Armageddon Time movie review

MOVIE TITLE: Armageddon Time

This dramatic movie is now available to stream online.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour 54 minutes

MOVIE REVIEW MOM GRADE: B+

IN A NUTSHELL:

The movie is a deeply personal coming-of-age story about the strength of family and the generational pursuit of the American Dream.

The film was written and directed by James Gray. One of the shenanigans the two boys come up with in the story came from something he and his childhood friend did. This is his first digitally-shot movie, receiving a 7-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022.

THINGS I LIKED:

The fantastic cast includes Academy Award winners Sir Anthony Hopkins, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain. We also get to see 4-time Tony Award nominee Tovah Feldshuh. For me, the standout performance was Anne Hathaway. Her character was complex and she portrayed it all with a New York accent and conflicted flair.
The young actor who plays Paul Graff, Banks Repeta, does a great job. Jaylin Webb also gives a good performance as Paul’s best friend.
The movie gets its title from the song by the Clash. There is a scene where we see President Ronald Reagan talking about the end of the world. That’s another reason why the movie got its title “Armageddon.”
We get to visit the Guggenheim Museum in the movie, as well as see other New York City sites.
It’s impossible to say anything negative about a movie that features Sir Anthony Hopkins. He’s fantastic as always. Unfortunately, he’s not in the movie as much as most of us would like.
The film offers an excellent illustration of several issues in society.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

The protagonist is a bratty kid, making it difficult to root for him. He creates his own problems.
It’s a slow burn that meanders.
The movie kind of ends abruptly and ambiguously.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Kids will be completely bored.
There’s talk of war in Europe.
Two boys in middle school are disrespectful and get into trouble.
Profanity, including F-bombs, mostly spoken by kids
Racism is portrayed
Kids smoke a joint
The “N” word is used once
The parents fight a lot
A boy hears his parents talk about how he has no potential and is “slow”
A family member dies and we see people at a funeral

THEMES:

Family
Growing up
Respect
Reflecting on the past
Privilege and class
Friendship
The immigration experience
The Jewish experience
The importance of education

FUNNY LINES:

None worth noting. It’s definitely not a comedy.

INTERESTING LINES:

* “You just want me to be like you.” – Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) “No. No, big boy. I want you to be a whole lot better than me.” – Irving Graff (Jeremy Strong)