close to you movie review

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Close to You

Academy Award Nominee Elliot Page (Juno, The Umbrella Academy) stars as a trans man who returns to his hometown for the first time in years. Academy Award Nominee Elliot Page (Juno, The Umbrella Academy) stars as a trans man who returns to his hometown for the first time in years. Academy Award Nominee Elliot Page (Juno, The Umbrella Academy) stars as a trans man who returns to his hometown for the first time in years.

• Dominic Savage
• Elliot Page
• Hillary Baack
• Wendy Crewson
• 1 User review
• 9 Critic reviews
• 54 Metascore
• 2 wins & 2 nominations

Top cast 12

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• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• Trivia The movie's dialog is mostly improvised following a written script outline.
• Connections Referenced in Amanda the Jedi Show: I ALMOST Walked Out | The Best and Worst of TIFF 2023 (2023)

User reviews 1

• Jun 8, 2024
• How long is Close to You? Powered by Alexa
• August 16, 2024 (United States)
• United States
• United Kingdom
• Official Site
• Good Question Media
• Kindred Spirit
• Me + You Productions
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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• Runtime 1 hour 40 minutes

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Close to You: BFI Flare Film Review

• Bethany Lola
• March 14, 2024

Close to You sees Elliot Page in his prime as Sam, who navigates conversations between friends and family as he returns home for the first time since transitioning.

Elliot Page leads Close to You , an incredibly naturalistic story of confrontation, reminiscence and new beginnings. We follow Sam (Page) for the whole of the 98 minute runtime as he visits his father (Peter Outerbridge) for his birthday, along with his siblings and their partners. Sam hasn’t been back home since transitioning, and thankfully, the family’s consensus is positive at first, with hugs all around from everyone. But when his mother (Wendy Crewson) misgenders him, it’s not long before the rest of the family come out with stories of the past. Close to You is such a necessary character study to be showcased on the big screen, with zero sugar coating, exactly how it should be told .

Rekindling a friendship that he thought was long forgotten wasn’t on Sam’s cards, but when he meets a woman who used to be his best friend on the train home, the two reflect on their school days. Katherine (Hillary Baack) was Sam’s first love . The two hadn’t seen each other in so long and sitting across from each other on the train brought up so much intensity. When the train pulls into Cobourg station, where Sam’s childhood home is, Katherine runs ahead, leaving Sam behind. Sam can’t get Katherine off of his mind, so, during his time in Cobourg, he decides to go and see her at work so they can have some time together to properly catch up. Back in 2013, Page and Baack worked together on The East , both in very different roles to those they play in Close to You .

The conversations which Sam has with his family are split between emotional and strenuous, some of which I’ve witnessed first-hand between my queer friends and their parents. Page has been able to bring in his own experience to Close to You , especially with a large chunk of the film being improvised. We’ve all grown to love Page in films such as Juno and Inception , but the authenticity of him in Close to You really makes this role stand out from the rest of his filmography. There’s always been an allure to Page, particularly in Juno , but this is really him at his best. Page is raw and full of talent. It feels like the first of many impassioned performances from him, which is so exciting to see.

At the heart of the story is Sam’s self-acceptance . People will react to change in different ways: some are just more close-minded than others. Sam has already prepared for unpleasant responses, but the feedback from family is important to him. Particular people in his family are more accepting than others, whilst some just don’t understand the transition that Sam has undergone since the last time they saw him. There’s one particular discussion between Sam and his father that will stick in my head for a while , due to the genuine tears that are shed. Sam’s happiness is paramount, and it’s refreshing to see him so gleeful around certain family members and long-lost friends.

This is Page in his prime, leading a drama film that’s so personal to him. Many won’t have first-hand experience dealing with these heart-to-heart conversations that the characters on screen are going through, so it’s unbelievably important to have a film like this be out in the world , featuring an actor we know and love so much finally living their truth. Director Dominic Savage has a knack for capturing earnest character studies, and Close to You is no different. It’s real and it’s direct. Close to You is unmissable.

Close to You will be screened at BFI Flare 2024 on March 14-24 and will be released in US theaters on August 16, 2024 . Read our BF Flare reviews and our list of 10 films to watch at BFI Flare !

• TAGS: BFI Flare , genre: queer

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‘Close to You’: Elliot Page Stuns in Incredibly Personal Film About Transitioning

COMING OF SELF

The actor delivers the performance of his career at the Toronto International Film Festival in “Close to You,” about returning home to family and friends after transitioning.

Barry Levitt

Freelance Writer

Courtesy of TIFF

TORONTO, Canada—Sam ( Elliot Page ) is coming back home for the first time in years. He’s nervous—he’s built up a new life in Toronto, but a return to Cobourg, a small town a couple hours from the big city, is a daunting prospect. Sam is not the person he once was: He’s transitioned, finally living the life he’s longed for.

On the train to his family’s home, he has a chance encounter with Katherine (Hillary Baack). Their meeting is intense and loaded with history. In high school, the two were inseparable, but Katherine hasn’t seen Sam since his transition, and probably a lot longer than that. The two fell out of touch, but they’re both overcome with emotion, barely able to speak to each other at first.

