Anesthesia (2015) User Reviews (41)

Planting cabbages

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 7 January 2016]

Greetings again from the darkness. The comparisons to Crash, the 2006 Oscar winner for Best Picture, will be numerous and understandable. However, rather than an expose' on racial tension, writer/director/actor Tim Blake Nelson turns his pen and lens towards the somewhat less profound, though still fruitful subject matter of suburban angst amidst the educated elite.

An opening featuring a violent mugging on the stoop of a NYC brownstone grabs our attention quickly, and rather than follow the immediate aftermath, we are instead taken back in time to study the characters and events leading to that tragic moment. The tangled web of intertwined stories is made up of no fewer than fifteen different characters, each of whom is impacted by what happens in that opening sequence.

Sam Waterston plays a beloved Columbia University Philosophy Professor who is exceedingly happily married to Glenn Close. Director Tim Blake Nelson plays their son, who is married to Jessica Hecht, and together they have a teenage son and daughter (Ben Konigsberg, Hannah Marks). Michael K Williams plays a big shot attorney who forces his best friend (K Todd Freeman) into drug rehab with a renowned doctor (Yul Vazquez), while Gretchen Mol plays the mother of two daughters and wife of Corey Stoll.

All of the above might seem simple enough, but Mr. Nelson's script jumbles things up for each character … just like what happens in real life. Waterston discovers that his prized pupil (Kristen Stewart) has psychological issues and needs professional help – just as he decides it's time to retire from teaching. While their kids are smoking pot and exploring sexual frontiers, Hecht and Nelson are dealing with a medical dilemma. During his rehab, Freeman is quietly confronted by a nurse while being let down by his only friend; and as Ms. Mol turns to the bottle to numb her daily pain, her hubby is making plans with someone else (Mickey Sumner) … and China may or may not play a role. Whew!!

Daily life creates many opportunities. Some of these turn out good, while others seem destined to create pain. It's that pain … sometimes quite arbitrary … and how we deal with it, which is at the core of these characters and their stories. There is also the always-present quest for truth and search for the meaning of life. We know we are in for a ride when Waterston's character says "I used to believe in nothing. Now I believe in everything." Worlds colliding at every turn keep the pace of the film brisk, and the familiar cast of actors allows us to easily accept each of the characters. A bit more polish on the script could have elevated this, but even as is, the film delivers a worthy punch, and has us questioning if we should be "planting cabbages" (Montaigne).

For serious movie watchers

[CincySaint · 7/10 · 1 July 2016]

While flawed, Anesthesia is better than 90% of what comes out of Hollywood. Tim Blake Nelson explores the mystery of what life is all about. There are some brilliant performances by K. Todd Freeman and Gretchen Mol. While I like Kristen Stewart (unlike most people), her part is very small although powerful and sad.

I did not love the ending but the movie is still well worth watching.

This is not a feel good, happy movie but It felt real and raw and very much what life is like. Instead of wasting two hours on a formulaic, predictable movie, try this and contemplate how beautiful, terrible, messy, and wonderful life is.

Life is a pain

[cekadah · 5/10 · 20 May 2016]

And the only escape from the pain of life is total sensory deprivation! And this is what this story focuses on; those people in society who seek to escape the pain of living and the unintended or intended effect it has on the people in society who manage to live their daily life pain or not.

Each character has their own story and most of them are unhappy, mentally fragile, or have fallen into the pit of substance abuse. Only one 'the professor' seem to be truly happy in his life and of course by movies end he suffers the most. We have seen other movies with this format where what appears to be people living separate lives eventually converge due to one event.

'Anesthesia' is an OK movie well acted and edited and scripted. The story will keep your interest but at movies end - that's it. It ends and you get the message. It's a take it or leave it flick for me!

good acting

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 28 May 2017]

Professor Walter Zarrow (Sam Waterston) and another man are attacked on the streets of New York. Sam (Corey Stoll) comes to his side as he lies dying. Walter was bringing his weekly flowers to his wife Marcia (Glenn Close). His son Adam (Tim Blake Nelson) is dealing with his wife Jill (Jessica Hecht)'s cancer scare. Their kids Hal (Ben Konigsberg) and Ella (Hannah Marks) are dealing with sex issues while smoking weed on the roof. Walter's student Sophie (Kristen Stewart) is struggling with self-harm. Jeffrey (Michael Kenneth Williams) is desperate to force Joe (K. Todd Freeman) into drug treatment. Sarah (Gretchen Mol) is a soccer mom struggling with buried anger. These characters weave a tapestry of interconnected lives.

