User Reviews

This is actually pretty brilliant.

I think it might be about feeling/having imposter syndrome, and as something artist most often have.

To that extend you end up locking yourself away in hiding for a long time, and eventually beliving what you may think of the worst of yourself... that you forget and can't actually recognice yourself anymore.

Perhaps bc his books was written in such a way that it was a mix of reality and fantasy- that fantasy in the end is just another way we humans has made reality reflect back with other eyes/ways.

..in the end it shows that going outside again, and getting recognized for his work, for the forst time ever, and sharing and hearing thoughts of fellow writers of their own perspective on the world and writing, -it sort of made him able to grasp reality or actually enjoy getting back to reality again... he found himself again.

What he enjoys and thrive in.

Was not expecting to like this movie, but it was in my Netflix list, and i rolled the dice, but it had Michael Shannon as a guy name Shriver, and he plays this depressed building caretaker in New York when he gets a letter from some small town thats holding an annual Literary Festival but interest has declined for years and all the famous names on their list have declined their invites, but Kate Hudson's Simone, decides to write to Shriver, a reclusive author who wrote a famous book and went missing for 20 years. Shriver, hadnt read a book gets advice from his drinking buddy, Lenny player by Sons of Anarchy's Michael Boone Junior, and reluctantly goes to the festival, beliving there will be a prize of some sort, maybe cash, but knows that he'll likely get found out and tries to go back to New York but Simone who meets him at the hotel bar, makes him stick around awhile. Anyway the people want so bad to believe he is whom he says he is and he says some very profound things along the way, he even begins to write something on notepads in order have something to say and the ruse going. Along the way, a woman goes missing whonhad slept in his room and a police detecive is asking questions. Simones ex husband played by Don Johnson, as a poet is tryjng to party with him, and Shriver grunts his way through everything convincingly. He even manages to give good advice young writers at a workshop.

The acting is very good in this, no one is overly "hammy" or overacting. I usually love Michael Shannons movies because he is not your typical "movie star" type actor. He always seems out of place or miscast in about everything. But he fits this role perfectly, hes not overacting, hes actually barely acting here but its just the right tone, not silly of goofy, unique restraint in something that could have easily gone too overboard.