“RUST AND BONE” My rating: B- (Opening Jan. 18 at the Glenwood Arts ????)
120 minutes | MPAA rating: R
As much as there is to enjoy in the lead performances of Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts, Jacques Audiard’s “Rust and Bone” labors under a surfeit of overkill.
At its core it’s a down-to-earth story. A womanizing man uncomfortable with his role as a single father befriends a young woman disfigured in a terrible accident. Little by little he pulls her out of her shell of depression, while she helps him discover his paternal instincts and his less-selfish side.
Cue the violins.
But wait. That’s too simple. Too cut and dried.
How about this: The guy becomes a champion of illegal underground gladiatorial combats. And the woman loses her legs to a killer whale.
Yeah, that’s much more believable.
So you see what I mean about overkill. And yet Audiard (maker of the epic prison drama “A Prophet”) and his stars have almost enough skill – almost – to sell “Rust and Bone’s” hyperbole. (more…)