The cast is top level. They deliver fine individual scenes. There is a compelling drive to uncover the connection between the characters. The connections aren't as poignant as it needs to be. The extended mugging section should come a little earlier so that the characters have more space to deal with the consequences. There is plenty of good acting. The plot is interesting although not the most compelling.

Poignant, raw, sincere, heartfelt and entertaining.

[kymchala · 7/10 · 4 January 2020]

Anesthesia is a good title referencing the methods people use to escape, deal with and numb life's myriad of pain as opiates like pot, heroin, alcohol, sex, love, an affair, self-mutilation, charity, heroism and technology. Despite the huge impersonal gap caused by tech, this snapshot of one area shows how little our human dilemmas have changed and how interconnected we still can be. I enjoyed the storytelling, the acting and the philosophy. I do wish the end wasn't quite so abrupt though, leaving a feeling of loose ends.

Intersecting stories trope done pretentiously and badly

[VoyagerMN1986 · 27 November 2018]

At first it is hard to pin down why this film just doesn't work. Ultimately it is a preachy, dull -- and dull minded -- mediocre work.

Ok, so we have the intersecting story line. Not only is this getting tired but it is becoming the refuge of second rate ideas. Essentially a gimmick, and it is painfully just that here.

Then we have philosophy "lite", ie some Socratic musings smattered with a bit of plagiarism of Plutarch and a mention of August. Its undergrad "western philosophy 101" haphazardly superimposed over unimportant events and uninteresting people.

The kicker is the completely inappropriate apologia for predatory violence. Explain muggers who assault their victims, or rapists, or any other violent criminal as essentially no different than you or I, is just insulting. That is not a case of but the grace of god there go you or I, it is a case of a very small proportion of the population habitually committing predatory violence and choosing to permanently harm people

A soft version of "Crash"

[cheer88 · 7/10 · 21 January 2020]

This kind of parallel stories telling has its appeals to multiple layers of audience. But the only problem is that it requires a strong main storyline to build upon. This one I am afraid it did not reach such level however it is not too shabby, either.

The most dramatic character is Kristen Stewart. Beyond that they are too plain to be remembered. The common problematic issues in our society like extra marital affairs, drug addictions and psychopathic traumas are all there but only too ordinary without twists and turns. Audiences indeed want to see more extensive dramas in the movie.

It's not a bad movie just not exciting. I would say.

disappointingly predictable and self-indulgent

[noelcox · 5/10 · 16 January 2016]

I found this film to be disappointingly predictable and a self- indulgent piece of "entertainment".It would have been more entertaining to watch paint drying - and about as easy to guess the next scene. The characters were all two-dimensional and lacking in any depth.

One detail that particularly irritated me was the lecturing manner - and content - of the supposed Columbia University philosophy professor. He addressed his class in a manner that no real lecturer would, speaking in over-written prose found only in bad novels - and poorer made-for-TV films. The subjects matter he seemed to cover was so eclectic and with such a tenuous connection to any school of philosophy that I wondered if the script writer was having a joke at the audience's - or academia's - expense.

The concept of one incident linking various disparate individuals, and thus illustrating aspects of life - or in this case New York city - is so over-used that it will now only succeed with a better than average script. Unfortunately, despite the reasonably capable cast, this was a forlorn exercise.

Beautifully Done!

[slidingstage · 8/10 · 23 April 2015]

I had the pleasure of seeing Anesthesia at it's world premier at the TriBeCa film festival last night and was very impressed. Ensemble cast, multiple narratives and an "anemic" budget makes pulling this off quite difficult. But, they did. The stories develop well, come together when necessary but not to a point to where it comes off as a gimmick. And where the film could get have gotten lost in it's ambition, it still takes time for humor and delivers a story with an arc that's quite compelling. Tim Blake Nelson knew how far to take it, but also didn't get too deep into the weeds or over indulgent with his impressive cast.

Honest filmmaking, deliberate performances and the best setting in the world make Anesthesia well worth checking out. Enjoy!

Angst Glorified

[toneybrooks2003 · 7/10 · 16 September 2019]

A nihilistic, dark, pessimistic treatise in support of spiritual depravation. That's entertainment, eh?

