The film advantages of how little it initially informs us about the characters from linda chen's blog

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This man’s name is Earl Stone (Eastwood), a horticulturist first observed in the film’s 2005 prologue accepting awards for a daylily convention clad in the bowtie along with a wide smile; a smile certainly not affected by his missing his daughter Iris’ wedding (the bride to be played with the director’s real daughter yesflicks.com , Alison Eastwood). A few beats later, twelve years attended and gone, so has the smile. The internet has killed Earl’s business, leading your banker to foreclose on him, and neither his daughter, nor his ex-wife (Dianne Wiest) want something to do with him - his granddaughter Ginny (Taissa Farmiga) may be the only exception.And it’s with an event for Ginny which a young man approaches Earl that has a fateful money-making opportunity. “Just for driving?” Earl asks; it’s once Earl’s personality perfectly embodies the con. Soon, he, an existing white driver who doesn’t dare surpass the pace limit, is comfortably transporting cocaine around the world.

Jay (Dev Patel) travels from Britain towards the Punjab province of Pakistan armed using a suitcase of clothes and multiple passports. Along the way, he rents two eco-friendly autos and buys supplies-duct tape, an extra suitcase, a gun-all while scoping out a large wedding happening in the region. What happens next shouldn’t be described as a surprise: Jay kidnaps bride-to-be, Samira (Radhika Apte), at gunpoint and whisks her throughout the border. The full extent of Jay’s scheme or his allegiances should remain unrevealed here, but suffice it to say that Samira isn’t as innocent as she seems, and Jay’s motives will be more mercenary than heartless. The plan goes awry, relationships evolve, and India turns into a backdrop for just a sexy adventure shared by two strangers.

Winterbottom deserves some credit for keeping exposition and pat psychology low. He’s more interested in actions than backstory, that gives The Wedding Guest with plenty of base-level mystery to make sure that it’s gripping for around the first hour. The film advantages from how little it initially informs us about the characters; once Winterbottom explicates their motives, the luster sets out to fade. Patel excels at playing steely efficiency (watching him meticulously plot the kidnapping is far more fun than most things that follows), but that quality belies a sense reckless desperation that bubbles towards the surface when things disappear schedule. Meanwhile, Apte holds her against Patel, using her gentle façade for secretive, ulterior ends.

Our initial intrigue shows further cracks once we realize there’s a lot more than meets the eye for this island. Our first clue is mysterious salesman Reid Miller (Jeremy Strong), who repeatedly chases McConaughey around the dock holding a briefcase, conveniently past too far as the boat departs. We also see flashes of McConaughey’s son sitting in front of his computer so as to block out his abusive stepfather free movies . What may be the connection between father and son?The answer is revealed within a preposterous plot twist. Rather than pleasantly surprising us using a shocking moment that includes layers about what we’ve already seen, the twist causes us to be feel so misled that any of us realize we’ve wasted our time buying the characters. In other words, the reveal removes all stakes in the movie we believe we’ve been watching getting the club this point.

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