Let them all talk

 

Really, let them!

 

When you see Meryl Streep on the cover of the movie, you don’t think twice, and after her performance in Big Little Lies, I was craving that cinematic magic. Netflix also gets that hence suggest me all her movies; what would we do without the clever algorithm?

Anywho, the movie has a decent cast, Meryl Streep, as mentioned many times already, Candice Bergen of Miss Congeniality fame, and Brad Pitt’s favorite Dianne Wiest. These happen to be Alice Hughes (Ms. Streep), old friends, reconnecting after years.

The cast also includes Lucas Hedges, who played as a supporting nephew, Tyler, and Gemma Chan, as Karen, her new agent.

So the story revolves around a renowned New York-based author Alice, who has to go and collect her British Award. Now, Alice has some reservations against flying, so her over ambitious agent suggests to sail.

Her old friends Roberta (Bergen) and Susan (Wiest) had their own sets of thoughts running in heads for this sudden invitation to accompany her to the boat but joined anyway.

Roberta, who was struggling and working as a salesperson at a lingerie store, was very distant from her friend for some preconceived unresolved feelings. However, Susan was ever so optimistic and tend to look at people’s strengths.      

Most of the movie is filmed on the boat, Queen Mary 2; Director Steven Soderbergh’s magic can be seen in how the movie transitions, despite the lack of story.

Here on the boat, she works on her manuscript of the upcoming novel, which she doesn’t share a blip with her editor. However, they root for a sequel to her famous book, which she doesn’t acknowledge much.

This is why Karen is on board, to find a window, manipulate, and find way to get information on what she is writing about.

During the course of days, she meets her friends for supper only and does nothing besides swimming. Except for the mystery man, John Douglas Thompson, who is seen leaving Alice’s room by Tyler each morning.

For me, the movie doesn’t have much going on, except for routine breakfast with nephew, write meanwhile other two Susan and Roberta, meet and play games. Then swim break, write, lunch, another swim break, supper with friends and nephew.

However, she insists on having a drink or rendezvous with Roberta, which she declines with one thing or another everyday, making Alice exasperated that I can almost see Miranda Priestly rearing.

She puts up her nephew to observe what her friends are up or what they are thinking; meanwhile, Karen, the agent, uses Tyler to peek into Alice’s work. This was assured by him soon, as he finds a giant manuscript and her trying to catch lightning in the bottle for the second time.

Most of the movie went on without any big change except for meeting another author on board whom she referred to Styrofoam and his work as nothing but Jigsaw Puzzle.

Almost at the last fifteen minutes, Roberta and Alice are seen confiding, and then the abrupt ending leaves everything pretty much unresolved.

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this movie to be watched with high hopes, but yes, as amazing cinematic work and brilliant acting by the Trio of friends.