Hateship Loveship (2014)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

I loved this movie but it is clearly for those who like a romantic movie. It is not marginal it is great in that genre. The basic story is very old, that two inadequate people do better together. He is very confused and his own worst enemy and she is going toward the life of a nun. Guy Pearce was better at this in A Slipping Down Life where he was younger and not playing a grotty character. But he is fine. However the movie is about Kristen Wiig and she is fantastic. She plays a some what stunted type character unlike any character you will ever see her play again, who wants very little and is very happy with what she gets. That you identify with her is a sign of great acting.

There are many aspects to Hateship Loveship lay a groundwork of excellence even before you look at the first frame. Guy Pearce is who drew me to choose it through netflix, as I've never seen a movie of his I didn't like and list him at the top of my charts for fine actors. That said, it was only when I got the disc going that I saw the movie is based on an Alice Munro short story, and she's a fine author with powerful themes. Exceptional supporting cast members Jennifer Jason Leigh and Nick Nolte sealed the deal in knowing there was a better than average chance that this heretofore unheard of cinema would be an enriching experience in watching. It was only after getting to the end of the film that I realize how often dynamic tension that is created in plots leads to some anxiety-producing situation that oftentimes ends in disappointment. To get to the end of Hateship Loveship without that happening was so satisfying! That said, Kristen Wiig had me hooked from the opening scene. She is the central figure upon which the plot revolves and she maintains that centrism throughout. Her awkwardness is almost palpable and elicited a pain in my own heart as I watched her stoically navigate through a world where she is an invisible accessory that makes life easier for those around her. It is only when she becomes visible that she becomes vulnerable. There is the heart of a champion that waits within, and it is when an eye sees her that it begins beating.Guy Pearce plays his character flawlessly. The son in-law on eggshells around his father in-law. The father who wants to be whole with his daughter again. The cokehead who is caught between two worlds. The halfassed boyfriend of another cokehead. The man who is suddenly caught in the spotlight of an affection-starved oddball. What happens from the time the spotlight begins shining cannot be forgotten. Love's heartbeat begins the world anew for all. To watch makes me feel almost like an aesthete voyeur, privileged.This film is a keeper and will be watched many times. Thank you to all involved in the making of it.

This too, for me, was initially so dreadful (and I thought... potentially depressing) a story (initially) that I stopped watching it after about 20 minutes...BUT!!! A couple months later, I watched Kristen Wigg in "Bridesmaids" (a second time, this time to observe Ms. Wigg)... and realized (in addition to her talents shown in "Welcome to Me") that Kristen was actually a POWERFUL actress, with a BROAD range of talent and acting ability...SO... I gave it another chance, last night, realizing that this NON-major NON-Hollywood production was a personal acting choice for Kristen, for the real CHALLENGE it presented...!!! and I'm SO very glad I did.I started over, watching it from the beginning, with a new understanding of the role.Her line "I have what I want." was such a moving moment (and resonated as a point of strength and stability that I happen to really need (a nightmare boss) to realize in MY life) that it became something of a mantra, to put my mind to rest, last night.Now, having watched Kristen Wigg perform in "Girl Most Likely" and "The Skeleton Twins", I'm simply filled with admiration for what I consider her phenomenal talent, as a versatile actress.I want to add that I thought Guy Pierce was FLAWLESS, and (little downer here) Nick Nolte's facial features... were (how to put this...) disturbing and distracting.Otherwise... a TERRIFIC Film!!!

"Dying is easy," so they say. "It's comedy that's hard." That's why it's always so thrilling to see comedians stretch their wings a little and try a little bit of dramatic acting for a change - frequently, their performances are all the more affecting because they're acutely aware of the fineness of the line that exists between comedy and tragedy. Kristen Wiig, of Saturday Night Live and Bridesmaids fame, proves this to be true with her first stab at the almost purely dramatic in Hateship Loveship, although she's ultimately let down by an overly wooden script and character.Johanna (Wiig) is a caregiver who leads a nomadic existence, packing up what little there is of her life to move into whichever household requires her services next. When she arrives at the McCauley home, she meets the motherless Sabitha (Hailee Steinfeld) and her alcoholic, undependable father Ken (Guy Pearce). Wilfully bristling at the new addition to the family, Sabitha plots with her best friend Edith (Sami Gayle) to play a practical joke on Johanna: they craft a letter of clear amorous intent from Ken in response to Johanna's simple thank-you note.It's a situation that could easily be played for comedy or for tragedy: the misunderstanding created by the two girls blossoms into a one-sided love affair for Johanna, so good at cleaning up people's lives but so inexperienced at living her own. Hateship Loveship settles for an uncomfortable mix of the two, often trading awkward, neo-farcical humour for genuine insight into Johanna's psyche. When Johanna decides to commit fully to her 'relationship' with Ken, the film stumbles into almost horrifying territory. It's difficult to know just how to respond to Johanna's predicament and Ken's understandably shocked reaction to her arrival in his life, just as it's tough to really buy into the way their relationship develops thereafter.For the most part, the clumsiness of the film has little to do with its cast. Wiig bravely underplays her part, hinting at rather than telegraphing Johanna's soul-deep loneliness and craving for a family of her own. It's unfortunate that her character takes on a near-robotic cast so early on in the film. Pearce manages to be both charming and off-putting as Ken, while Nick Nolte makes his mark on the film as Sabitha's caring but clueless grandfather. Steinfeld, while perfectly fine in her part, is largely upstaged by the chirpy meanness evinced by Gayle - who, unfortunately, is also let down by the fact that Edith is almost purely the villain here, and bears none of the subtle characterisation she enjoys in Alice Munro's original short story.Taking a step back from the film, its themes and intent become more readily apparent: families can be forged, just as relationships and love can, out of hate, resentment and misunderstanding. But, buried beneath a few extraneous subplots and some really patchy writing and character development, it never entirely comes clear when you're actually watching Hateship Loveship. Fittingly for a film that isn't quite sure what it wants to be, it's tough to know whether one should laugh or cry in response.