Men, Women and Children (2014)

Directed by: Jason Reitman
Country: USA

Movie Review: Jason Reitman’s career was marked by an auspicious start, result of interesting dramas, most of them with good hints of comedy - “Thank You for Smoking”, “Juno”, “Up in the Air” and “Young Adult”. Recently he seems to be struggling with dark clouds that embrace his creative process. Last year’s “Labor Day”, his first incursion on dramatic thriller, was such a big disappointment that he decided to go back to a genre he's more comfortable with. Despite of the committed performances by a cast that includes Adam Sandler, Kaitlyn Dever, Judy Greer and Rosemary DeWitt, “Men, Women and Children”, based on Chad Kultgen’s novel of the same name, is a flawed drama that failed to be accomplished due to several dilemmas. In his attempt to condense 1001 things at the same time, Reitman loses direction, creating a half-baked story that associates the obsessions and dangers of technology with sexual experiences. He just couldn’t decide if he wants to address the subject in a teenager or adult perspective, or if he wants a narrated film (occasionally we hear the unnecessary voice of Emma Thompson), or if he wants to deviate himself from the central focus (one more time, unnecessary spatial considerations are made). All of this resulted in a big mess of a story in which any intended lesson or message was completely swallowed by the emotional superficiality presented in excessive characters and subplots. The lack of mature observations or satisfying conclusions, make “Men, Women and Children” a cranky experience that nothing has to do with Reitman's earlier achievements within the genre.