Let me start by saying: yes, it's got its corny parts. Yes, it's cliché as all get out.
But it's got some amazing acting, and there are four or five moments throughout that just make you feel like your heart shattered into a million pieces.
Nathan is a fourteen year old boy, who sells himself to feed his mother's drug habit -the movie starts on the day of his fourteenth birthday, leading to what is easily one of the most heart wrenching moments I've seen in a movie for a while.
After 'working' the night before, Nathan goes to school, then returns home, where a neighbor lady complains to him about the noise from his mother's party the previous night, for which Nathan apologizes, and the lady kindly tells him that it's him she feels sorry for. After he starts to walk away, there's this moment of hesitation, before he turns, and tells the lady that it's his birthday. It's such an innocent moment, seeing this kid desperately wanting somebody to know that he's made it fourteen years; that he's still alive. And honestly, it almost made me cry.
And that's what makes this movie memorable; that's what makes it such a gem. Instead of big name actors, massive CGI effects, car chases, and one-liners for cheap laughs... it actually evokes strong emotions in you.
But it's got some amazing acting, and there are four or five moments throughout that just make you feel like your heart shattered into a million pieces.
Nathan is a fourteen year old boy, who sells himself to feed his mother's drug habit -the movie starts on the day of his fourteenth birthday, leading to what is easily one of the most heart wrenching moments I've seen in a movie for a while.
After 'working' the night before, Nathan goes to school, then returns home, where a neighbor lady complains to him about the noise from his mother's party the previous night, for which Nathan apologizes, and the lady kindly tells him that it's him she feels sorry for. After he starts to walk away, there's this moment of hesitation, before he turns, and tells the lady that it's his birthday. It's such an innocent moment, seeing this kid desperately wanting somebody to know that he's made it fourteen years; that he's still alive. And honestly, it almost made me cry.
And that's what makes this movie memorable; that's what makes it such a gem. Instead of big name actors, massive CGI effects, car chases, and one-liners for cheap laughs... it actually evokes strong emotions in you.