Diane Wolman

I am very surprised by all the five star reviews. I thought the writing and acting were terrible. I’ve dealt with several end of life hospice situations and this did not seem realistic to me. For one thing, I found the negative portrayal of hospice workers as buffoons who don’t bother to figure out a way to relate to family members not in keeping with the experiences I have had with hospice workers and a disservice to anyone who may need these services. Two more things: no one in this movie seems to understand what it means to die. I found that very irritating. The hospice workers don’t explain what to expect as a person dies. When the father has trouble breathing and the sisters get hysterical, the hospice worker doesn’t explain agonal breathing. And all the focus on needing a DNR makes no sense at all when a family is committed to allowing someone to die with hospice. The only reason CPR would be performed would be if they requested it, which, again, a decent hospice worker would have explained.

Very slow and labored. The writing was forced; constantly trying to make everything sound important and deep but it was BORING.

It’s fascinating how many people loved this movie and an almost equal number hated it. I found it boring and manipulative. I felt no real connection between the leads. And the constant focus on lighting cigarettes was very annoying. More than anything, I found myself feeling really irritated by Bradley Cooper, who seemed to be trying too hard in a way that made me feel embarrassed for him.

This was a waste of time. Poorly constructed story, lackluster acting and choppy directing and editing.

Great character development. Outstanding acting. Engrossing plot. Okay

This movie is boring and depressing. It is self important without anything to back it up.