Their lives are very different now, as Katherine reveals to Sam that she’s married with two kids, and moved back to the town they grew up to settle into family life. Sam is single and happy that way, sharing a rented house with his friend in the city—but seeing Katherine again has woken feelings that have laid dormant for years.

Dominic Savage’s Close to You , which premiered Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival — finds Page in his first major film role since he announced his transition at the end of 2020. It’s a tender, intimate drama about one of the scariest things any person can do: presenting themselves to their family as their true, authentic self for the first time. Sam isn’t worried about being accepted as trans, but instead about the off-color comments and remarks people might make. Whoever said sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me was a liar.

Close to You isn’t just about a family reunion—it splits its time following the relationship between Sam and Katherine, who are dealing with unresolved feelings for one another. While the chemistry between Sam and Katherine is scintillating—from the moment they lay eyes on each other, you can feel their history—Katherine herself is something of an enigma. Their conversations are vague, talking about the past with the intimate shorthand of two people who’ve lived it. We, however, have not, and beyond general discussions of how much they were there for each other when they were younger, there’s not enough to really latch onto there.

It’s easy to understand what Sam wants from Katherine, but Katherine’s own motivations feel thinly drawn and underrealized, especially when compared to the detailed exploration of Sam’s family. That makes the film’s central romance feel a bit hollow—the performances resonate, but the entirely improvised dialogue struggles to get beyond the surface of their connection. Though Baack delivers an effective performance, her character feels like an idealization in Sam’s mind, rather than a fully fleshed-out person.

Sam too feels like a bit of a mystery—we don’t know what he does, who he’s friends with, or how he spends his time. But what we do clearly understand is that Sam, finally, is happy. Everything in his life is going the way he wants it, and he feels more confident and sure of himself than he ever has before.

Page delivers the best performance of his already impressive career, bringing forth a jaw-dropping vulnerability. Living authentically is one of those phrases that gets used a lot these days, but when Sam says it in the film, it feels layered with such joy, such truth, and such genuine calm that I got chills. Page gives so much of himself to Sam that, even though we don’t know the specifics of Sam’s life, it doesn’t matter—Page’s performance fills in the details beautifully. We spend so much time with Sam that it feels like we know him intimately.

The improvised dialogue is one of the film’s biggest strengths, while also its biggest drawback. The script consisted of nothing but direction, which allowed the actors to create their own dialogue. At times, then, scenes can feel overly obvious. For example, the way Sam explains at the top of the film that he’s nervous about seeing his family after nearly five years feels like he’s reading a plot summary.

But when it works, Close to You is brilliant. The family dynamic is so familiar. Sam’s return is met with an almost euphoric reaction from his family—everyone can’t wait to wrap their arms around the son (or brother) they haven’t seen in so long. Sam an his sister kindle a dynamic they both seem to have always wished they could have had, talking about romance and sex with such ease—you can imagine how they might have gossiped in their shared bedroom as kids.

None of Sam’s conversations are easy, and most of them wind up with him in tears. But they’re fascinating and insightful glances into the way this family exists. A conversation between Sam and his father is the best scene in the film, showcasing the pair’s complicated dynamic, featuring shocking revelations and a natural, lived-in familiarity that likely benefited from the actors having the opportunity to work on their dialogue together. When the film focuses on Sam’s return home, rather than the less-baked romantic storyline, it's exceptional.

At its best, Close to You beautifully captures the trans experience, and how challenging it can be to simply be happy and comfortable with yourself. After a fight, Sam’s mother tries to cobble the broken pieces of their relationship back together, saying over and over that family is the most important thing. “But family isn’t the most important thing,” Sam responds, and he’s right; there’s a lot more to life than seeking the validation of others. The truest, purest love comes from within, and that something Close to You expresses gorgeously.

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TIFF REVIEW: Elliot Page delivers  realistic depiction of the struggles queer people face while trying to live their truth in ‘Close to You’

September 12, 2023 Devon Banfield

• Copy current article link

Close to You tells the story of Sam, a transgender man returning home to visit his family for the first time in nearly five years. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 10, bringing audiences a piece about love, identity, and truth. The plot follows his struggle to reconnect with his immediate family, including three siblings and two parents, and his reconnection with an old flame. 

This article contains spoilers for the movie ‘Close to You’

The main character is played by Canadian actor Elliot Page, who is familiar with the journey of his character, having come out as transgender himself in 2020. In addition to holding the leading role, Page also worked with director Dominic Savage as a producer on the piece. This familiarity with the complexities and nuances of coming out as transgender shines through in his performance and the plot, putting a spotlight on the struggle queer individuals experience to realize their truth while battling the opinions of others.

Close to You is visually beautiful, with much of the film set in the picturesque Ontario town of Cobourg, and captures stunning closeups of Sam and his love interest, Katherine (Hillary Baack). Whether set in bed or on the beach, intimate moments of the couple paint a picture of what could be if only the one that got away came back. In addition to this, I would argue that the plot lines that focus on Sam and his family are the ones that will make this a staple of queer culture.

Savage’s artistic style, which sees actors follow a script without dialogue, led to the cast filming takes that lasted up to 53 minutes, allowing actors to develop realistic conversations that paint a clear picture of the struggles in each relationship.

“As an actor you’re getting to experience the most beautiful sensation about acting but it doesn’t stop after a one minute take. You get to go deeper and deeper and deeper and pivoting with different moments you don’t expect,” Page told media while on the red carpet at the world premiere of the film. 

