Senteur
As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.
Nicole
I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.
Darin
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
yelofneb-63037
I've always loved Sarah Silverman's gutsy and honest presentation of herself. If she was to bump into me in the street and demand that I listen to whatever she wanted to say, I would willingly be stuck there, until whenever she was done, solely because of her wit and honesty.I Smile Back is a whole new venture, in that the character she plays, while having the strength of defensive belligerence, is actually completely at a loss about how to play a proper part in the world that she thought she always wanted, mostly due to the fact that there is another world that she secretly left behind.There is no bravado lone comic at play here--just a brave actress delivering a difficult and unattractive character, who remains nonetheless sympathetic--whether or not the audience is aware of Sarah Silverman.
kay_rock
This is one of the films that makes the loss of the film/show-specific message boards such a tragedy. There could have been so much valuable discussion. I saw someone in a review questioning whether depression could have caused her to make those decisions. She wasn't depressed. She had bipolar disorder. The fact that she was prescribed lithium and the fact that we learn from that brief visit with her father that his mother suffered from mental illness establishes that pretty clearly, even though they never say the words. It was a fabulous depiction of bipolar disorder. Usually we get almost hyperbolic examples of the disease. This was much more realistic.I think if we'd gotten a redemptive, happy ending, the film would have lost something valuable. As much as my heart broke watching her stumble out the door under the baffled, hurt gaze of her husband, I knew that was the only ending that would have made sense. I hated it and I loved it.Sarah Silverman's performance was stellar. As a fan of hers, I don't know how I missed this film when it came out, or how I hadn't heard of it before I saw it while browsing through Amazon Prime. She has a depth of performance that really exceeded expectation, for me. Even her moments of joy were heartbreaking.I think it's well worth a watch, but be prepared to feel really, really sad. Also steel yourself for a fairly violent and unexpected scene near the end. For some folks it can be jarring/triggering.
BigCinnamon
I came into watching 'I Smile Back' having recently come out of a relationship with a woman suffering from severe depression, both having younger children from previous relationships. I was aware of her depression right from the start and it wasn't an issue as it never manifested, up until the last 5-6 months that is. For the 85 minutes this film played, it was like I was watching my life played out by Josh Charles and my partners by Sarah Silverman. Almost perfectly Adam Salky's adaptation of Amy Koppelman's semi-biographical novel highlights and encapsulates the rigors and devastation depression can have on someone's life and the loved ones around them.As the film goes on and you are rooting for Silverman's character to get it together, get healthy, and be happy; the most common questions that keep reoccurring (as in my own experience) are how much is depression to blame for the erratic behavior, the self-destruction, the poor life choices, the hurting of others? Where does the depression end and the person begin? What should be forgiven and what cannot be? Coming from a position of clear bias and sympathy for the husband, I 100% related to being in that position that he is doing everything he can to help her, he clearly loves her and wants his family to be happy together. Often, love and good intentions are not enough in these scenarios, and decisions need to be made about whether to keep fighting in the hope things get better or to let it go so it doesn't destroy everyone. 'I Smile Back' really balances these questions so there's no clear right answers.I was a little wary initially of Sarah Silverman being in the title role. Even with her previous serious roles I still felt that in your face, over-the-top personality wanting to burst out. Not in this. She nails it, and really makes you feel every emotional high and low. Unlucky not to be recognized by the Academy this year.My only criticism is something which I rarely ever say about movies, is that I wish it was longer. I think the affect and anxiety that his mother's depression had on the eldest boy needed to be explored even more. We only get a very surface level of symptoms and afflictions of the child, and it would have been fascinating to get more on what affect it was having in his and his sister's life. I would have also liked a little more of a POV perspective of the husband and how he handled everything.Overall, a very realistic and relatable projection of a debilitating and devastating condition.
luke-a-mcgowan
I Smile Back sits firmly within the territory of "unwatchable" films.Lacking any sense of purpose, I Smile Back lost me about two minutes into the film. Director Adam Salky and editor Tamara Meem have no idea how to construct a film, because I Smile Back has no central story whatsoever. It is just an arrangement of scenes that all involve Sarah Silverman's characters being put through the ringer. It is aided in being the worst film of the year by Paige Dylan and Amy Koppelman's turd of a screenplay, which averages one good line of dialogue per writer. All through this turd's 88 minute run time I was looking at my watch, pleading for the agony to end. Who'd have thought that there was fat in an 88 minute movie, but there are lots of scenes where Laney just walks around on drugs looking vacantly at things.The film only exists to create indie Oscar-bait for comedy actress Silverman. It has every scene that Oscar-baiting tripe has for lead actress pushes. Scene where the female protagonist stares at her naked body in the mirror? Check. Generic anecdotes from father/husband about what that female was like when she was younger? Check. Family drama? Check. Bunch of scenes where she gets nailed by guys (who aren't her husband of course). Check. Drug scene? Check. Near-death experience scene? Check. It only serves to highlight the injustice that big studios get blamed for producing Oscar bait. Small studios can do it too, and frequently do it worse.Each character is lazily written with terrible character decisions. Each "plot point" (to denigrate that phrase in value) passes while the writers and director lazily swat at it in some attempt at cohesive story. It makes no effort to delve into her depression, marriage, drug addiction or father issues, instead preferring to show yet another sex scene with some stupid new twist.Silverman's performance is the only reason I watched this film, and she's serviceable. Nothing to keep my attention and certainly nothing deserving of awards attention. Josh Charles works really hard when he's on screen, and manages to elevate Silverman's sleepwalking role. Oona Laurence, who proved herself extremely worthy in Southpaw, is wasted in a tiny part. I Smile Back is ultimately a less effective version of Rachel Getting Married. Silverman can't light a candle to Hathaway, the film lacks any semblance of cohesion and it is excruciatingly boring. In a year where I'll See You In My Dreams, Spy, Carol, Brooklyn and Grandma are proving to be solid and interesting character studies for strong female characters, its disappointing that I Smile Back is such a spectacular waste of time.