This film is beautifully written, wonderfully acted and well directed. And you could not pay me to watch it a second time!

An indie drama that is a mixed-bag.

[PeterLormeReviews · 5/10 · 24 January 2016]

Anesthesia (2015) is an indie drama is produced,written,directed by Tim Blake Nelson, who also stars in the film. This film is a mixed bag for me. I thought the acting was phenomenal. The script was creative, but at times I found it dull. I was bored for most of the film. The ending was investing and pulled me in. I cannot say that about the majority of the film. The movie centers around several characters. This can either work or flop. The movie manages to do both. The characters I liked/cared about: the professor, the self-destructive student and the junkie. The characters that I didn't like/care about: The cheating husband and his alcoholic wife, the junkie's brother, the professor's wife. The other characters are neutral, mainly because they are completely forgettable. Solid start, flat middle, great ending.

This is New York. Great story

[StorytellerKefi · 9/10 · 19 May 2015]

Wonderful movie! Randomly caught this at the 2015 TriBeCa Film festival and was not disappointed.

Although there were some minor editing hiccups, this story holds up fantastically as it documents the lives of different New Yorkers. The story gives food for thought and deserves a watch as it has clever dialogue, and authentic acting performances. Thankfully, as the plot got predictable, it made a left turn for a satisfying ending. This story was everything Crash (2004) wanted to be but better. It's also the most honest depiction of New York life I've seen in a long while. I wish this movie well in theaters!

Nice New York story

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 6 November 2018]

Lives of several New Yorkers are interconnected in Anesthesia and some are more interesting than others. The cast is headed by Sam Waterston and Glenn Close as a philosophy professor at Columbia University and his wife and it's the eve of his retirement. He's just given a final capstone lecture and I have to say it ranks with some of the great orations that Spencer Tracy did in the classic Hollywood era. Nice to see that there are some players who can still do that.

There's a dimension to Waterston's performance that will not happen for future generations viewing this film. They won't have had 15 years of watching him as Jack McCoy the symbol of societal authority in Law And Order. When he's attacked on the street and seeks aid by randomly ringing apartment doorbells to be buzzed in it's like society itself being attacked. 50 years from now someone watching Anesthesia won't have that context.

The film opens with Waterston's mugging and with K. Todd Freeman coming to his aid and both wounded. Then it flashes back 48 hours and we see how things got to that point.

I also have to point out a small but telling performance of Twilight's Kristen Stewart as one of Waterston's students. This is a girl with a lot of issues and while she likes her teacher she finds no comfort in his answers concerning life's meaning.

Another standout is young Ben Konigsberg trying very hard to lose his virginity. His naivete even through smoke clouds of pot is appealing.

K. Todd Freeman is also a standout as a junkie himself trying to get his life back together and getting a lot of tough love from those around him.

It's a good ensemble that director Tim Blake Nelson put together for this most New York of stories.

What a pretentious, boring, twisted piece of crap

[jacob2i · 1/10 · 16 February 2016]

Wow. Just saw this horrible movie. What a waste of time.

Hey go see it if you want to:

1) hear little kids telling their parents to f off.

2) hear parents telling their little kids to f off.

3) pretty much everybody telling other people to f off.

4) watch a group of people who embody the absolute moral bankruptcy of our country.

This movie is the Hollywood masters last laugh at what they have done to us.

But hey, why not go see it. Apparently your brain is already fried, according to this movie.

A series of well performed interlinked stories.

[subxerogravity · 6/10 · 19 January 2016]

It's a series of short films tied together tightly to make one feature. Tim Black Nelson does a good job at directing himself and a group of strong actors in this film about dealing with the choices we make while living our lives, from a variety of different levels, which makes it such a perfect film about New York.

Everyone was good, but I gravitate greatly towards the performance of Micheal K. Williams whose doing something far different than the roles that he's really known for.

The whole movie was a masterpiece. Such an amazing set of stories being told.

Pain = Pain Reliever...or Prepare to Suffer

[LeonLouisRicci · 6/10 · 16 July 2016]

This is one of those Thoughtful "Good Try" Films that will be Proudly Ignored, Shunned, and Berated by the Masses as Pretentious Pandering to the Intellectuals and Targeted for Snobby Thinkers who Think Too Much and Look Down on those that don't Think Enough.

