Collateral Beauty Review

PG13:  Thematic Elements and Brief Strong Language

Warner Bros. Pictures, New Line Cinema, Village Roadshow Pictures, Anonymous Content, Overbrook Entertainment, PalmStar Media, Likely Story

1 Hr and 37 Minutes

Cast: Will Smith, Edward Norton, Keira Knightley, Michael Peña, Naomie Harris, Jacob Latimore, Kate Winslet, Helen Mirren, Ann Dowd

REVIEW: This has been a weird past two years for Will Smith. Since his return to film in the 2015 film Focus, he has been out here charismatically starring in hit or miss films either attempting to earn an Oscar nomination or entertaining his audience. You can never tell what he’ll be in, but we just love seeing him in anything. 2015 was okay for him since it was his triumphant return, but 2016 not so much. Suicide Squad was financially successful but critically panned (and well deserved too), but now with Collateral Beauty hopefully with another all-star cast at his side—I’m sorry I can’t do it. I tried saying it with a straight face and I can’t. 

When a successful New York advertising executive suffers from a great tragedy, he retreats from life. While his concerned friends try desperately to reconnect with him, he seeks answers from the universe by writing letters to Love, Time, and Death. But it's not until his notes bring unexpected personal responses that he begins to understand how these constants interlock in a life fully lived, and how even the deepest loss can reveal moments of meaning and beauty.

THE GOOD: The best thing Collateral Beauty has to offer is the acting ensemble. It is a huge all-star cast that are all into it. As schmaltzy as the film plays out, the cast brings out a lot of fresh humor into the film to at least attempt to flesh out these characters. 

As many characters this film has, Will Smith, of course, gives a great performance. The majority of the film you see Smith with red eyes ready to cry. Ifeel it was easy for him to do it too. I assume he just had to think back to his “Oscar snub” for Concussion mixed with the negative critical reception for Suicide Squad and the waterworks were ready to come down. It’s a shame his character Howard is just a centerpiece of a larger (and honestly a mean-spirited story), because if he had a longer screen time, he would be considered for a Best Supporting Actor in a People’s Choice Award or something. The entire film is marketed as a Will Smith Christmas Carol, but the real story is more messed up than the trailers have you to believe.

THE BAD: What the trailer doesn’t show is that Howard is the head of this agency company but doesn’t sit in on meetings or answer his phone which results in a decline of the company. Because of fearing they’ll lose their job, three of his closest employees/friends encounter these actors and hire them to portray them as death, love, and time so they can interact with Howard and use it as evidence to get Howard out of the company. If this isn’t the most pretentious selfish storyline covered in fluff then I don’t know what is? 

What makes it even worse is that in the climax Howard realizes this all together as one. For Howard not really interacting with any of his colleagues that work for him throughout the film, it makes barely any sense that not only he knew what they have done, but even notice and point out their personal problems that they have themselves. You question how does he know all of this stuff when he doesn’t even acknowledge them throughout the entire film.

Much of the film’s story elements are predictable and clichéd. It is rather surprising to experience the first A-list actor Hallmark film. however it tries to be clever by setting up several twists. Oh yes, there are several twists in the film. It doesn’t throw 20 twists at once as Focus did, but damn there are so many and it’s incredibly predictable. If you’ve watched plenty of dramas you’ll be able to catch the twist early on, but the movie keeps annoyingly poking you saying “We have a twist. Can you catch it? Can you catch it? Huh? Huh? Huh?” And you just turn and scream, “I GET IT MOVIE! LET ME ENJOY YOU!”  The screenwriter of the film is Allan Loeb who wrote such Happy Madison masterpieces such as Just Go With It and Here Comes the Boom, so you know how much great lines of dialogue you’ll get. But you expect more from Frankel honestly. His last film was 2012's Tommy Lee Jones and Meryl Streep romance flick, Hope Springs which was a charmingly good film, and this one huge sentimental step back.

Even some of the editing in the film is damn near jarring. There is a scene where Howard is riding his bike into the street into oncoming traffic as if he’s attempting to commit suicide. But then, the film cuts to an exposition shot of Manhattan with Christmas music in the background and you’re just like “WHAT?!”

THE RENDY: If you are not a New Yorker or haven’t visited New Yorker New York you won’t get some of the jokes in the film. If you don’t know Brooklyn or how people from there are or how our train station some jokes will just fly over your head.

LAST STATEMENT: Although the A-list cast holds their own with Smith giving yet another great performance, Collateral Beauty is way too sentimental with a mean-spirited premise and a ridiculous conclusion.

Rating: 2/5 | 42%

Super Scene: Train ride with Death