one of a kind

This movie is not for everyone, a lot of people will find it strange and funky, and yes, it is strange and funky, yet it is also hilarious, mysterious and great to watch. It has a vintage feel to it, especially with the great background music (Bee Gees, Duke Ellington, Elton John, ....) You get lost in the story, you follow the characters, you enjoy their performances, and, in the end, you get it. The plot was not difficult, what I think makes this movie great is what lies beneath the quirkiness and the discomfort. Each character has his or her own obvious weakness as well as the strength, as Sydney put it, we all do certain things to survive, to keep going, we believe what we want to believe.

Christian Bale is unrecognizable from his batman days, he became this middle-aged average man, Irving, bald with big tummy, we spent the opening few minutes watching him putting on his toupee carefully and religiously. He has a sense of confidence in him, and as a con artist, he knows how to read and handle people, he knows what they are thinking instantly, and how to manipulate them. It is funny he is the most sincere person in any given scene yet he is a con man. The way he deals with the two women in his life is also fascinating to watch. He and Sydney are soul mates, yet he can not leave Rosalyn, his wife, and his kid.

This is the first Amy Adams movie I have ever seen, and she is so good that I started checking out her other roles, and I got myself several more interesting movies on my list to watch, including the Master (Philip Saymore Hoffman, Joaquin Phoenix), Junebug, Sunshine cleaning. Jennifer Lawrence is also great, and as Irving put it, she is probably the most interesting of all. Bradley 古柏 is insanely handsome, and Richie is a very believable and familiar character. Jeremy Renner's mayor is not bad. All in all, the performance s are what makes this movie stand out.

A few interesting objects in the movie-the ice fishing story, the sheikh, the knife, the nail polish, the microwave, ......

It was said that this is the last movie of the loose trilogy from David Russell, the director, the first two being silver linings playbook (in 費城 with Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley 古柏), and the fighter (in Boston with Christian Bale and Amy Adams). This is the third one with all four of them and in 紐約. The theme is about reinvention of yourself. I have not watched the other two, but will certainly do so.

I loved this movie, it is going to be a classic in the years to come.