Like the "Machines" Generations that have Grown Up on 1's and 0's and Tiny Rectangular Devices that are Like Weapons some Alien Race would Covertly Introduce into Society to Extract the Soul and Take Over the Planet.

Everyone is "In Pain". Probably since the Beginning of Time because it is a "House of Pain" that is Our Home. Sure there's Pleasure but only for Balance. The Universal "Law" of Duality is Inescapable, things are Born (even stars), begin to Atrophy and Die, Not without much Pain in the Process.

This may be the most Compelling Argument for the Non-Existence of "God". Aside from a Jokester Creator, what sense, other than Sadism or Entertainment, would make the Creator of the Universe Stoop to the "Big things eating little things" to Survive, the MO of Existence. Philosophy Strains to Explain, and Religions Really Strain to Explain.

Writer/Director/Actor Tim Blake Nelson Really Really Strains to Explain in the Form of a Film that Wears its Pain on its Sleeve and is a Pain most of the Time Wallowing in the Non-Sense of it all (Life), and the Futility of Trying Trying Trying to Lecture when the Subject Matter has been Lectured to Death since Humans began to Think.

If this Sounds like Something You want to Wrap Your Head Around, this Movie's for You. But be Advised, it is Recommended You are "Comfortably Numb" while Viewing.

While the Movie makes No Bones that it is Thinking, and Thinking and Thinking, Philosophy, Religion, and yes, Screenplays can do No More than Present What is Happening but Not Why and Life most of the Time does Not End Pleasantly, like a Knife in the Back.

A Tim Blake Nelson project, several lives intersect.

[TxMike · 15 September 2020]

Tim Blake Nelson wrote, directed, and had a role here. On the surface it is a simple story, a professor who is positive and nice to everyone nearing his chosen retirement time is mugged one night on his way home. But leading up to that we get to know members of several families and the troubles they are having, including the professor's own son's family.

In tone and style it immediately reminded me of "Crash", and even has a similar main theme, that everyone longs to connect with others but every day issues, rudeness, use of the telephone get in the way.

It is a good movie to watch for the several themes, to see how each will be resolved but it total it is not a superior effort.

My wife and I watched it on DVD from our public library. Kristen Stewart has a small role, as a troubled college student and she is excellent.

To learn what happened on that particular evening!

[Reno-Rangan · 7/10 · 4 September 2016]

It is not great, but still a good film. Starred in an important role and directed by Tim Blake Nelson. I think he also wrote it decently that remind us similar classics. A multi-layered narrative, where everyone has connections or meets at one stage of the story. It sets in one fine evening followed by a mysterious tragedy. Then the story moves back in time for days to introduce all the characters and their intentions in the life. Different families dealing the different issues, but they all lead to that particular evening where it somewhere links them in and bring a fitting end with a twist.

So when the film nears the final segment, the curious among us rises. The common mistake we make while predicting the end is once again certain when the final push successfully takes us by a surprise. I am not saying it is a masterstroke, but comparing with the rest of the film, it was good. An independent drama film, except some sexual and drug references, it can be watched by the adults and matured teens, but the pace might trouble you in some parts with slowing a bit.

Actors were awesome. Since it is a multi-starrer, everyone had small screenspace, but excelled in that. The disappointment is Kristen Stewart, if you are going to expect more from her role. So the film lacks the star value. Having a good story, but not having the marketable stars made the film to sink deep bottom without a trace. Yep, as for now it needs more viewers, despite whatever result it produces. Other than that this film surely not bad as it was tagged. I will definitely recommend it.

7/10

Too Self-Aware

[Esme867 · 1/10 · 7 October 2016]

What's the point of life? The film begs the question. Tim Blake Nelson has made one of the most pretentious and bombastic films, pandering to pseudo-intellectual movie "buffs" to converse over their vegan, 5-calorie, triple shot macchiatos.

Every character is too self-aware of their existence. They all question, rather than investigate the point of life, which is lazily done through characters reflecting out loud why they do the things they do.

At the beginning of the film, Walter asks why we continue bringing children into a world so cruel. Why bring children into the world and not teach them respect so they can't say lines such as: "So dad can be gone all the time and you can be drunk all night?" This, by a 10-year-old. In another scene, teenage kids tell their parents to "F off" and that smoking weed every day is less potent than the parents' 4 glasses of wine at night. Right.