“It’s like being on a ride. It was so exhilarating and hopefully with all of the dynamics of the family and the love story, the improv allows for that natural [journey of] being human.”

“[It’s] so authentic and so surprising. We were surprised every day with the stuff that came out,” Canadian actor Wendy Crewson, who plays Sam’s mother, told Now Toronto on the red carpet.

Throughout the movie, conversations between Sam,  his mother and father (Peter Outerbridge) leave 2SLGBTQ+ audiences reminded of the heartache many have felt while seeking acceptance from family and friends during what can be a vulnerable time. 

Crewson’s performance is particularly stellar, at times making it hard to remember that she is acting and not going through the motions of a real experience. She shared with Now Toronto that she pulled from her own real-life experience of supporting her own niece through her journey of coming out as transgender. This makes complete sense after witnessing her authentic depiction of this milestone. Crewson explained that her brother, who is a social worker, gave her a helpful example of how to play the loving, albeit concerned, mother in the film.

“I’ve seen how he has dealt with it over the years, and it’s love. It’s all love.”

Despite this, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Sam’s return home after half a decade impacts his confidence and mental health, something Page’s intense talent allows him to portray without excessive dialogue, through body language and facial expressions. Members of his family are all at different stages of coming to terms with his journey, and Sam does face backlash from a particular family member. While it would be nice for everyone to be on the same page, these scenes cause painful drama for the characters, which only adds to the realism of the piece. 

With beautiful performances from actors such as Page and Crewson, Close to You is an emotional and heartfelt film full of Canadian talent that gives queer audiences a story that is all too familiar, while giving others a realistic portrayal of the nuances of coming out in the 21st century. 

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Close to you.

Directed by Dominic Savage

Academy Award Nominee Elliot Page (Juno, The Umbrella Academy, Inception) stars as a trans man who returns to his hometown for the first time in years. On his journey, he confronts his relationship with his family, reunites with a first love, and discovers a newfound confidence in himself. A Toronto International Film Festival premiere.

Elliot Page Hillary Baack Wendy Crewson Peter Outerbridge Janet Porter Alex Paxton-Beesley Daniel Maslany Sook-Yin Lee Andrew Bushell David Reale Jim Watson Amanda Richer

Director Director

Dominic Savage

Producers Producers

Krishnendu Majumdar Richard Yee Daniel Bekerman Chris Yurkovich Dominic Savage Elliot Page

Writer Writer

Story story.

Elliot Page

Casting Casting

Jason Knight

Editor Editor

David Charap

Cinematography Cinematography

Catherine Lutes

Assistant Director Asst. Director

Abigail Thorpe

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Anita Gou Sam Intili Nia Vazirani Matt Jordan Smith Neil Mathieson Francine Maisler

Production Design Production Design

Joseph Kabbach

Composers Composers

Dominic Savage Oliver Coates

Me + You Productions Good Question Media PageBoy Productions Kindred Spirit Rolling Dice Mongrel Media Crave Greenwich Entertainment

Alternative Title

Romance Drama

Releases by Date

10 sep 2023, 14 mar 2024, 01 jun 2024, 16 aug 2024, 23 aug 2024, 17 sep 2024, releases by country.

• Premiere Toronto International Film Festival
• Premiere BFI Flare
• Premiere NewFest
• Theatrical NR

99 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by ram<3 ★★★★ 4

elliot page, the man you are

Review by Lynn Betts ★★★★½ 4

TIFF #10 *World Premiere*

When I first heard that 53 minutes of this was improvised, I prepared myself for an ill-prepared jumblecore vanity project.

But it turns out that Elliot Page has a lot of important stuff to say right off the cuff.

Like Elliot, I am a Maritime Canadian who moved west to a bigger city, to follow my dreams and make a better life for myself. Like his character in this film (and possibly him in real life) I've been a black sheep my whole adult life; homecoming and forming home-like connections have often been hard.

It's clear that the resonant and revelatory dialogue - with the humour hitting as hard as the dramatic punches - is the…

Review by Serena Hao ★★★★

he’s literally so me (loser tboy from the suburbs outside toronto who cries in union station)

Review by joe 🫧 ★★★★

elliot page is fucking incredible. breathtaking performance.

Review by Rendy Jones ★★★½

Elliot Page, the jacked, talented, JACKED man that you are.

Review by terence ★★★ 2

“Hey, Paul’s fucking himself?”

Review by Ada 2

“My brave boy. You’re my brave boy.”

A handsome trans man and his red beanie against the world, what more could a girl like me ask for??? There’s no one I feel safer with than trans men. My soul is full of love. It feels so warm and good to see Elliot Page again I could cry (and I did cry), I think he’s absolutely lovely. Ninety-eight minutes of pure emotion. The improvisational-style works so beautifully for a film like this, with an actor like this, pulling from his own feelings and experiences. Everything he said came from the heart and you can truly feel it, truly see it in his (very beautiful brown) eyes — it’s more than just…

Review by glo / cheese 🧀🧀 ★★★★½

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

when sam's dad returned the watch, the whole theatre clapped.

