Reviews

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  ★★★★½ review by Raul Marques on Letterboxd

  An aspiring American writer and a French woman wandering the city through long shots. Now where did I see that?

  Seriously though, I liked it way more than I thought I would (and probably should). Sure, Brian is a spoiled don't-wanna-go-to-law-school little brat, and a seemingly more interesting person fell for him significantly too fast. But hey, who am I trying to kid here? It's absolutely lovely.

  Technically it's pretty great. The cinematography, the directing, the music, are all considerably outstanding. What is really charming however are the characters. The way they're developed and played made me overlook any problems of reality dissonance, or if you prefer hollywoodiness, the film may present.

  The ending, even a bit stretched, is irresistibly sweet.

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  ★★★★ review by Dawson Joyce on Letterboxd

  November 2016: Scavenger Hunt #20
  
  TASK #18: A film where at least one person on the poster is alive and at least one is deceased!

  You know, given the recent election of Donald Trump as POTUS, it’s times like this where I’m truth be told thankful that people like Anton Yelchin didn’t live long enough to witness that happening and then live in fear about the direction America might be heading towards. For those who are unaware (although granted the amount of people who are unaware is likely very low), on June 19th, Yelchin unfortunately passed away at the age of 27 in a fatal freak accident in which he was pinned between his car and a brick pillar outside his home. It was a sad day for all of us, especially seeing as Yelchin was one of the finest young actors working up until that untimely point. So I figured that today, I would visit a film of his that I hadn’t seen yet. The film I chose would be 5 to 7, which co-starred Skyfall’s Bond girl Berenice Marlohe. I went into this film blind, having never seen a single trailer for it, and I came out pleasantly surprised. 5 to 7 may seem like a typical romantic comedy-drama judging by the premise. Yes and no, but more no than yes. Yes, because it occasionally stumbles into cliched territory, but no, because it’s a much smarter film than most of its ilk. If I had to describe 5 to 7 in one word, it would be lovely. The script and direction by Victor Levin, the performances, the chemistry between Yelchin and Marlohe, the conversations they have with one another, the character development, the cinematography, the chram and charisma that exudes so naturally from every single aspect of the production… all of it, just remarkably lovely throughout. Yelchin and Marlohe are a match made in heaven and the relationship between their characters feels realistic and completely natural, a sad rarity in most modern romantic comedies. Levin, like I said before, often slips into the realm of cliche from time to time, but his script is genuine in its sweetness and its sincerity and, again, is much more intelligent than one would expect from a film like this. The humor also works very well and Levin wisely keeps things moving at just the right pace. In the end, 5 to 7 may be predictable at points, but it’s a genuinely sweet and heartfelt little gem of a film thanks to the best efforts of Yelchin, Marlohe, and Levin. Rest in peace, Anton. We will all miss you.

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  ★★★★ review by Terence Page on Letterboxd

  A well crafted and beautifully directed romantic film that's funny, heartfelt and organic with wonderful performances from its two leads.

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  ★★★★ review by Cogerson on Letterboxd

  Why I watched this one? The wife wanted to see a romantic comedy.

  What is this one about? An aspiring novelist enters into a relationship with a woman, though there's just one catch: She's married, and the couple can only meet between the hours of 5 and 7 each evening.

  My thoughts on this one? This was a surprisingly a very good movie....granted I had no expectations as we put the DVD into the player. Kudos to Anton Yelchin in the lead role.....he manages to create a very interesting lead character. Skyfall's Berenice Marlohe is equally impressive in the lead female role. Special kudos to Glenn Close and Frank Langella as Anton's parents....as they provide almost all of the humor in the movie. Final thought: An entertaining movie that I really enjoyed watching.

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  ★★★★½ review by Carlos Rubi on Letterboxd

  5 to 7 es lo que pasa cuando una comedia romántica europea se hace al estilo estadounidense, con una premisa original y algo desatada -en el papel-, acompañada de un puñado de up-and-comers, actores de reparto consagrados, fotografía hermosa, un guión sólido y la presencia de NYC como telón a una moderna y torcida, pero romántica, historia.

  Anton Yelchin hace de hapless writer, un papel muy similar pero mucho más texturizado que su trabajo en Like Crazy, mientras Bérénice Marlohe muestra su lado francés más sofisticado y abierto en el papel que debería de darle el realce histriónico del que ha carecido desde su aparición como Bond Girl.

  Y aunque a tres cuartas partes de la película no se ve venir un problema que trunque la historia, el director y guionista Victor Lewin se saca de la manga algo inesperado y conmovedor que cierra de manera ideal la trama.

  El guión es de primera, con referencias y comentarios de la cultura pop neoyorkina en la que se desenvuelve. Gran parte del impulso cómico viene de Frank Langella y Glenn Close (fantásticos como los papás suburbianos de Yelchin), pero los toques dramáticos y vueltas narrativas del guión son las verdaderas estrellas, pues nunca llegan a donde tú esperas que lo hagan.

  Es una bendición que esta película haya llegado a carteleras en México, ya que su distribución en EEUU fue limitadísima (mayormente a festivales). Pocas veces puedo decir bien hecho, Cinépolis, pero este es uno de esos casos.

  Por cierto, ¿soy el único que ha notado el rarísimo tic de Marlohe de mostrar los dientes completos cada 10 ó 15 segundos al actuar? Me desespera algo, pero su belleza gana.

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