Very interesting biopic about Richard Pimentel, a disabled Vietnam vet who helped bring about the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The storyline was compelling, and Michael Sheen, as the friend with cerebral palsy, was phenomenal. I wish I could say the same about Ron Livingston, who portrayed the film's main character, but I thought he was terribly miscast. A great deal of the movie centers around a fairly young Richard Pimentel--from late teens to maybe early 30s--and seriously, Livingston always looked like he was fast approaching 40. Plus, I was underwhelmed by his acting, especially after I saw the real Richard Pimentel on the DVD extras--the real Pimentel conveys a wit and intelligence I just didn't get from Ron Livingston.
In the DVD extras, I learned that they had to cut out a lot of footage of events in Richard's childhood, because audiences had a hard time believing it could have been so bizarrely bad. I wish they'd left some of that footage in, because I would have liked a better sense of what drove Pimentel, and clearly some of that was due to his childhood. As it was, the childhood portion of the movie seemed rushed, I guess in order to get to the "meat" of the story.
I think there were a few other things--such as Richard's relationships--that would have benefited from more screen time, especially given that the movie only clocked in at about an hour and a half. Had it been a two-hour movie, perhaps Richard's character, or some the events that informed it as an adult, could have been fleshed out a little better.
That said, it was still a nice little movie that reminds us that those "handicapped" bathroom stalls we take for granted, and the ramps in front of building entrances, weren't always there.
The storyline was compelling, and Michael Sheen, as the friend with cerebral palsy, was phenomenal. I wish I could say the same about Ron Livingston, who portrayed the film's main character, but I thought he was terribly miscast. A great deal of the movie centers around a fairly young Richard Pimentel--from late teens to maybe early 30s--and seriously, Livingston always looked like he was fast approaching 40. Plus, I was underwhelmed by his acting, especially after I saw the real Richard Pimentel on the DVD extras--the real Pimentel conveys a wit and intelligence I just didn't get from Ron Livingston.
In the DVD extras, I learned that they had to cut out a lot of footage of events in Richard's childhood, because audiences had a hard time believing it could have been so bizarrely bad. I wish they'd left some of that footage in, because I would have liked a better sense of what drove Pimentel, and clearly some of that was due to his childhood. As it was, the childhood portion of the movie seemed rushed, I guess in order to get to the "meat" of the story.
I think there were a few other things--such as Richard's relationships--that would have benefited from more screen time, especially given that the movie only clocked in at about an hour and a half. Had it been a two-hour movie, perhaps Richard's character, or some the events that informed it as an adult, could have been fleshed out a little better.
That said, it was still a nice little movie that reminds us that those "handicapped" bathroom stalls we take for granted, and the ramps in front of building entrances, weren't always there.