Review by Clare ★★★½ 2

1. Elliot Page cried in basically every scene I felt so fucking seen  2. We need more scenes of bigots just getting their fucking asses handed to them pls

Review by skeletorbadbich ★★★★½ 1

union station jumpscare

Review by Maddie ★★★★½

“Rising above it is getting the fuck out of here” 

First ugly cry at TIFF.

Review by dallon ★★★★½ 2

as a fellow transmasc (ish) who sometimes struggles to go home to family i get  it. i think as tender and bittersweet this was to watch - very painful for me, and clearly other people in the audience - at times, the film tells an authentically trans story. perhaps some plots weren’t entirely necessary to get the point across, and often i wish they would just hold the camera still, but on the whole this was a lovely way to summarise a trans experience (note: a , not the ) as part of bristol pride’s queer vision film festival

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Elliot Page on Improvising a 53-Minute Take for ‘Close to You’ and Finally Being Able to Wear What He Wants on Red Carpets

By Rebecca Rubin

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Elliot Page conquered a new challenge for his first movie role in six years. In “ Close to You ,” an observant drama that premieres on Sunday at the Toronto Film Festival , there’s basically no written dialogue in the script, so everything that you hear in the movie was improvised by the actors on the day of shooting.

“I’ve never done anything like this before,” Page told Variety in a recent Zoom interview prior to the film’s premiere. (“Close to You” has secured an interim agreement, meaning SAG-AFTRA has allowed the actors to promote the film while the guild is on strike.) “I found it incredibly intimidating.”

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Savage has called the movie a “very poignant, personal and important story.” Though Page is, of course, playing a character in “Close to You,” there are parallels with the 36-year-old actor’s own experiences. Page, the Oscar-nominated star of “Juno,” came out as transgender in 2020 and, like Sam, is familiar with people’s well-intentioned clumsiness with misgendering or using the wrong pronouns. But in his real life, Page says he doesn’t take those missteps personally. “These things take a second,” he says. “It’s all good.”

How did this collaboration come together?

Elliot, this is your first feature film role since 2017. What was it like to be in front of the camera again?

Page: This was absolutely thrilling every single day. Because of the process, I’ve never done anything like this before. The script has a description and just that. There’s zero dialogue. You’re walking into every scene totally bare. I found it incredibly intimidating leading up to the shoot. I was like, “I’m going to be such a disappointment to Dominic. What am I doing? I can’t improvise!” Our longest take was 53 minutes. It’s like a dance. You’re really existing in it. It had me tired in moments but incredibly exhilarated.

How did you prepare to film without scripted dialogue? Was there time to rehearse?

Page: No, [laughs] and that was the part that was fascinating to me. When we were developing it, [Hillary and I] discussed little things, but not a whole lot. I’m so used to approaching work in a certain way… very scripted and everything is prepared. So I was like, “ How does Dominic do this?” Next thing you know, you’ve completely disappeared in the scene as if you’ve stepped into a different dimension. The joy of acting in this way is that it wasn’t just a two-minute take that we did a couple of times. It was very long, lived-in experiences.

Savage: It’s about instinct and choices. When I choose the locations, it’s really important that they have an atmosphere about them, and they are not just places that look interesting. Everything about how I like to work is how it feels . I don’t like to overdo things. Our takes are long, but it’s good to know when you’ve got something and you can say “Well, that’s our day.”

Part of Sam’s fear in going home is more about unsolicited comments and questions he’ll receive about his transition. What kind of support can friends and family offer in wanting to learn more while still being respectful?

Page: For me, it’s about people taking individual time to educate themselves. There are a lot of resources out there to learn more about trans people and the reality of our experiences. A question isn’t always a negative thing, but there’s a time and place and context and tone.

In one scene, Sam’s mom cries after accidentally misgendering her son, and then he ends up having to console her. What’s a better way for someone to react in that situation?

Page: In those situations, I know the intent of people close to me in my life who are wanting to get it right. If someone misgenders me, I don’t take it personally. When someone does go to apologize, it’s great. But let’s move on to the next moment in our interaction. Let’s move on before it turns into a bigger thing and becomes about the person who did the misgendering and turns into this whole other energy. These things take a second. It’s all good.

Elliot, you’ve been on the picket lines this summer. What are your feelings about the ongoing strike and how it might be resolved?

You wrote in your memoir “Pageboy” that you have been forced to wear dresses while doing press . Are you looking forward now to being able to wear what you want?

Page: Of course. I get to enjoy every aspect of my life more now because of finally being able to speak who I am. It’s a beautiful feeling.

What are you looking forward to about watching the film with an audience at TIFF?

Savage: It’s such a massive thing when the audience first sees the work. You spend so long making something. You put so much love into it. You want everyone to feel what you feel when you were making it.

Page: I always get nervous. But there’s something so special about an audience seeing such a rare experience in this way. You get to see how it makes people feel. It always surprises me how people react.

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Elliot page starring in drama ‘close to you’ from ‘the farewell’ producer.

Hillary Baack co-stars in the film from writer-director Dominic Savage.

By Mia Galuppo

Mia Galuppo

Film Writer

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Elliot Page is starring in the drama Close to You from BAFTA-winning writer-director Dominic Savage.

Page stars as Sam, who has a chance encounter with an old friend (Hillary Baack) on his way home to a dreaded family reunion that forces him to confront long-buried memories.