Throughout the film, Kristen Stewart goes on various diatribes informing us pseudo-intellectuals how unhappy she is, because she is alive and can't stop being alive. She harms herself with a curling iron and when asked why, she says, "to remind myself of why I'm here." She's mad at the world that they can't change and even more mad at herself that she can't change either. That is exhausting to try to translate. I half expected her to take out Romeo's poison and drink it as a last "screw you" to the world, but alas, she will have to endure the curse of life like the rest of us.

Also, don't do drugs.

if you don't like philosophical, emotionally complicated, eloquent movies...

[imizrahi2002 · 10/10 · 9 March 2016]

i'd DEFinitely say this movie is NOT for you...SURE it's flawed in ways i'd rather not discuss. i don't want you to be looking for the things that unsettled me. aside from the stories themselves. i've seen and see many, many movies. was born and raised in b'klyn, ny. this movie takes place in, mostly, manhattan(and places close enough to still be considered ny. although a commute away...). i rarely vote a score for a movie...but the ratings were ALmost low enough to dissuade me from seeing this. and that would've, truly, been a loss...i consider this movie to be a masterpiece in that it mixes lots of important thoughts and questions into the story. questions that need asking/addressing. i found it so thick with drama...or moments/conversation that i had to think about that i was almost overwhelmed. i was sooooo glad that i didn't see this in the movies. i had to stop it a number of times to absorb what had just happened...either emotionally or intellectually. and the cast! i can't believe NOTHING from this film was nominated ANYwhere...like i said, it IS flawed in certain respects...but overall? it's a 'wower'. but not a Hollywood movie. well...not a typical one, anyways...it's uncompromising in that it doesn't cater to being popular. though it IS successful in being ironically twisting in ways that'll make you feel like you've had a rough appointment at the chiropractor... some of the performances are noteworthy...and i think some of you will very much enjoy seeing actors you're familiar with(but don't know their names. yet...)from places like 'boardwalk empire' or 'buffy the vampire slayer'...falling skies/saints and sinners/mr robot...house of cards/the strain... i COULD go on. seriously. these are the 'lesser names'. but not performances... i haven't posted a movie review in quite a while...but i wanted no one else to ALmost miss this work of great storiestelling... and i ALSO, very much, wanted to thank those few reviewers that already posted reviews saying that it was good. you were the tipping points...

Intriguing NYC character creation exceeds expectations

[danielpatrickgibbons · 7/10 · 6 January 2017]

Hadn't heard of the film and was scrolling through the HBO/Netflix/Showtime monotony when I stumbled upon it. Kept my interest from start to finish, nothing spectacular but a solid NYC character study of some seemingly random story lines divinely intertwined. Feels a bit forced at times but overall quite enjoyable. I am probably a bit biased living in NYC to be honest but the setting probably elevated my rating a half point or so. Overall casting was solid with a few recognizable faces scattered through an otherwise random cast. 90 minutes was the right amount of time. Would have rated it an 8 but a couple of the story lines just didn't work for me. Definitely better than a lot of the other films being pushed out. 7/10.

Terrible indie flick

[HotToastyRag · 1/10 · 17 October 2017]

I knew before I started Anesthesia that I wouldn't like it, but even with the very low bar I'd set, it turned out far worse than I'd expected. Unless you have the opposite taste in movies from me, I can't recommend watching it. It's pretty terrible.

The film starts out with one long shot. The camera is stationed across the street from a florist and convenience shop in New York City at night, and we watch as Sam Waterston walks to the shops, buys flowers, picks up some groceries, speaks to passersby, and then leaves the frame. I'm assuming director Tim Blake Nelson wanted the audience to feel helpless and only able to watch the situation, but his constant attempts to appear superior and humble the audience really got on my nerves.

I rented this film, even though the synopsis gave me a pretty big clue I'd hate it, because I wanted to see some good acting. With Sam Waterston, Glenn Close, Gloria Reuben, and Kristen Stewart, I thought I'd be in for an upsetting story with fantastic performances. Unfortunately not. Glenn walks through her very small role, Gloria isn't given anything to do, and Kristen gives an understated performance that just doesn't work, given her character's troubles. Sam is always great. He's a college professor, and during most of his scenes, he gives existential lectures—on paper they're quite boring, but he's had ample experience putting passion into his speeches. There's something about him that just makes you want to cry and give him a hug, isn't there? If you feel that way about the warble in his impassioned voice and the way his entire face lights up when he smiles, you're going to want to stay far away from this movie. In the opening scene, Sam Waterston gets beaten to a bloody pulp and mugged.

