Important Story, But the Film Itself Falls Flat (REVIEW)

I agree. The fact that these were simple folk with slow moving lives was established early and often. Clearly the repetition was a stylistic choice - but how many times did we see a near identical shot of the cement barrow, the block being laid, and the trowel scraping the cement? Or see someone dragging on a cigarette? Or driving up in a car?

I wanted so much to be moved but never was.

A friend and I saw this movie last night and agree with you. We very much wanted to be moved by this movie--as you say, the story is important--but we weren't. It took a long time to get to the most dramatic part of the Lovings' story--the Supreme Court case--but as you say, that was glossed over. I also didn't care for the director trying to gin up some drama with that scene of the intercut construction and car almost-accidents.

I'm still glad I saw it, but it could have been better.

Disagree mostly. I agree it was a little repetitive (that's the kind of film it is), but I'll say this- so was last year's BP, Spotlight, imo even moreso, and I liked this much more than that and thought it was a much better movie. In all, despite some repetition I thought it was mostly fluid and effectively edited and told/directed.

I actually really agree with this description. It's a competent film with high production value highlighted by an authentic recreation of the era but as you say there's nothing overly engaging within it....

Totally agreed. Thought I was in a very small minority in holding that opinion. For me it was a matter of scripting, or rather, in what the script lacks. It's hinted at that to the ACLU lawyers, the Lovings were basically a means to an end, but nothing of that tension is really presented. It's clear how uncomfortable and unaccustomed to the Lovings' way of life they are when they make the wintertime visit to the home. They really only see their clients at hearings. I was intrigued by this wrinkle and was hoping the film was going to broaden its focus as it approached the end to portray both the Lovings' quiet struggle and how the lawyers learned to overcome their coldly pragmatic approach and learned human lessons from the Lovings themselves. But the movie stayed focused, as many have said here, on the everyday life of the Lovings. Which is fine, but it seemed like some of the story lines went nowhere.

I can appreciate a slow movie, as long as it builds to something worthwhile. With Loving, it's slow and there's no overarching momentum. There's no fluidity.

Poorly Lived and Poorly Died, Poorly Buried and No One Cried

i agree 100% with you

As a mixed race child black mom white dad, I was the perfect target to love it but just like you and other mentioned it was flat not to say boring. Can't see how it is a important and useful movie but nothing special happened always the same images. The images was good but nothing to say... I was so hoping to finish it after 40 min...

Good movies challenge expectations. Mediocre movies confirm them. (I've stole this quote)