Far from being an exciting psychological thriller, The Little Things is a watchable serial killer without much style or substance. The three outstanding actors make it more watchable than it otherwise would have been. Jared Leo is far under-utilized, doesn't appear until the later part of the film, and could have been a more interesting character if the script had let him. Washington makes a long awaited return to the screen but his storyline is also ho-hum with a convoluted mystery from the past the never quite fits into the storyline. Rami Malek's character is also less than stellar, again due to a poor script. You never get a true feel for Malek's character as he devolves. The ending as so cliche it was almost ridiculous. This could have been a far far better film than it was, and it's the fault of the screenwriter.
Was hoping for something other than endless nothingness and small moments of camaraderie between the nomads. Frances McDormand plays a grieving widow who lost everything and quite frankly, doesn't want to find anything. The movie drones on and on, and I fell asleep 3x during this sad, melancholy, plotless meandering towards nothing. Her acting, as always, is on cue, but there is no life, no passion, no story. Only nothing, and no interest to connect to anyone. She's actually pretty fortunate that caring people beg her to live with them where she can have a bed and a nice home, but oh, tis much more noble to suffer and wait for death in self imposed nihilism and despair.
The plot sounded intriguing, and Rosamund Pike is an acclaimed actress but this movie was a total flop and a bitter disappointment. What starts off in the right direction quickly deteriorates into a series of cheap stunts and "I can kill you better" type of plays. The main character, the mother, gets stuck in the nursing home for a long time, and needed a much better part. Ageism in Hollywood. Rosamund Pike's character is thoroughly despicable in every way and indestructible, for the most part. Even Peter Dinklage who starts off brilliantly, is reduced to cheap commercialism. This just turned out to be such a waste of time. Needed a major rewrite before they made this pathetic dump of a film. No character development no plot development, weak storyline, and ridiculous ending. Don't waste your time on this piece of garbage.
Despite Diane Lane and Kevin Costner's subdued acting, this movie fails to achieve a goal one way or the other. On the one hand, it is a revenge thriller. Or it also tries as a moving look at family. But it misses both marks. It would have been much better with a cliche ending instead of the misery it had. The filmmakers should have really just gone for it.
11 months into a global pandemic and being isolated from friends and family make this movie seem especially close to the heart. It's easy to relate to Bryan Cranston's existential crisis and self imposed isolation. And for those of us who have gone nearly a year without having our hair and nails done, or putting on a nice outfit, Cranston's homeless shabby look is a welcome relief. It's cathartic! The character himself is not likeable, hiding out in his attic to observe his gorgeous wife and personality-less twin daughters move on without him. He examines his life decisions and his actions. And, sadly, the ending goes to show that past behavior is a prediction of future behavior. At least when it comes to what motivates him to be with his wife. Cranston's acting is superb, not many could have carried this off, as basically he narrates the entirety of the film. But what a fascinating actor he is!