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Elliot page says he's incredibly "angry and frightened" amid anti-lgbtq legislation across u.s., elliot page stars as trans man facing a challenging reunion in 'close to you' trailer.

The Farewell producer Anita Gou’s Kindred Spirit is co-financing, with Gou and Sam Intili executive producing alongside Rolling Dice’s Nia Vazirani. Executive Producers also include Matt Jordan Smith of Page’s PageBoy Productions.

Principal photography recently wrapped in Canada; UTA Independent Film Group is representing worldwide rights to the film.

“It has been a remarkable experience to collaborate with Elliot Page on this very special and unique film about love, identity and family. I’m so proud of what we have achieved with the film. It has been an honor to work with Elliot to bring this very poignant, personal and important story to life and to the screen,” said Savage.

Page recently wrapped the fourth season of the hit Netflix comic book series The Umbrella Academy , and last month published a memoir, titled Pageboy . He is represented by UTA, Vie Entertainment and Yorn Levine.

Baack, who appeared in Oscar nominee Sound of Metal , is repped by KMR Talent, and Savage is repped by Independent Talent Group.

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Close to You Reviews

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When asked to return to his small town, Cobourg, from Toronto, transman Sam must decide whether the trip is worth it because of what he will have to face with his community and family. Upon returning, he's also faced with encountering Katherine, his inseparable friend, during high school. This encounter stirs feelings Sam hasn't felt in some time, long before his transition four years prior.

'Close to You' review: Elliot Page dares to improvise in tender trans drama

The adage "you can never go home again" speaks to the indifference of time passing. Sure, you can go back to your hometown whenever, but the "you" and the "home" will never be the same again. This is the dilemma facing the trans protagonist in the indie drama Close to You , which is both fronted and produced by Elliot Page. After years of personal struggle, Sam is finally in good standing with himself. But what will happen when this him goes back to a home — and family — who may not understand? 

Made after Page came out as trans in 2020,   this touching and clearly personal film grapples with issues of trans acceptance and the definition of family — but not successfully. 

What's Close to You about? 

Canadian actor Elliot Page stars as Sam, a trans man who is traveling to his hometown of Cobourg, Canada, to visit his family for the first time since transitioning. Directed by Dominic Savage, Close to You begins with some simple visual storytelling by establishing Sam in his Toronto rental, where he comfortably walks around without a shirt, his scars from top surgery on casual display. While making breakfast, he's joined by his housemate, who offers support but suggests maybe Sam need not put himself under the microscope of his family just because it's his dad's birthday. 

Despite his reluctance, Sam will go. Much of the drama will play out in his childhood home, between his parents, siblings, and their respective partners. However, woven throughout these family beats are bits of a romantic reunion between Sam and his high school bestie/crush Katherine (Hillary Baack). What begins as an enthusiastic conversation on a train spins into long walks and heavy-handed talks about what was and what could be. 

Close to You takes a big risk that doesn't pay off. 

Though Savage and Page are credited as screenwriters on the film, the production was made up largely of improvised dialogue — including a 53-minute take that is considerably cut down in the final edit. While a daring approach, it is the movie's biggest obstacle. A woeful lack of structure means one scene tumbles into another with little motivation. Sam's walks with Katherine feel so disjointed from the rest of the movie that I began to wonder if they were a flight of fantasy. Was Sam so under pressure by the tense family dynamics in the house that he imagined a safe space with the girl of his dreams smiling warmly at him? Or were the walks along the beach just a sincerely sentimental cliche? 

A strong narrative structure wouldn't be a problem if Close to You played as a slice-of-life drama. But there too the film feels thin, in part because the dialogue — again, much of it improvised — lacks specificity. There's a slog of naturalistic but uncompelling dialogue occurring between collections of characters that does little to distinguish them from each other. Sam has two sisters (Janet Porter and Alex Paxton-Beesley), and they're chiefly defined by the men they date. One has a friendly beau who is smiling and enthusiastic to meet Sam. The other sister boasts a sneering transphobe (David Reale) for a fiancé, the kind who insists he's just asking questions and trying to play by "the rules" while making everyone else uncomfortable. 

As the sisters seem to exist chiefly to introduce opposing attitudes toward Sam, one might wonder why they are needed at all. Couldn't the sisters be in opposition, as opposed to the boyfriends? Doesn't it weaken the stakes to have a family outsider giving voice to the tiresome transphobic talking points? As it is, the collection of kin feels ill-defined, and some are outright unneeded. 

Further frustrating, Savage's staging of the introduction of the family is in a clumsy and darkly lit wide shot. So, it's difficult to make out from the jump who is who. Later, when one of this crew (Daniel Maslany) pours his heart out to the film's hero, it might have been a touching moment — if I had any idea who he was in relation to Sam! It's as if Savage is taking for granted that these abstractions of characters will be enough, perhaps relying on audiences to plug and play their own family into the roles, for better or worse. But with cinematography that gives little focus to anyone's close-ups save for Page, it's hard to see, much less connect with, the majority of the ensemble. 

Close to You offers drama that is earnest but not earned. 

