I hoped this would be good on the lines of The Full Monty. Carlyle played his part very well at first but towards the end goes off the rails, I assume because the script forces the actor to make the character become such a jerk that the wife's final decision and even more the astonishing behaviour of the child attempt to make some sense.
Ifans was a crashing bore. The daughter's hostility to her father was totally inexplicable. One understands she's upset that apparently he hasn't been in the habit of seeing her much if at all since the parents split, but her complete disinterest in her father and complete devotion the rival is simply unbelievable in my view.
Carlyle's character is ultimately disappointing since he fails to achieve what he has decided he wants just now, ie reuniting his family. If Ifans' character had anything dynamic or even interesting about him, I could have lived with the finale when the wife chooses the new lover instead of the ex-husband. But Ifans' character is just a colourless wimp.
I feel that what really spoils this film is how the child is acted. Where's the trauma at seeing her father again if she genuinely loathes him. Or if she's scared he'll interfere between her and the substitute father she's apparently chosen (though in no way clear why), ie Ifans' character? Instead, the child is measured and calm and appears to have no doubt she'll get what she has decided she wants, and sure enough she does.
The wife is also confusing. She appears to want to be with Ifans. Then Ifans moves out (GOOD ! I said. Him and that ridiculous pink vehicle, it was dreadful). Then suddenly Carlyle's character after arousing all my sympathy (and especially because of his daughter's near total blank feelings for him) suddenly gets silly. The wife is totally unreadable at this stage, you can't see any conflict, she just seems to accept whoever's there.
Carlyle character's thug friends are also a muddle. It seems they are all crooks and Carlyle has helped beat up some guy and steal money to make the trip south. The thug friends follow and all of a sudden with no clear explanation invade the ex-wife's home and terrorise those inside. I never made out why they did this. It was ridiculous. Perhaps the idea was to tell us that the Carlyle character was a violent thug too so don't support him. But this isn't at all clear.
Then all of a sudden, when you think maybe Carlyle's character has redeemed himself somewhat in spite of his sudden silly behaviour, the child makes the decision and then the mother suddenly goes along with it.
A very confused script in my view. Especially a loopy script for and direction of the child who might as well not have been in the story at all as she doesn't contribute anything to it really until suddenly she near enough says to her mother, I'm going with "Ifans" and Mother runs out to do the same.
Ifans was a crashing bore. The daughter's hostility to her father was totally inexplicable. One understands she's upset that apparently he hasn't been in the habit of seeing her much if at all since the parents split, but her complete disinterest in her father and complete devotion the rival is simply unbelievable in my view.
Carlyle's character is ultimately disappointing since he fails to achieve what he has decided he wants just now, ie reuniting his family. If Ifans' character had anything dynamic or even interesting about him, I could have lived with the finale when the wife chooses the new lover instead of the ex-husband. But Ifans' character is just a colourless wimp.
I feel that what really spoils this film is how the child is acted. Where's the trauma at seeing her father again if she genuinely loathes him. Or if she's scared he'll interfere between her and the substitute father she's apparently chosen (though in no way clear why), ie Ifans' character? Instead, the child is measured and calm and appears to have no doubt she'll get what she has decided she wants, and sure enough she does.
The wife is also confusing. She appears to want to be with Ifans. Then Ifans moves out (GOOD ! I said. Him and that ridiculous pink vehicle, it was dreadful). Then suddenly Carlyle's character after arousing all my sympathy (and especially because of his daughter's near total blank feelings for him) suddenly gets silly. The wife is totally unreadable at this stage, you can't see any conflict, she just seems to accept whoever's there.
Carlyle character's thug friends are also a muddle. It seems they are all crooks and Carlyle has helped beat up some guy and steal money to make the trip south. The thug friends follow and all of a sudden with no clear explanation invade the ex-wife's home and terrorise those inside. I never made out why they did this. It was ridiculous. Perhaps the idea was to tell us that the Carlyle character was a violent thug too so don't support him. But this isn't at all clear.
Then all of a sudden, when you think maybe Carlyle's character has redeemed himself somewhat in spite of his sudden silly behaviour, the child makes the decision and then the mother suddenly goes along with it.
A very confused script in my view. Especially a loopy script for and direction of the child who might as well not have been in the story at all as she doesn't contribute anything to it really until suddenly she near enough says to her mother, I'm going with "Ifans" and Mother runs out to do the same.