Almost gave up on this film because Bull Meechum is exactly the kind of hot-headed, arrogant, macho heterosexual male that I try to expunge from my everyday life - but then comes the basketball sequence and the aftermath, and you realize how this movie is not just about the central boorish male, but also about the people who must orbit him, and find their own ways to exist and coexist.
That Blythe Danner performance hits you right in heart.…
Fascinating and hypnotic - a film about faith, but also feels like a documentary and a horror film, and strangely structured like a war movie like Full Metal Jacket??
TCM
Fave moment in 35 Up: Bruce participating in a foreign language class surrounded by young Bangladeshi students
Heartbreaking moments: Nick reflecting on his deaf brother, Lynn’s raw emotion when asked about her mother
Eye roll moment: John pointing out his famous Bulgarian ancestor.
The plot is scarce, but the characters, even the bit players, are wonderfully realized.
Throwaway lines that I will quote forever:
“It’s a joke, Precious”
“I didn’t ask for the anal probe”