Even Sam can be a vexing enigma. Vocally, he expresses how he wishes to be seen by his family as the whole of who he is, and not solely defined as trans. However, his trans identity is the most talked-about element of the character in Close to You. Aside from the swift intro, we don't see much of his life in Toronto. The ambiguous dialogue keeps talk of his romantic life and community there very vague. When asked about his work — even repeatedly — he only says that he likes it, never mentioning what it is or why he enjoys it. It's less than small talk. What he does is never revealed, nor are any other friends, and so goes another opportunity to get to know Sam beyond his trans identity and his family's fighting. 

Sam's romance with Katherine does bolster the character, as it shows a side of him where he doesn't need to be on guard or constantly explaining his right to exist. These scenes seem to aim for a Before Midnight vibe, but again, improvised dialogue keeps things vague — albeit sweet and sentimental. While Page and Baack do share a warm chemistry, it's not so white-hot that the third-act possibility of a romantic runaway relationship feels likely, perhaps especially amid so much naturalistic dialogue that suggests only grounded choices are on the table. 

The bits that work best in this film are those between Sam and his parents. In a kitchen scene, his mother (Wendy Crewson) — desperate to show her support — awkwardly offers him money in the middle of asking him to help with the cooking. There is specificity, with her welcoming him into her space and trying to reach out the way many parents do. Later, his father (Peter Outerbridge) reflects on when Sam left home, laying out the fears he faced in not being within reach of his child. Here again, details paint the picture of these people, their relationship, and the stakes Sam and his family face. 

For much of the film, Close to You keeps us at arm's length. Its experiment with improvisation might have had great intentions in terms of seeking authenticity. However, this method ultimately fails in constructing a successfully engaging narrative or fleshed-out characters. Sam's journey is carried chiefly by Page's performance, which is sharp-eyed and big-hearted. However, as Sam meanders from romantic rendezvous to stressful dining room debate and back again, it's difficult to connect to the flow of the film, especially with so much stagnant dialogue. Despite good intentions, Close to You has lofty aims but wobbly execution. 

Close to You was reviewed out of its world premiere at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

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'Harold and the Purple Crayon' Review: Zachary Levi Capably Unleashes Magical Havoc

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The Big Picture

• Harold and the Purple Crayon introduces a "grown-up" Harold who transports his imaginative world to reality using a magic crayon.
• The film features well-cast actors playing naive, humorous characters in a conceptually intriguing plot.
• Despite promising elements, the movie's narrative, thematic, and plot developments frequently fall short in execution.

As the history of fiction, film, and television would have you believe, imagination is quite possibly the greatest power in the universe . Necessity may be the mother of invention, but imagination is its father. Many world religions posit omnipotent beings of vast power who can do great feats with nothing more than a thought. Comic books give us characters like The Beyonders, Franklin Richards, Doctor Manhattan , or the various Lanterns of Green Lantern lore , who can conjure or manipulate all sorts of objects or beings with their minds alone. Children’s programming, like Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood , constantly reminds children to embrace the power of their creativity. The 1955 children’s book Harold and the Purple Crayon , written and drawn by Crockett Johnson , welcomes children with exactly this dream-fulfilling wish: what if a child had a magic device that allowed them to create literally anything they could dream of?

The book spawned a series of follow-up stories following Harold and his various experiences and adventures, and Carlos Saldanha ’s Harold and the Purple Crayon is, at its core, a sequel of sorts to them. The film stars Zachary Levi as a version of Harold who has grown into an adult (of sorts) in his imagination-built world, along with his friends, Moose ( Lil Rel Howery ) and Porcupine ( Tanya Reynolds ). He interacts with the 'Old Man,' the godlike narrator ( Harold series author Crockett Johnson, as voiced by Alfred Molina ) who created Harold and his world to begin with. One day, Harold decides to venture out and find the Old Man in his world, our real-life world, pouring Harold, Moose, and Porcupine into our reality and setting in motion a surreal set of experiences for the innocent, cartoonish character. There are quite a few elements to like about Harold , including its smart casting, entertaining meta-concepts, and its ability to find humor in chaos, but it's a film with nearly as many conceptual, narrative, and thematic misses as hits .

Harold and the Purple Crayon

A young boy named Harold embarks on a magical mission with the help of his purple crayon

What is 'Harold and the Purple Crayon' About?

Harold technically grew up in the world the Old Man created, channeling his imagination through the purple crayon to provide anything his heart conceives and desires , but in a way, he didn’t grow up at all. In this world of pure imagination, anything he needed or desired was provided by the Old Man or his own creative powers, so he was spared from many of the realities of our world. These realities create a mystery for Harold when, seemingly out of nowhere, the Old Man stops speaking. It’s unsettling for Harold and his friends because he has never been without the Old Man's voice, so Harold decides to use his magic crayon to create a door to our world (with Moose and Porcupine in tow).

The purple crayon still has imagination-fueled, reality-warping powers in our world, but there are a few differences --Moose and Porcupine are human (though the former turns into an actual moose at times when scared). As they set out to find the Old Man, Harold and crew encounter widow Terri ( Zooey Deschanel ) and her son Mel ( Benjamin Bottani ) during a dangerous encounter with Terri's car, and eventually find an antagonist in failed writer/nefarious librarian Gary Naswich ( Jemaine Clement ).

