Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - Stephen Daldry

A boy, who suffers from Asperger's Syndrome, struggles to find sense in life after his father is killed in a Twin Tower on September 11, 2001.

I had planned on writing a review of "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close," right after watching it, but to tell you the truth, I saw it just two days ago and have little lasting impression. I can say this: If you are going to see Max von Sydow (as "The Renter"), it's worth it. He acts without speaking and delivers a powerful performance. As in many of his films, he plays a German. When I delved into his film history, I discovered that he is actually Swedish. He plays these Germanic parts in a highly convincing manner.  I wonder, purely hypothetically, if he gets sick of playing Germans, when he is actually Swedish? If you are going to see Sandra Bullock (as the main character's mother), it's also worth it. I'm used to seeing her in bubbly roles, or even serious roles, where her effervescence bubbles over despite the part. In "Extremely Loud...." she truly seems to have the weight of the world on her shoulders. Pure speculation, but did this new sadness encroach upon her after her widely publicized, unsuccessful marriage to Jesse James? Tom Hanks (as the main character's father) acts well, but the phony New York accent threw me off. When I first saw the trailer for the film, I was a bit grumpy about Bullock and Hanks playing Oscar's (the main character) parents. I felt like a lesser-known or even unknown actor would be better, since the people who died in the 9/11 attack were largely a segment of the population which were not famous. Despite their acting talent, Hanks and Bullock are big personalities on their own, and I felt this would distract from the story. We came to know some victims and heroes through the media as time went on, but not the majority of people involved. Lastly, the boy's role (Oscar, the main character), played by Thomas Horn is played extremely well, but did they have to include so much footage of him crying? I would've gotten the point without being beaten over the head with tears. I know 9/11 is worth an ocean of tears, but it becomes tedious, seeing so much crying in the film.

As far as the plot goes, without giving anything away, the story is heartfelt. I don't think it was supposed to be "cathartic." I don't believe there ever will be anything to act as an agent in bringing about catharsis for 9/11, and I speculate that catharsis is not the broader goal of this movie. As the plot unfolds, it seemed very unlikely to me that people would let a strange boy into their homes at the knock on the door. Happily, this plot detail is dealt with and made realistic, so don't fret. While the story wouldn't happen in real life, it doesn't seem impossible. "Extremely Loud..." has taken the moment's fascination with Asperger's Syndrome and combined it with the emotional extremes felt on and after 9/11. One last thought - I'd love to start a movement where "Asperger's" is pronounced as in German (its namesake is Austrian) - as "Azpairgers" and not "Ass Burgers" as is common to the States. There. I've vented. ;)  As for rating the film - I give "Extremely Loud..." a 3, only because I really had to dig to even remember this much two days after seeing it.