There are so many words that can be used to describe the emotions that I felt while watching this movie, and I'm not sure how to display them. But, I must preface my comments about this movie with the following: I am an unapologetic, unabashed fan of Vince Vaughn's acting, and I'm pretty sure that I always will be. I am, however, unbiased when it comes to a movie role, and can admit when I'm unimpressed with his work (his hosting of SNL back in 1998 quickly comes to mind). Having said this, here is a brief synopsis of what I received from this movie. My comments are based on the assumption that you have already watched this film.
I felt that Vince Vaughn was amazingly convincing as Clay, a drifter on the run from his past. His portrayal of Clay Hewitt was nothing short of genius. I'll never understand how he successfully pulled off this role, because the script in itself left a lot to be desired, in my opinion. Somehow, Vaughn balanced a tough, gritty, emotionally unattached character with one that was gentle and loving at the same time.
I was also surprised at how well the actors displayed various trust and emotional issues throughout the film. Flyboy (Jeremy Davies) gradually opens up to Clay, which allows him to gradually expose Flyboy to a whole new world little by little. Flyboy trusts Clay with everything, even to the point of eventually revealing the awful truth to him about "The Anniversary". Clay eventually feels comfortable (or desperate) enough to disclose information to Kitty (Ashley Judd) about tragic events that occurred in his recent past.
He reveals that he has been lying to protect himself from his past, and hopes to move on and start over. The irony is that upon arrival to this rural Kansas town, Clay is unknowingly placed at the center of a family web of murder, suicide, lies and deceit.
I also appreciate the dynamic between Clay and Kitty. He is emotionally detached from her throughout the entire film, and his emotional capacity is dominated by his concern for Flyboy. Kitty is spurned by Clay on every attempt at affection and communication with him. It turns out in the end that Kitty is all that Clay has emotionally and he instantly becomes desperate for her support; he literally needs her help to physically stand up in the end. I enjoyed how this played out.
Flyboy's mother, Delilah, actually sets the whole stage for the tragedy that ends their branch on the family tree. In the last scene of the movie, it is obvious that she is plotting in her mind how everything will play out, and things turn out tragically according to her plan. Clay is the one person that Flyboy was correct in knowing that he could trust with his life. The fact that Flyboy died believing that Clay committed the ultimate betrayal is a devastating end that was admittedly almost too much for me to handle. This is especially considering that Clay's whole existence throughout the last 3/4 of the movie was centered around his interest and eventual love for Flyboy.
One may think to himself that it's horrible for Clay to have entered Flyboy's life only for Flyboy to meet such a tragic demise. It may even appear indirectly that Clay is the reason for Flyboy's death. But I believe that had it not been for Clay, Flyboy may have lived longer, but remained miserable. He would never have known what it felt like to be loved by someone who truly considered Flyboy to be his best friend, or cared for by a woman that showed him genuine affection and considered time spent with him as "the best date she ever had"...to sum it up, had it not been for Clay entering his life, it's safe to assume that Flyboy would never have known what true love was. It's amazing to me that these actors (namely Vaughn and Davies) could work together in a way that allowed me to receive this much from this movie. I was truly touched by this film, and it has become one of my all time favorites.
I felt that Vince Vaughn was amazingly convincing as Clay, a drifter on the run from his past. His portrayal of Clay Hewitt was nothing short of genius. I'll never understand how he successfully pulled off this role, because the script in itself left a lot to be desired, in my opinion. Somehow, Vaughn balanced a tough, gritty, emotionally unattached character with one that was gentle and loving at the same time.
I was also surprised at how well the actors displayed various trust and emotional issues throughout the film. Flyboy (Jeremy Davies) gradually opens up to Clay, which allows him to gradually expose Flyboy to a whole new world little by little. Flyboy trusts Clay with everything, even to the point of eventually revealing the awful truth to him about "The Anniversary". Clay eventually feels comfortable (or desperate) enough to disclose information to Kitty (Ashley Judd) about tragic events that occurred in his recent past.
He reveals that he has been lying to protect himself from his past, and hopes to move on and start over. The irony is that upon arrival to this rural Kansas town, Clay is unknowingly placed at the center of a family web of murder, suicide, lies and deceit.
I also appreciate the dynamic between Clay and Kitty. He is emotionally detached from her throughout the entire film, and his emotional capacity is dominated by his concern for Flyboy. Kitty is spurned by Clay on every attempt at affection and communication with him. It turns out in the end that Kitty is all that Clay has emotionally and he instantly becomes desperate for her support; he literally needs her help to physically stand up in the end. I enjoyed how this played out.
Flyboy's mother, Delilah, actually sets the whole stage for the tragedy that ends their branch on the family tree. In the last scene of the movie, it is obvious that she is plotting in her mind how everything will play out, and things turn out tragically according to her plan. Clay is the one person that Flyboy was correct in knowing that he could trust with his life. The fact that Flyboy died believing that Clay committed the ultimate betrayal is a devastating end that was admittedly almost too much for me to handle. This is especially considering that Clay's whole existence throughout the last 3/4 of the movie was centered around his interest and eventual love for Flyboy.
One may think to himself that it's horrible for Clay to have entered Flyboy's life only for Flyboy to meet such a tragic demise. It may even appear indirectly that Clay is the reason for Flyboy's death. But I believe that had it not been for Clay, Flyboy may have lived longer, but remained miserable. He would never have known what it felt like to be loved by someone who truly considered Flyboy to be his best friend, or cared for by a woman that showed him genuine affection and considered time spent with him as "the best date she ever had"...to sum it up, had it not been for Clay entering his life, it's safe to assume that Flyboy would never have known what true love was. It's amazing to me that these actors (namely Vaughn and Davies) could work together in a way that allowed me to receive this much from this movie. I was truly touched by this film, and it has become one of my all time favorites.