It's an interesting route to take for the live-action adaptation of a beloved children's book . Making the narrative a live-action entry following an adult Harold in our own world, the world of the series' author, does allow for a wider (and more cinematic) range of circumstances than merely the simple story of a boy using a crayon to draw things like animal friends out of thin air. It's additionally an interesting way to play with the implications of the purple crayon. First, in our real world, an overgrown child warping reality would create massive chaos and confusion, which is great for both humor and drama. Second, the books have a cartoon Harold creating objects that are a bit rougher in style and form than himself (his creations are in one color of crayon, after all), while his creations here are in our real world, permitting extravagant detail (though still purple as ever). Finally, it's a unique opportunity for Harold, a creator, to examine his own existence as a subordinate creation (it's an opportunity that the film doesn't make full use of, but the potential is there). All this makes Harold and the Purple Crayon one of the wilder live-action, young-audience-friendly films in recent years.

'Harold' is a Conceptually-Interesting but Muddled Meta-Movie

The leads in Harold and the Purple Crayon are, overall, well cast. Zachary Levi continues to cement his tradition of playing naive, childlike characters in grown men's bodies , but it largely works in the portrayal of a man in ignorance of the realities of our world . Zooey Deschanel embodies Terri sufficiently well, which is no surprise given her seasoned ability to portray characters shepherding childishly naive, sheltered grown men from supernatural realms ( Elf , anyone?) through the dangers of human cities. Lil Rel Howery and Tanya Reynolds are consistently solid and charming as Moose and Porcupine, despite being accidentally hampered by their curious removal from major plot moments (especially with respect to the latter). Jemaine Clement shows he has the makings of a properly menacing villain, and he does his best here, but the material undermines his character's potential threat by emphasizing his family-friendly 'goofy failure' nature. There's a solid cast here with real potential, but the plotting in practice makes for a mixed bag at times.

Conceptually, Harold is one of the wilder live-action movies for young demographics that we've had in recent years. Sure, IF recently reminded us of the imaginative powers of children and encouraged us to find our own, sometimes reality-warping abilities (even if it's only in our perception alone). However, while that did give imagined beings some odd power to impact our world, they never achieve the nigh-omnipotence of Harold and his creative implement. That said, these concepts aren't always fully or consistently explained and utilized in Harold . The film is a love letter to the power of imagination and effectively implies that when creators create worlds they really create worlds. Thus, Crockett's creation of a character who is himself a world creator is, we can infer, the reason he can breach into our reality... but we have to guess to make the logic work. Of course, this provokes messy questions. Do all authors create worlds so thoroughly that sufficiently world-bending characters could enter our realm? Will our viewing of Deadpool & Wolverine see Deadpool slice the screen and steal our popcorn on his next fourth wall break? Will Calvin and Hobbes ' Calvin imagine a way off the page, making our snow into an icy army? Cleaner answers would be welcome, but it's nice to have a younger-skewing film provoke entertaining and novel thoughts, even if it fails to provide satisfactory answers.

'The Imaginary' Review: Netflix Does Its Best Studio Ghibli Impression

This animated wonder of a movie explores a breathtaking world while remaining grounded in the emotions of our own.

Of course, these aren't the only questions that Harold provokes and leaves unanswered. When Harold and friends enter our world, Harold enters as a grown human man in pajamas, but Moose and Porcupine are turned into humans in normal human clothes. Why? It's not because weird animals can't exist in our world--once here, the crayon creates both otherworldly oddities and photo-realistic animals alike, so the change isn't necessary. Why is the worldly and cynical Terri so nonplussed about two odd men (who she claims not to trust) showing up in stalker-level quantities, especially in the orbit of her son, and causing problems in her life? She's the Dana Scully of the bunch, never believing in magic reality-warping crayons, so she'd have no reason to put up with any of them outside the characters' first scenes together. A tragic revelation at one point in the film threatens Harold's powers of imagination, but it's too simply resolved with the slightest of pep talks from another character. Again, given the set-up, why was it that easy? And why is it that, here, Harold's creative abilities are threatened, but his own existence doesn't seem to be?

As much as the film has its charms, it's also muddled in its plotting and thematic development. It provokes interesting themes about creation and imagination , about dealing with loss, and about growing up, but it doesn't develop them consistently enough to make them shine. It utilizes both the naivety of Harold, Moose, and Porcupine in our world and the chaos of their world-altering magic for humor, but the latter is much more successful than the former. Certain performances make for memorable characters, but odd plotting choices sideline the characters or render them aimless or silly. A lot of imagination went into this celebration of imagination, but many of its best elements are weighed down by missteps.

'Harold' Has Real Promise, But Regularly Stops Short Of Reaching It

As a film intended for younger audiences, Harold takes interestingly large conceptual swings , boasts solid character adaptations, and has some scenes and humorous moments that work. For its intended younger audience, the film's visual creations and situational humor might work wonders, and Levi does capably portray a magical adult child unleashing havoc in our world. At the same time, a little honing throughout is much needed to tighten the film's humor, themes, emotional core, and narrative plotting. It's entertaining enough for its brief and breezy runtime, but for the thoughtful viewer, it will continuously provoke narrative and thematic questions of the kind that should be at least plausibly resolved by the time filming commences. It is a somewhat decent movie hampered by so many preventable oversights and missteps.

'Harold and the Purple Crayon' boasts a solid cast and an entertaining, surprisingly meta plot, but many of its narrative turns and concepts leave too many questions.

