Stillwater movie review 2021

MOVIE TITLE: Stillwater

This dramatic movie is currently playing exclusively in theaters.

RATING: R

LENGTH: 2 hours 20 minutes (That’s a long movie!)

IN A NUTSHELL:

A father travels from Oklahoma to France to help his estranged daughter, who is in prison for a murder she claims she didn’t commit. The film is directed by Tom McCarthy, who also co-wrote it with Marcus Hinchey and Thomas Bidegain.

THINGS I LIKED:

I’ve been such a fan of Matt Damon from the beginning. He went to Oklahoma with the director to study “roughnecks” there and immerse themselves in that lifestyle in order to include realistic elements in the fish-out-of-water story. There is already Oscar Buzz surrounding his performance. Matt Damon received a 5-minute standing ovation at the 74th Cannes Film Festival. Bravo!
Abigail Breslin has grown up! She smokes, speaks French, and even had to get her driver’s license two weeks before they began filming the movie because she had to drive a car in one of the scenes.
Camille Cottin is lovely and a wonderful addition to Hollywood.
We get to spend time in France. Oolala! While the ocean landscapes are breathtaking, the gritty city paints realism into the film.
I get tired of Hollywood portraying religious people as crazy, so I especially appreciated that the protagonist prays and is a good guy.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

It’s definitely a slow burn.
Some of the accents are so thick that it’s difficult to understand what everyone is saying.
The ending is frustrating, especially after investing almost 2 1/2 hours into watching the film.
Some say the film is loosely based on the Amanda Knox story. She posted an angry Tweet about how people were profiting from her story.
It’s hard to really like Abigail Breslin’s character, which is a problem because we’re supposed to be rooting for her and her father the entire time.
The movie has been advertised as a crime thriller; however, you don’t see any crime committed and there is really no action that makes the movie thrilling. This is NOT Taken.