Seeing the amazing Viola Davis and Sandra Bullock slum in swill like these sorts of movies makes me so sad. This kind of lazy melodrama that plays into cheesy cliches bugs me and bores me. But it's more than that. This sort of story relies on some ugly assumptions, the kind that undermine the validity and strength of adopted families, the kind that require us to prove innocence before we can sympathize with a convict, the kind that tries to justify violence as a way of resolving issues. But it's also just a schmaltzy mess of melodramatic BS that is designed to make us cry instead of making us truly empathize.
Unrealistic and corny, The Unforgivable is filled with eye-rolling moments and convoluted plot points. It is just one cliche after another. It's manipulative. It's dishonest. Every character is 2-dimensional (if even). I just kept wondering how we were ever supposed to buy into it.
But it's not just the poor writing and plotting of the film that angered me. It was the way the film promoted really ugly ways of looking at things. I hated the way Davis' character was suddenly convinced to care for Bullock's only by finding out she was "innocent" of the crime she did the time for, and convinced so easily without any real evidence. Just an oh-I-see-you-really-are-a-hero-my-bad moment. But even more insulting is the way the film undermines the validity of adopted families, once again preference biology over history and real bonding. Katie's parents are presented in ways that undermine the view we have of them as the audience. No real analysis of what is best for Katie is ever presented other than the blood argument. It is frustrating and insulting. I don't like it when a film talks down to me.
When I see such great talent, like the talent of a cast of like this, wasted on this I get sad. Even the queen Davis cannot save this pile of crap, especially in such a poorly written role.
The Unforgivable
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Viola Davis, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jon Bernthal, Richard Thomas, Linda Emond, Aisling Franciosi, Rob Morgan, W Earl Brown
Director: Nora Fingscheidt
Writers: Peter Craig, Hillary Seitz, Courtenay Miles
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