When Jeff wakes up in the hospital his family is there and
what a group of characters they are. as they become the heart and center to
this wonderful film. Miranda Richardson portrays
Jeff’s mother Patty. The two share a small apartment and as much as she loves
her son, she may love herself a little more. Her hair isn’t perfect, her
clothes are baggy and she smokes like a chimney so you know Hollywood didn’t
create her and she truly could be anyone’s mom. Richardson steals every scene
she is in and that is a good thing.
The rest of the family is just as colorful and brilliant to
watch. Throughout the film Jeff is struggling, he is angry at himself and the
world and his family do what they can to support him. He and his brothers spend
a lot of time at their favorite bar and in one memberable sequence they get
into a fight with fellow patrons and are thrown out. Afterwards they spend the
night causing trouble, as a group of young men do, wreaking havoc on a
playground and in the streets of Boston. Also helping Jeff on his journey is
his on again and off again girlfriend, portrayed
by the amazing Tatiana Maslany, all she wants to do is help him and to
stand by his side as he gets his new legs.
At times it is not
easy to be there for Jeff but as the story grows so do all those involved.
Finally I came to Jake Gyllenhaal’s incredible performance.
As a handsome and successful actor he could have played Jeff as a true American
hero, polished and perfect in every way, a man who fought the good fight and
came out on top. In fact he didn’t have to make himself seem so small, grimy
and insecure but if you have every watched a Jake Gyllenhaal film you know he
is an actor who knows it’s the little things that make a character worth caring
for. Watching Jeff in the bathroom for the first time without legs shows how
even the simple tasks become difficult, Gyllenhaal made the scene heart
breaking yet determined. That and all of the performances (even those who only appeared in a scene or two) are what makes Stronger the brilliant film that it is.
I also have to admit that I am not a fan of “inspired by actual events” films, especially when that event happened within my lifetime. I didn’t know the story although I am sure it was on the news and internet and to be honest I didn’t care so I was skeptical when I walked into theater one. Directed by David Gordon Green and written by John Pollono based on the book by Jeff Bauman and Bret Witter, Stronger doesn’t focus on the manhunt of the terrorist but on those who were affected by their actions. It could have been big, bold and preachy. It could have been the good guys against the bad guys. Instead this small film was about so much more. Stronger concetratraed on the important things in life. For instance when Jeff gets the dressing changed on what is left of his legs for the first time the viewer ends up feeling his pain. Not because of the screams of agony but the expression in his eyes. You can tell a lot about how a person is feeling by just a look on his face and the look on Gyllenhaal’s face is of sadness and pain and makes for a much bigger impact. More than once does the actor make you feel what the character is going through by such subtle moments throughout the film
The movie had just the right amount of patriotism, humor and
sap. It was a well-made film that had a good story to tell and that is why I am
happy I saw (and you should go check out) Stronger.
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