How can a project like this attract such grade A talent? I have to believe that the script they received was far removed from the finished product we get on screen. I’m trying to think of any excuse as to why any of these actors would be drawn to Collateral Beauty, a film that rings false on almost every level and doesn’t offer up much genuine emotion. I suppose there is a good idea here but what we get is a rehash of films we have seen before but with a most ridiculous slant.
When we first meet Howard (Will Smith), he’s full of life and good humor. Three years later, he’s a shell of his former self, coming to work and, instead of running the company, retreats to himself and spends his time setting up elaborate domino toppling schemes. He rarely speaks and refuses to sign the papers that would allow his fellow owners, Whit (Edward Norton), Claire (Kate Winslet), and Simon (Michael Pena) to sell. The reason for Howard’s character change is that he’s lost his six-year-old daughter to cancer and has been unable to pull himself together. He spends his spare time sitting in a dog park staring into space and writing bitter letters to Death, Love, and Time. Desperate to try anything to bring him back to reality, Whit suggests hiring actors to play Death, Love, and Time and have them visit Howard. Enter Brigitte (Helen Mirren), who is cast as Death; Amy (Keira Knightley), whose sweetness is perfect for Love; and Raffi (Jacob Latimore), who brings an edge to Time. After his initial encounters with these three embodiments, Howard begins to question his sanity and takes the monumental step of attending a support group for the parents of dead children. There he meets Madeleine (Naomie Harris) and they begin to form somewhat of a fragile bond.
The biggest problem here is the story. Movies with dead children at the center are a definite tough sell, no matter how uplifting the outcome when one accepts their grief and decides to continue living life. Movies can tell these stories admirably (I hear Manchester by the Sea is a great recent example of this) but Collateral Beauty is so manipulative that it’s almost insulting that it uses this grief as a plot device. It doesn’t draw its emotion from a real place and you feel like only a work of fiction could work up something so trite.
The most insulting part of the story is the mental torture Howard’s co-workers put him through by casting actors to play versions of the letters he has been writing. They even go so far as to video record his encounters with Death, Time, and Love and digitally erase Brigitte, Amy, and Raffi from the images. The script wants you to care about his colleagues but you can’t quite escape how reprehensible they are for putting him through the mental anguish of making him think he’s seeing things. His co-workers are given backstories but they don’t add much to the plot and feel just as forced as the main story.
Will Smith is a talented actor. Let’s get that out of the way. He has proven himself over the years in his fair share of dramatic performances but he’s at his best playing high energy characters. Howard shows shades of that before tragedy strikes but the film turns Smith into a shell of his former self. It’s not a bad performance but it lacks a single genuine emotion. There are a lot of tears but there is nothing behind them. Smith has been chasing the Oscar for awhile and this represents another failed attempt after a solid early start at the gold.
The rest of the actors also aren’t bad but they could play these roles in their sleep. I miss when Edward Norton gave performances that let him slide into the skin of a role. Here he’s simply slumming it. I love the trifecta of British acting sirens on display here but I wish they were in a film together that was worthy of their talents. Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley and Kate Winslet are always a welcomed presence but they don’t offer up much here. The only performer who gives an honest performance is Naomie Harris who brings a bit of heart to her role. I will say that the scenes between her and Smith are the only scenes that ring true and offer up the best the film has to offer.
Collateral Beauty was positioned this year as a bit of Oscar bait for Warner Bros. Somewhere along the line they realized what they had and wisely didn’t campaign. There is a semblance of a good idea in this film but it dabbles in so many clichés to tug at our heartstrings that instead of being a work of beauty, it becomes something truly ugly. It’s a shame because a movie with all these actors could be excellent but sadly this one simply isn’t.
Reel Talk gives Collateral Beauty 1 Reel
