PodBill Just what I expected

GurlyIamBeach Instant Favorite.

Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Caryl It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

FilmBuff1994 Run 8 Jump is a great movie with a well written plot and a top notch cast. It's a sweet, enlightening and somewhat heartbreaking film, dealing with some very serious issues of family as the people here undergo some harsh times. It is also a film about realisation, of people seeing where they stand in this world. We see this mainly in Vanetia, who is a very developed, strong female character. My main issue with this film would actually be the way it was advertised, as the tone is completely different. The advertisements made this look like a very happy, feel good film with a bit of drama, whereas it has significantly more weight and heavier undertones than we ever would have gotten from those trailers. The cast is stellar, Maxine Peake shines in the lead role, clearly having put a lot of depth and thought in to her character. Will Forte is also fantastic in a very unlikely turn for him, well known for his Saturday Night Live sketches, I would never have pictured him in such a toned down, very human role, and he is spectacular in it. Every cast member gets a chance to shine in this film. Edward MacLiam has some great, hard hitting moments and even the child stars have some rough dialogue that they deliver with pure emotion, particularly Brendan Morris, who plays Peake's son in the movie, coming to terms with the situation his parents are in. It is very real, there is really no "movie clichés" here, it's a drama about human issues. Dramatic, well acted and very engrossing, Run & Jump is certainly worth the watch for anyone looking for a good drama. An American doctor travels to study a family following their fathers stroke. Best Performance: Maxine Peake

The_late_Buddy_Ryan While you're waiting for Netflix to stream the last two seasons of "Silk,"* you may want to take a look at this intriguing indie. Maxine Peake gives a fine, energetic performance as Vanetia Casey, a beleaguered housewife in County Kerry, a long way from the Inns of Court. The setup may seem a little contrived—Vanetia's husband, Conor, is a stroke survivor whose recovery's being monitored by an American brain researcher, Ted (Will Forte), who's camped out in their teenage son's bedroom—but the plot starts ticking over as Ted, played as a standoffish nerd at first, loosens up and starts to bond with mother and son. Edward MacLiam gives a convincing performance as Conor, a volatile wild child who's entranced by the animals in a petting zoo but taunts his son with homophobic slurs; Conor's parents turn up in a couple of scenes as reminders of the old, unforgiving Ireland that we're familiar with from films like "Philomena." (If the script has a fault, it's that these intergenerational conflicts seem a little cut and dried.) That's a lot to pack into 106 minutes, but Vanetia and Ted's grass-fed (wait for it!), flirtatious friendship is pretty delightful and saves the film from being just another grim indie study of family conflict. Great locations, great music, from the Magnetic Fields to a haunting Irish lament.* After more than two years, still only available on Blu-ray or as an expensive rental on Amazon… Gobshites! [01/07/17]

Dan-121 Run & Jump is a beautiful, slickly produced movie, with great performances from the cast. The plot involves an American neuro-psychologist, Dr. Ted Fielding, who stays with the Casey family in Ireland to observe the father of the family, Conor, who has suffered a stroke that has changed his personality.Ted is a reserved and slightly awkward professor who is dedicated to his work, leaving no time for family. Ted initially keeps himself detached from members of the family but gradually becomes emotionally involved. This is especially so with Vanetia, Conor's wife, who despite having to deal with the difficult circumstances that have been thrust upon her family, maintains a cheery and optimistic outlook ("schnitzeling" it, as she says) on things. However, Vanetia's increasing frustration with Conor's inability to reconnect with his family and his occasionally child-like behaviour, nudges her to form a bond with Ted, the only other adult in the household. The initially guarded Ted begins to open up and the complicated emotions that ensue create a dilemma for himself and Vanetia.Maxine Peake is genial and radiant as Vanetia. Will Forte gives another understated and sensitive performance, similar to his breakout performance in Nebraska. Edward MacLiam is effective as the mentally damaged Conor. Child actors Brendan Morris and Ciara Gallagher also give solid performances as Lenny and Noni, respectively.Apart from the central premise, the movie is peppered with light amusing moments (laugh yoga, the toilet scene, sympathy Susan, Ted's "birthday gift" from a friend etc.) that feel genuine and add a comedic touch. It also makes use of montage sequences that effectively build upon the underlying emotions. I found the ending slightly melancholy but strangely hopeful. This is probably due in part to Ted's emotional awakening. The final scenes showing Ted's expressions are so genuinely affecting that it leaves you pensive. The film raises difficult questions and does not try to pretend that there are easy answers, which feels authentic. As the saying goes, life is complicated. How you deal with and what you can take away from it are ultimately what that matters the most. 10 out of 10.

Christof_McShine An Irish family welcome home Conor, the husband and father who has recently suffered a life changing stroke. In tow is an American psychologist who is studying Conor's progress as he tries to settle back into the family life. It's not long before the American becomes the father figure himself and also begins to veer towards a deeper relationship with Vanetia, the wife.For a film that clocks in at just over 1 hour 40 minutes this still felt rather long winded in places. Some of the dramatic scenes work well and the performances are perfectly OK, Edward MacLiam as Conor in particular impressing whereas Maxine Peake as his free-spirited wife struggles badly with the Irish accent which doesn't help.It seems however there is too much thrown into the pot and in the end it becomes unnecessarily convoluted - we have the blossoming relationship between the wife and the psychologist, the struggles of the husband and wife, the son facing up to homosexuality, the suspicious father-in-law, the sister who's taken a shine to the American and so on. All this leaves it rather disjointed and had it just centred on the 3 way adult relationship dynamic it would've made for a much stronger film.Not all bad but something of a mixed bag.