Watch Run & Jump For Free

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

An Exercise In Nonsense

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Furniture maker Conor Casey had a stroke and struggles with disturbing behaviors. He goes home with his wife Vanetia, two kids and American neuroscientist Ted Fielding (Will Forte) who is documenting Conor for the next two months. Ted doesn't expect any improvements and Vanetia isn't happy with his presence initially. The son Lenny is getting teased at school as gay. Conor's father is angry at his dysfunction.There are some interesting family struggles. However, only Maxine Peake seems to have the opportunity to do some big acting. The rest are fine but not really allowed to have their moments. Even when the characters have their various blow-ups, it is mostly quietly observed. It doesn't try to overdramatize but I think it needs to have that energy. It doesn't really have enough cinematic tension.

Set in the beautiful countryside of Ireland, this deliberately paced drama, laced with humor, managed to keep me engaged throughout. It's quite well acted and ably directed by Steph Green, who co-wrote the script with Ailbhe Keogan.Maxine Peake, whose screen presence I found rather dazzling, portrays Vanetia Casey, a red-haired vibrant free spirit married to Conor and the mother of Lenny and Noni. Conor, also strongly portrayed by Edward MacLiam, is just returning to the family home after suffering a debilitating stroke. He had been in a coma for a month, followed by 4 months of rehab.Will Forte is also excellent in the role of Dr. Ted Fielding, a brilliant American researcher and neuropsychologist. Under a grant, he's doing a research case study on Conor's rare recovery from this type of stroke. He'll be monitoring Conor's progress 24/7 while living with the Casey family.They'll be two major concurrent themes at work here. One is the powerful chemistry and attraction between Vanetia and Ted, which will lead to all kinds of underlying tension in the home. Another will be the dramatic family dynamics that play out as they try to adjust to Conor's limited capacities, as he strives to improve in his recovery.All in all, despite some depressive moments, the filmmakers find a way to add some humor along the way and not get too maudlin in the process. Also, Peake's wonderful performance adds so much life to the film and is worth the price of admission.

I suppose it's evil to criticize a film about the recovery of a stroke victim, but this isn't a documentary, and the primary focus of the movie is instead about the relationship that evolves between the academic monitoring Conor, the stroke victim, and Conor's wife. And it was all so slow and uneventful. I came very close to shutting it off after about an hour, but I have this weird movie code of trying to see films all the way through, if I can, no matter how bad it might be. I realize that the reviews thus far have been overwhelmingly positive. All I can say is that according to IMDb, it played in America for one week only on two screens before going to DVD. That's it, and it didn't exactly break any box office records during that engagement as well. So that, hopefully, should tell you something about this film. I see I'm the first American commenting on this movie...we'll see what others think.

As an American living in Dublin (Ireland) and an avid film lover, I had the pleasure to attend the Run & Jump premier at the Galway film festival (located on west coast of Ireland) last night. I am a huge fan of will forte's comedy and think that he has successfully crossed over to a dramatic roles with Run & Jump (think Jeff Daniels)... And, for the film, it was a powerful story of a family faced with a challenging change to their lives - I don't think their was a dry eye in the theater... This film has the great qualities of European independent film making, with its deep exploration of human experience... How people deal with extraordinary circumstances in their own lives but which are unfortunately difficult realities for many. My connection to this film was very personal - my mother's personality changed due to a chronic medical condition - and so it helped me see how others deal with these experiences - especially since it is based on the writer's personal experience with her own father... I think it would also help those who have not had direct experience understand what other's go through. Therefore whether the writer intended to or not, this film is an important expression of these challenges and can serve (inadvertently) as a contributing form of therapy. Please note cinematography (understated and spectacular), sounds (you can feel and hear basic movements such as the scratching of a beard hence drawing you into the characters thoughts) and for non-Irish please also note that jumping into the freezing Irish Sea is a right of passage here... I can say more but will conclude that I also believe this film is important to our society and should have access to the general public... (Typos here due to iPad keyboard)