Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (2011) [Blu-ray]
Adventure | Drama | Mystery

Adapted from the acclaimed bestseller by Jonathan Safran Foer, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close is a story that unfolds from inside the young mind of Oskar Schell, an inventive eleven year-old New Yorker whose discovery of a key in his deceased father's belongings sets him off on an urgent search across the city for the lock it will open. A year after his father died in the World Trade Center on what Oskar calls "The Worst Day," he is determined to keep his vital connection to the man who playfully cajoled him into confronting his wildest fears. Now, as Oskar crosses the five New York boroughs in quest of the missing lock - encountering an eclectic assortment of people who are each survivors in their own way - he begins to uncover unseen links to the father he misses, to the mother who seems so far away from him and to the whole noisy, dangerous, discombobulating world around him.

User Comment: Robert-872 from United States, 20 January 2012 • I have read a LOT of reviews from people who seem to know absolutely nothing about children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Thomas Horn did an excellent job portraying one. He was very moving in everything he did! I know he did a great job because I have two children with the disorder and he fit perfectly between their two levels of autism. Does he have big beautiful eyes... sure. Don't knock the kid because he looks good. He was spot on with his acting! This story has you feeling all sorts of emotions and by the end of the movie we had all shed a lot of tears. And the tears were caused by what the child was doing to handle his grief and understand why his dad was taken away from him and NOT because it had anything to do with 9/11. My son had lost his mom and the movie brought back all sorts of emotions because he could relate to the child perfectly. This movie has replaced Billy Elliot on my list of most moving story. Not everyone can enjoy this kind of loving and sophisticated story so it might not be for everyone but if you have a heart and have ever lost a parent, I am sure that you will love this movie! Another moving story brought to us by Stephen Daldry!

Summary: Perfect Portrayal of an Autistic Spectrum Disorder Child.

User Comment: estherde from Houston, Texas, 9 December 2011 • I had the privilege of being invited to a screening today and was completely blown away by this movie! Forget the big name stars in this - except the extraordinary Viola Davis who is brilliant in whatever she does. This movie totally hinges on young Thomas Horn, whose performance took my breath away. Yes, I teared up at several moments, but the movie does not stoop to the over-wrought sentimentality that a movie like "War Horse" does. Instead, it takes you on an incredible journey and this young actor so embodies the lead, every emotion, every challenge. I think it really honors 9/11 in the same way that "Reign on Me" did. I am thankful I took the time out in the middle of a work day to go to the screening. I hope this movie does well because it sure made my day. Now I really want to read the book!

Summary: WOW - wasn't expecting such an exceptional young star!

User Comment: greg-1260 from United Kingdom, 17 February 2012 • At thirty minutes in I was wondering who would be the first to leave the small audience in the cinema. By the end of this movie I, and the few others, simply sat with our metaphorical mouths agape at the impact of what we had just seen. A slow, meandering, and with hindsight, entirely necessary beginning gives way to a riveting and gripping story. A story which you would expect to bring you to tears (and it will for some) but is ultimately about triumph. It may appear to be a story about 9/11 and such was the enormity of that event that it would be easy to suggest that this is just an excellently acted and well-crafted story about that day. That would be to undersell this movie. 9/11 is just the vehicle which carries the message of how our everyday, minor irritations with other people and our general lives are simply unimportant in comparison to the reality that most people are just trying to do their best in our jobs, our marriages and in our relationships. We are imperfect and the enormity of 9/11 hammered that home. These couple of hours repeats the exercise. But this movie does more than use the day's story in such a simplistic way. Rather, it weaves the tragedy into the story of lives that are already living with sadness and it allows those participants to view their personal tragedies in the context of the much bigger one. To use the "device" of a compulsive child (what a performance!)forces us voyeurs to focus more clearly on the everyday minutiae which both he and we come to see as insignificant. A wonderful experience...this movie will stay with me for the rest of my days.

Summary: This movie will stay with me for the rest of my days.

[CSW] -3.1- The end is definitely better than the beginning. It was a beautiful portrayal of a person with Asperger Syndrome, a mild form of autism usually associated with people with very high intelligence such as Albert Einstein. Because of the unique characteristics of Asperger Syndrome this film may be slightly confusing to the non initiated lay person. It was good storytelling with an excellent lead character and supporting staff. The nature of the story is a bit off-putting because of the autistic aspect of the lead character, but that uniqueness was absolutely necessary for this story to have meaning. For me the story was touching and I completely understood each of the characters and why they acted as the did, but for some reason I don't think this particular story, no matter how well told and acted, will stick with me the way a classic story would. I recommend seeing it, especially if you have no idea of how near super intelligence can grossly affect your social skills, be partially debilitating, make you analyze everything, and make you driven all at the same time.
[V4.5-A4.5] MPEG-4 AVC - No D-Box.

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