Carnage

Audience Reviews

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Abraham L Mar 23, 2019 Socially amusing by cringingly awkward, dark humor during the process of unfolding the well-performed, nicely casted, character-driven, perfectly-structured translation of a recognizably mimicked play under a genuinely smooth direction by Polanski, despite the available opportunity to make it more ambitiously dimensional. (B) (Full review TBD) See more

Hagrid R Dec 17, 2018 The film opens ever-so-slowly with credits appearing over the grassy landscape of a playground. Kids are walking in a group and the music is alternately dark and chipper, setting a perfect stage for the uncomfortable, emotional ride that will unfold. As the film swirls into action, we see a boy's single swing of a stick violently knock out his classmate. Instead of focusing in on the scene of this fight, Polanski keeps a distance and you feel like you are watching security footage. We see no blood or tears. In the next scene, two sets of parents "sort out" the details of the boys' incident. Hostess Penelope (Foster) acts as the MC of the meeting, offering up refreshments and parenting principles as she appeals to everyone to support the boys in this teachable moment. Reilly is a familiar character to us, sweet and a bit naïve as his wife pulls him along in her mission to avoid an "adversarial mindset". Nancy and Alan (Winslet and Waltz) express the proper concern over their son's violent actions, apologizing and admitting they don't know why he got so violent. Boys will be boys, our job as parents is to help them along, etc. etc. All is well, yes? Well, as Alan accompanies his wife out of the Longstreet apartment he gets a work call. Shit starts to go downhill. With each extension of their meeting (work calls, cobbler and coffee, a vomiting spell!, a rescue mission to blow-dry art catalogs, single malt scotch), each character sheds more layers of inhibition and social poise. Alan, the most genial of the group has started drinking and it appears he's loosened a screw - his language gets harsh, he dishes on the shitty parts of parenthood, and turns on his wife "I'm a short-tempered son of a bitch, okay?!" As Michael gets loose and angry, he and Alan share a man-bonding moment where they identify their wives as the source of the drama. "When you grow up with a certain John Wayne idea of manhood," Alan explains, "the impulse in this kind of situation isn't to talk it through." It's a wild ride and I really enjoyed it. Carnage has the torturous interpersonal hell of Sartre's "No Exit" play and the increasing verbal violence of "All About Eve". I could easily imagine this as a play - maybe the script came to Hollywood from the theater world? Both of those stories have an exasperating, dark comedy to them and Carnage makes for a compelling and devilish modern take. See more

Finn P Nov 24, 2018 this was a nothing movie and terrible please consider deleting

Ron R Oct 2, 2018 Excellent Acting mixed with relatable exchanges. Really meant for fans of acting. This movie will bore the smartphone addicted movie attendee and engross the few plot and acting quality fans. I loved it. I thought Jodie Foster deserved an Oscar for her tightly wrapped angry mo. performance, like watching a Ferrari push through traffic, infinite horsepower! See more

Abraham S Sep 4, 2018 it is mere another guest in your house.. Carnage Carnage is a plot driven comic drama about two couples who are cornered to have a meeting for the welfare of their children. Yes, it is arguably not one's particular so called "movie". It's an act. It has an act to offer that may bedazzle you that reeks theatre and old plays that used to tickle us. Its strength is both its pro and con which is the flow. It may flow fluently with the help of the charm of the actors and the gripping screenplay but there may as well be no reason or definite point to it for at the end of the line it is mere another guest in your house. One of the most intriguing thing it often does, is the way how it teams up as it ages on screen. Sometimes the couples stick together, sometimes men does and sometimes women does, and the transaction of how it shifts its daft opinions at the peak of emotion is one of its funniest gags of all. Riley gets most of the range since he is reserved at first and then bursts up like a volcano in its second half. Foster's character may as well be like, as the Joker quotes, "a dog running behind a car.." and her performance communicates clearly with the viewers. Waltz is reserved and confident whilst Winslet is apt in her extremely stupendous portrayal and is probably the best among the cast. The background score is almost non-existent, the cinematography doesn't have much to offer but has fine editing and decent camera work that offer more personal experience. Polanski pulls its restrained script decently and offers the anticipated theatrical experience. The orthodox performance from the cast and hilarious script brimmed with ingenious gags are the high points of the feature. Carnage is not an everlasting epic, especially not of its genre, it has a right intention, with accurate cast and crew that draws out a genuine nod from the audience. See more

George W Sep 1, 2018 Is this supposed to be a modern day Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf? It didnt make it. Its characters who are largely unbelievable. 10 minutes in, I found it hard to understand why they were all still there in that apartment. Jodie Fosters character was not believable. Rather than developing or evolving, the dialogue just seems to ramble. Its a shame such a fantastic cast was wasted in this way. See more

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Carnage

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