the problems of white middle-class Americans are the problems of the whole world.) However, its main problem is that he does not look for problems, but artificially creates and exaggerates them. This does not involve comedic exaggeration, but rather a dire warning about the harmfulness of modern technologies, which – in people who are clearly not entirely mentally well balanced, and are omitted from the narrative – cause addiction to porn and gaming, the breakdown of relationships, obsession with one’s own appearance, eating disorders, paranoid behaviour, loss of contact with the real world ... ___ With its exploitative shallowness and hysteria, the film piles up one negative effect of residing in virtual space after another and does not acknowledge that the internet, tablets and smartphones could have any positive benefits. Pertinent points and apt parallels (contemplation of one’s own nothingness vs. overestimation of one’s own importance) disappear in the torrent of half-baked, unconvincing and absolutely stupid ideas. ___ Reitman clearly did not consider using the network narrative beyond the framework of his conviction that it would suit a film about networks and the interconnected world. There is a needlessly large number of characters and we thus have to be satisfied with caricatures, while the donkey bridges between them are not convincingly constructed. Most of the episodes serve only to demonstrate a particular thesis, so they are not aimed at anything, just as the whole film gets bogged down and comes across as empty. ___ The attempt to add more meaning, seriousness and importance to the fragmented narrative with “cosmic” framing and the voice of the narrator (a sophisticated-sounding Emma Thompson) verges on parody and is a prime example of what not to do if you don’t want your film to be labelled as a midcult work. ___ I consider some of Reitman’s previous films to be well-aimed satires that managed to maintain lightness and insight. Men, Women and Children is just a terribly heavy-handed, biased and narratively clueless attempt to say something essential about modern society. Due to its carping tone and lack of detachment, it is most reminiscent of Patricia, the most frightening character in the film. 35% (07/23/2018)

One of those movies that really gives you something and makes you think, one you return to often in your thoughts. I don't think everyone is completely in the clutches of the virtual world, but these are definitely not stories of unique individuals. Maybe I should just head out and share my feelings about the film with my friends instead of sitting here with my computer in my lap and tapping out this review. :-) On the other hand, I don’t see it as much of a problem as long as it doesn’t become a habit. The internet, smartphones, and all those apps on them are useful, they often make our lives easier. And it's up to us whether we take only the good things from them, or whether we completely succumb to them and stop perceiving reality. I'm not saying that Men, Women & Children will open the eyes of all addicts and they will never sit down in front of a computer again, but maybe they will at least reconsider whether this is the right way to go. I really liked that the script avoided perhaps all clichés. There were a lot of situations that we know from other movies, but I don't think it happened the way I expected even a single time. No impossible chance encounters, overheard conversations, or the other crutches that screenwriters often reach for when they run out of ideas. Here, it's all pretty much as we know it from normal life. The acting was decent, too. I could even give a pat on the back to Adam Sandler, for whom I've developed almost an aversion lately. Nice, 4 stars. (08/19/2015)

Great actors, even in the voice roles, but that didn't change the fact that I couldn't get into this movie. It's as if Reitman is trying to tell us that sex has consequences. I like this creator, but here he didn't really discover America, not to mention that it's more of an episodic film that isn't interconnected, and the fates aren't as interesting as they might seem at first glance. I didn't like it - it was too stretched out and in reality, it's actually about nothing, even though it thinks it's going to change the world. (01/01/2015)

Jason Reitman makes some seriously thought-provoking films, but it’s a shame more people don’t know about them. Men, Women & Children is a perfect mirror of today’s society. It dives into relationships between parents and kids, and how our generation is so tied to the internet. It shows that, just like any other era, modern life isn’t easy. What’s fascinating is that in a hundred years, this film could serve as a time capsule, showing how we obsessed over trivial things and how easily our minds were shaped by soulless technology. (06/12/2015)