Movie: Stronger
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatiana Maslany
Writer: John Pollono, based on the book Stronger by Jeff Bauman
Director: David Gordon Green
On October 2, I went to Fairfax Corner 14 to see Stronger, the new movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman (Gyllenhaal). This is movie number eight in my first month using MoviePass, bringing my per movie cost down to $1.24.
Unlike last year's Patriots Day starring Mark Wahlberg, Stronger doesn't spend much time on the bombing itself or the effort to find the perpetrators. Instead, Stronger explores Bauman's struggle to come to terms not only with his injuries, but also the hero's welcome he receives throughout Boston. Until he lost his lower legs in the bomb blast, Bauman was a chicken roaster at Costco and basically a screw-up. He was at the Boston Marathon finish line in an effort to win back his on-again, off-again girlfriend Erin (Maslany) who had broken up with him in part because he never showed up for anything.
If this sounds like an intense movie, it is. Still, while Bauman loses his legs in the bombing, his sense of humor remains intact. When he first regains consciousness and is lying intubated in his hospital room, his brother asks him how he is feeling. "Lt. Dan," he writes, referring to the amputee played by Gary Sinise in Forrest Gump.
Unfortunately, Bauman is less able to communicate the pain he is in. His family, while loving and supportive in their own way, are also loud, combative, and soaked in booze. They urge him to cash in on the many opportunities he's given as a symbol of "Boston Strong," such as waving the flag at a Boston Bruins hockey game, unaware of the toll that such public outings have on him. Gyllenhaal conveys Bauman's inner turmoil beautifully, and it's great to see Maslany on the big screen after her amazing performances on Orphan Black.
Stronger doesn't sugar coat Bauman's struggles. His journey is that of a very flawed human being who goes through something terrible and unfair and yet finds a way to be generous, to be the symbol of strength that other people need him to be.
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Tatiana Maslany
Writer: John Pollono, based on the book Stronger by Jeff Bauman
Director: David Gordon Green
On October 2, I went to Fairfax Corner 14 to see Stronger, the new movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Boston Marathon bombing survivor Jeff Bauman (Gyllenhaal). This is movie number eight in my first month using MoviePass, bringing my per movie cost down to $1.24.
Unlike last year's Patriots Day starring Mark Wahlberg, Stronger doesn't spend much time on the bombing itself or the effort to find the perpetrators. Instead, Stronger explores Bauman's struggle to come to terms not only with his injuries, but also the hero's welcome he receives throughout Boston. Until he lost his lower legs in the bomb blast, Bauman was a chicken roaster at Costco and basically a screw-up. He was at the Boston Marathon finish line in an effort to win back his on-again, off-again girlfriend Erin (Maslany) who had broken up with him in part because he never showed up for anything.
If this sounds like an intense movie, it is. Still, while Bauman loses his legs in the bombing, his sense of humor remains intact. When he first regains consciousness and is lying intubated in his hospital room, his brother asks him how he is feeling. "Lt. Dan," he writes, referring to the amputee played by Gary Sinise in Forrest Gump.
Unfortunately, Bauman is less able to communicate the pain he is in. His family, while loving and supportive in their own way, are also loud, combative, and soaked in booze. They urge him to cash in on the many opportunities he's given as a symbol of "Boston Strong," such as waving the flag at a Boston Bruins hockey game, unaware of the toll that such public outings have on him. Gyllenhaal conveys Bauman's inner turmoil beautifully, and it's great to see Maslany on the big screen after her amazing performances on Orphan Black.
Stronger doesn't sugar coat Bauman's struggles. His journey is that of a very flawed human being who goes through something terrible and unfair and yet finds a way to be generous, to be the symbol of strength that other people need him to be.
