An Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a new romance. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.
Director:
John CrowleyWriters:
Nick Hornby (screenplay), Nick Hornby, 1 more credit »Stars:
Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson |See full cast and crew »Storyline
An Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a new romance. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within
User Reviews
Brooklyn is written by Nick Hornby and directed by John Crowley. It stars Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, and Domhanall Gleeson.
An Irish immigrant lands in 1950's Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a new romance. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.
This movie feels an awful lot like a Merchant Ivory movie, before they went downhill. This is probably the best period piece of the year simply because Brooklyn embraces the type of movie it is, whole heatedly.
Brooklyn, in my humble opinion, is a wrought melodrama that is equal parts quaint as it is provocatively made. This movie was made to be perfect and that might very well be its largest flaw. Though that thought is paradoxical, it is well founded. Aside from my minor griping, I did appreciate this movie in its entirety.
My personal favorite part of the movie, which I noticed from the very beginning, was the immaculate cinematography, done by Yves Bélanger. Though to the common movie goers eye it seems rather ordinary, but to me it was what made the movie so engaging. The gentile blend of light and dark colors inside and outside make the movie well worth seeing on the big screen in its own right, but what really got me was the deft mixing of colors at the dining scenes where the beauty of Saoirse Ronan was brought out through her, emphasized, kind smile and innocent eyes.
Speaking of the lead actress, Saoirse Ronan was impeccably cast in this movie. She plays her role magically and brings a lot to the metaphorical and literal table. She pulls off a role that people 3 times her age would have a hard time doing; given the fact that someone 3 times as old as her wouldn't be cast to play a 19 year old accountant. Ronan plays a sympathetic and quirky lead so well that she bring Ellis Lacey to life.
The same goes for Emory Cohen in his portrayal as Tony, Ellis' new Italian boyfriend in the States. The two make a remarkable pair, with phenomenal chemistry and finesse. Cohen plays a large part in this movie and understands that he needed to strike a perfect blend of desperation, love and believability.
The same can be said about Brooklyn's script and tender direction. The art of creating a drama is like walking a tight rope, filled with sharp and jagged edges known to all as clichés. This movie, for the most part, avoids these dreaded obstacles, by opting to slowly but surely build up its heady themes. Though this may be true, this, said, slow pace and structure can, at times, make the film feel uneventful, which may turn off some viewers. The lucky ones who do stick around are rewarded with a deeply emotionally resonant conclusion, much like the Merchant Ivory classics. Though most clichés are avoided, some were unfortunately injected into the plot, when writer, Nick Hornby, decided to occasionally over dramatize events in the movie. This at times feels desperate and at others feel just redundant, but nevertheless gets the message across to some degree.
Brooklyn is an old fashioned period piece that offers fine acting, beautiful cinematography, charming writing grounded in reality, and thought provoking direction. Brooklyn gets a B+ or 7/10.
An Irish immigrant lands in 1950's Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a new romance. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.
This movie feels an awful lot like a Merchant Ivory movie, before they went downhill. This is probably the best period piece of the year simply because Brooklyn embraces the type of movie it is, whole heatedly.
Brooklyn, in my humble opinion, is a wrought melodrama that is equal parts quaint as it is provocatively made. This movie was made to be perfect and that might very well be its largest flaw. Though that thought is paradoxical, it is well founded. Aside from my minor griping, I did appreciate this movie in its entirety.
My personal favorite part of the movie, which I noticed from the very beginning, was the immaculate cinematography, done by Yves Bélanger. Though to the common movie goers eye it seems rather ordinary, but to me it was what made the movie so engaging. The gentile blend of light and dark colors inside and outside make the movie well worth seeing on the big screen in its own right, but what really got me was the deft mixing of colors at the dining scenes where the beauty of Saoirse Ronan was brought out through her, emphasized, kind smile and innocent eyes.
Speaking of the lead actress, Saoirse Ronan was impeccably cast in this movie. She plays her role magically and brings a lot to the metaphorical and literal table. She pulls off a role that people 3 times her age would have a hard time doing; given the fact that someone 3 times as old as her wouldn't be cast to play a 19 year old accountant. Ronan plays a sympathetic and quirky lead so well that she bring Ellis Lacey to life.
The same goes for Emory Cohen in his portrayal as Tony, Ellis' new Italian boyfriend in the States. The two make a remarkable pair, with phenomenal chemistry and finesse. Cohen plays a large part in this movie and understands that he needed to strike a perfect blend of desperation, love and believability.
The same can be said about Brooklyn's script and tender direction. The art of creating a drama is like walking a tight rope, filled with sharp and jagged edges known to all as clichés. This movie, for the most part, avoids these dreaded obstacles, by opting to slowly but surely build up its heady themes. Though this may be true, this, said, slow pace and structure can, at times, make the film feel uneventful, which may turn off some viewers. The lucky ones who do stick around are rewarded with a deeply emotionally resonant conclusion, much like the Merchant Ivory classics. Though most clichés are avoided, some were unfortunately injected into the plot, when writer, Nick Hornby, decided to occasionally over dramatize events in the movie. This at times feels desperate and at others feel just redundant, but nevertheless gets the message across to some degree.
Brooklyn is an old fashioned period piece that offers fine acting, beautiful cinematography, charming writing grounded in reality, and thought provoking direction. Brooklyn gets a B+ or 7/10.
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