Cinema Reviews

Comet Review

5th Jul 2015

Romantic films of late have become intelligent, the typical Boy mets girl, girls meets boy, is has developed so that film-wise the storylines depend on their audiences being a little more astute with how the storyline will play out (Her, 500 Days Of Summer, Midnight In Paris), wanting to give typical love stories a different dimension with an ambiguous ending.

There isn’t much that can be done with a basic Romance film but Comet, which a is Comedy Drama Romance film does, its a film that popularises a couple’s love and relationships through time in a different and effective ways, via memory and reality.

Starting with a voice saying “This is not a dream” you genuinely have to pay attention to what time frame it is what and if is dream or not, the film’s structure and initial start are confusing but are essential to the storyline and what is happening to it main character Dell and his relationship with Kimberly over the course of their relationship with significant defining moments in their relationship.

What is wonderful about this film is there is literally only the two characters in the film, though there are various people in scenes and people mentioned the film is both focused on them, with time not essential to scenes and the story.

How the film is written is with intelligence, humour and with an awareness of modern life and world how relationships change and grow with it, its main character is not the nicest person, but is never presented as bad but Del is aware of this himself.

Justin Long, has been in many a romantic films (Going The Distance, Best Man Down), he hasn’t really had a lead in many films, Comet is film where Long is the custodian of relationship through his memory, Longs acting in Comet good, he both steady and belivable, his style is similar to young Robert Downy Jr style of acting, awkward, smart but damage, all done without over acting and going for the oscar

There are many things about this films that are enjoyable, somewhere in all the conversations of Del and Kimberly (from far fetched to normal like talking honestly laying in bed) there is something that as a viewer you can understand and relate to, at times being pessimist but hopeful all at once, being painfully honest about being in a relationship and what happens to each other. Comet flips itself around and flickering from one break-up,to getting back together, to another break again and showing the different progression and deterioration of their relationship.

Possum and Long’s acting both bounce off each other, scenes with which many other actors would be grating and eye-rolling to watch, work well, the actors are both very physical and emotion convincing, scenes between them look natural and believable.

Set with a timeframe of a decade, in Los Angles and New York, its shot and filmed beautiful, using framed tracking shots of one character at a time, moulding one shot into another at different point and scenes that blend with the lighting and soundtrack brilliantly.

Comet is one the most creative of most Romantic Drama Comedies in the last few years, not completely dissimilar to Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and Mr Nobody but making more sense as there is a beginning, middle and end, it Dell’s character dealing with what is happening and what had happened pulling together the various moments and making you want Del and Kimberly to sort their relationship and realise that the need each other.