The rest of the movie goes back in time and shows several different characters' lives intersecting in the days leading up to the vicious attack. Pot-smoking teenagers plot to lose their virginities, a suburban mom suspects her husband is having an affair, a man tries to put his drug-addicted brother in rehab, and a self-mutilating student turns to her teacher for help. Yes, all these stories sound deep, interesting, and raw, but when you watch them, they fail on all three counts. The entire film thinks too highly of itself, and it's not at all entertaining to watch.

Kiddy warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to drug use and gritty violence, I wouldn't let my kids watch it.

Good enough to write a review

[mcbeagen · 10/10 · 26 February 2020]

So every night I watch a random movie (or two) on Hulu or Netflix - usually Hulu. I'm not picky about genres or anything. Honestly, I just scroll until I see an intriguing title or cover. Tonight, I watched "Anesthesia". I normally do not love "realistic" movies, but I was impressed with this one. If you enjoy more philosophical movies, give this one try. I feel like it didn't get the recognition it deserved. It stops and makes you realize how much each person matters, and that while there is bad in world... there is also good - at least, that's what it did for me.

I enjoyed it so much, I created an account just to write this one review.

hyperlink cinema continues

[lee_eisenberg · 6/10 · 1 January 2020]

One of the additions to the genre known as hyperlink cinema tells the story of an assortment of people whose connection is a mugging. Tim Blake Nelson's "Anesthesia" isn't a masterpiece but still manages to tell an interesting story. The cast includes Nelson, Sam Waterston, Glenn Close, Gretchen Mol, Kristen Stewart and Natasha Gregson Wagner (Natalie Wood's daughter), and everyone puts all their effort into the roles. Worth seeing.

Too many characters, twice as many problems, and far too few to care about.

[mark.waltz · 2/10 · 18 January 2017]

Instantly tedious, this Manhattan melodrama provides snippets into the lives of mostly unrelated characters with all sorts of problems that make a good majority of them turn into complete narcissistic animals. I can relate to the young girl who confesses to hating the obsession with devices over real interaction with people, accusing herself of being guilty of it as well. I find her hypocritical even in her honesty, and in her therapy, there seems to be nothing that she can do. She claims to be taken totally by surprise that this has taken over society, resentful that she was never told the rules (that obviously were never created), and her distaste for the lack of proper communication, ironically spoken in modern tongue that really doesn't say much but is embedded in the mind yet can't be formulated into understandable sentences. She's a perfect representation of the "safety pin" wearing, "cutting" age, taking out her self hatred in ways that most people can't fathom.

I've had that distaste in my own aura for at least two decades, and in my own vision of what common decency and sensible behavior find that we live in a world of uncommon sense, each residing with an I.D. for our own state of confusion. I was hoping to care about the characters closer in social status and race and age to my own, and found myself caring more involved in issues that have long plagued our planet rather than those suffering from social insecurities brought on by their addiction to all things fake that make drugs and alcohol seem tame in comparison. Even with its attempts to show the evils of the technologies of today (something I truly believe), I found its methods not satisfying or presenting of a decent solution. That makes the film ultimately pointless and dangerous in revealing that the disease of technology is a plague we are simply stuck with whether we like it or not. Sam Waterston has several interesting monologues, but all it succeeded in doing was perplex me even more.

That's what this film is, a trip to the state of confusion with characters whose own mindset is selfish at best and misanthropic at its worst. I can feel for the drug addict forced into rehab, the past retirement age professor who is brutally mugged and even the socially confused youngsters. But there is no sense of wanting a desire for improvement, no desire to be a decent loving and understanding parent, and certainly no desire to respect the parent even when disappointed in them. All this does is show how messed up society has become under certain liberal agendas. That makes it at its best, boring, and at its worst, more depressing than an Edward Albee play. While the ending tries its best to be profound, it went all over the map in trying to get there and reminded me of the issues of this era I can't even begin to sympathize with, let alone the generation of dimwits who continue to blame the problems on the world on innocent people without seeing the entire picture yet continuing to thrive on the existence of their phones. Even with talents like Sam Waterston and a totally wasted Glenn Close, I think this one to really be skipable.