Film: Brooklyn

GENRE: Drama, Romance

RATING: PG-13 for one sexual scene and a strong word
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 51 minutes

STARRING: Saoirse Ronan (Atonement, Hanna, Grand Budapest Hotel)

Emory Cohen (Smash); Domhnall Gleeson (Star Wars VII, Revenant)

DIRECTOR: John Crowley (Closed Circuit)

WRITER: Nick Hornby (Fever Pitch, An Education, Wild)

PLOT: An Irish immigrant comes to Brooklyn, falls in love, returns home and must decide to stay or go.

FULL DISCLOSURE: It’s one of the two movies I need to see to have seen all the Oscar Best Picture nominees this year.

STORY STUFF: The story is interesting enough with its look at how it feels to immigrate to a new country on your own. I found the pacing pretty slow but it felt fitting for the story. After realizing the screenwriter also wrote An Education, it makes a bit more sense.

ACTING STUFF: Ronan does a fabulous job; a simple look conveys so much. I can see why she got an Oscar nomination. Also enjoyed Cohen as the Italian suitor. It was great to see Jessica Pare (Mad Men) in a small role and Julie Walters (Harry Potter series) as the strict boarding house matron.

ARTISTIC STUFF: Loved the pyrotechnics and the CG dragons. Just kidding, none of that is in the film. I found myself enjoying the costumes and the fact that characters re-wore articles which seems fitting considering their financial status.

VERDICT: Three

SEE IT IF: You want a date movie and don’t mind slow moving drama
UPCOMING REVIEWS: The Revenant