Ann Price

Painfully realistic portrayal of how a “respectable” family maintains its social standing by scapegoating a single member — often the one with the most integrity and the one most likely to see things as they are. I speak from experience here as the scapegoat of a similarly toxic and violent family, right down to the unhealed broken left shoulder (as well as other injuries) that everyone lies about. This series was instantly triggering in a way I did not see coming, since I had not seen any reviews or plot synopses. But once I got started, the powerful writing and acting kept me absorbed to the very last episode. Ben Mendelsohn in particular is mesmerizing as Danny, the scapegoat. Every small gesture, every nuance of body language, telegraphs the message that Danny is suffering from deep psychic wounds inflicted by a lifetime of lies, betrayals and flat-out viciousness by his parents and siblings. Once you’ve been there, you can quickly see it in others. Mendelsohn’s portrayal is spot on.* (See footnote below.) It’s a stunning performance in a powerful ensemble piece that showcases the prodigious talents of every member of this all-star cast. The writers of this series deserve special kudos for creating an entire cast of complex, multi-layered characters and allowing those characters to drive the many plot twists. I understand that the series was canceled because of the expense of the location. But if it had continued, I would have kept watching. (*PS: If anyone is curious, I’m happy to say that many of us scapegoats don’t turn out like Danny. Many of us eventually recognize that, as long as we keep coming back to our families hoping they will finally love us, they will instead merely keep wounding us. So we stop coming back. Danny kept coming back. That was his fatal error. Literally.)

Terrible acting, predictable plot, pedantic script, simplistic message. Hard pass.

You can enjoy this movie at a variety of levels: as a fun family Halloween classic; as a sweet coming-of-age story; as a touching and profound examination of love, loss and longing … all punctuated by a beautiful and haunting film score. Film critics savaged this film when it was first released, which just goes to show how clueless they can be. Luckily, viewers ignored them and have made this film a treasured childhood favorite — and deservedly so.

Merely hitting the notes — sometimes just barely — is not singing, and merely executing the steps is not dancing. I had heard this movie was way overhyped, and it did not disappoint. One of the worst movies I have seen in recent years. It is a ham–handed, completely amateurish imitation of the musicals from Hollywood’s golden age. Hollywood needs to get some standards again.