COLLATERAL BEAUTY REVIEWED
“Collateral Beauty” is another one of WB’s giant miscalculations. The film wants you to accept a conceit where a man’s employees are celebrated for feasting on his grief. While losing a child is terrible, nobody gives Will Smith’s character some space. From the moment the film starts, somebody or something is waiting for Will Smith to collapse. To aid these efforts, Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren and other community theater actors are hired to push him over the edge.
The film whips out a twist that the Hallmark Channel would’ve passed on, but it does it so late. So, why is the film terrible? Well, it’s because this is the kind of movie that dumb people consider Oscar material. Emoting like a fat kid at drama camp isn’t acting. Slamming an audience with star power that does nothing isn’t acting. Hell, it’s probably the best emotional torture porn since Mel Gibson got his hands on Jesus.
Will Smith is a good actor that makes terrible choices. When you pair him with a director that sees his abilities, you get amazing work. However, you can see that bit of star ego powering this movie. An actor or any other creative talent can’t mentally will a turd into gold. Sometimes, you got to look hard into that mirror and ask if Winter’s Tale and Collateral Beauty were worth it.
FILM STATS
- PG-13
- 1 hr and 37 mins
- Warner Brothers
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