• It boasts a strong cast, with Zachary Levi working well as a naive character adrift in our world.
• It's an unexpectedly strong concept that provokes interesting questions and provides some solid moments of comedy.
• For younger viewers, the humor and creations might indeed work wonders.
• Some plot elements fail to make adequate sense (even given the film's magical crayon plot device).
• Many strong cast members are either underutilized in key moments or underdeveloped.
• Some of the film's most interesting themes are muddled and haphazardly handled.

Harold and the Purple Crayon releases in theaters in the U.S. on August 1. Check below for showtimes near you.

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Lifestyle | ‘Longlegs’ review: A preposterous movie that…

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Lifestyle | ‘longlegs’ review: a preposterous movie that takes itself too seriously.

Though “Longlegs” follows the basic rhythms of a police procedural like “Silence of the Lambs,” it lets us know early on that we’re dealing with the supernatural when young agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) correctly surmises the presence of a wanted criminal in a nearby building through what is apparently a hunch.

This leads to a great set piece inside an empty house wrapped in plastic that flutters like ghosts, but the case turns out to be a red herring, and Harker’s “hunch” gets her assigned to the Longlegs case. She apparently has some sort of connection to the titular killer, which is eventually spelled out in a voiceover that unravels the mystery so thoroughly it borders on contemptuous of its audience’s intelligence.

Nicolas Cage as Longlegs isn’t in the movie much, which is par for the course in these kinds of films; Hannibal Lecter was only on screen for about 15 minutes in “Lambs,” Buffalo Bill for maybe 10. As with many Cage performances, your mileage will vary on how “good” he is in the role, but he’s certainly unforgettable.

Caked in the kind of makeup Gary Numan used to cover his zits, Cage dresses like a parody of Cate Blanchett in “Carol.” The makeup used to alter Cage’s face isn’t exactly convincing, but maybe that’s the point: Longlegs has dolled himself up for his beloved Satan. He looks a bit like Buffalo Bill from “Lambs,” but that movie’s transphobia is toned down, as is the sense of the CIA as a bastion of normalcy defending America against its own freaks and outcasts.

He’s a lover of glam rock for reasons that elude me beyond Perkins’ desire to show off his own music taste, but if “Longlegs” does anything to help the great ‘70s glam rock band T. Rex become more than a one-hit wonder phenomenon stateside, it’s doing a great public service. (A poster of Lou Reed on the cover of “Transformer” also shows up. Not his best album! Check out “New York” instead.)

Perkins takes the existence of ESP and black magic for granted, but he never exploits it for its creepy awe: instead he uses it to tangle the screenplay out of the knots it twists itself into. Longlegs is notorious for seeming not to be present at the crimes he takes credit for. Sherlock Holmes might’ve found a practical solution to this puzzle, but Perkins uses the impossible to explain the impossible.

One wonders why “Longlegs” even needs all this woo-woo when it works just fine as a tense, creepy thriller. In a film where the devil himself seems to appear outside a character’s window, the scariest parts of “Longlegs” use abandoned buildings and dark corridors to generate suspense. As in “Lambs,” the camera is often waiting inside these locations rather than following Harker through the door.

Cinematographer Andrés Arochi likes to frame the characters in front of doors or windows, and we scan the background for threats. A simple pan across a lot, revealing a huge barn where we know we’ll find something horrible, is scarier than all of the Satanic inscriptions and demonic apparitions “Longlegs” throws at us.

“Longlegs” is a lot of fun while it’s on and you’re straining forward to figure out the mystery. It’s a shame that there’s ultimately no mystery and that the film tantalizes us with an intellectual puzzle while ultimately pulling out witchcraft and magic to solve everything. “Longlegs” won’t give you the willies, but it’s a fun movie to watch with friends — preferably the kind that can suspend their disbelief.

‘Longlegs’

Stars (out of four): 2.5 stars

Runtime: 1 hour, 41 minutes

Rated: R (for bloody violence, disturbing images and some language)

How to watch: In theaters

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‘Batman: Caped Crusader’ Review: A Rewarding Throwback Noir Built on Progressive New(-ish) Ideas

Ben travers.

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To report there is little new about “Batman: Caped Crusader” is borderline irrelevant. The character is nearly 100 years old . His story has been told time and time again, typically with the same foundational pieces: Bruce Wayne, a billionaire playboy by day, dons a bat-themed disguise by night, when he patrols Gotham City’s streets for diabolical villains and various ne’er-do-wells. All this is done in the name of his parents, who — as you may have heard once or twice — were murdered in front of their adolescent son.

The character has proven to be as elastic as Clayface’s oozing constitution, and while seeing a completely different take on the Bat-verse can be quite a bit of fun , that’s not what “ Batman: Caped Crusader ” has in mind. Developed by Bruce Timm, the co-creator of “Batman: The Animated Series,” the new series functions as a pseudo-reboot of the venerated ’90s hit . Fans will recognize the Fleischer Studios-inspired animation and Art Deco architecture, the solid colors and sparse streets, the looming cityscapes and timeless period setting. But they’ll also note the missing colors from Batman’s costume — the absent yellow backdrop to his bat symbol, a solid black cape sans the blue lining, and a muted yellow belt that’s more Dijon than classic mustard — just as they’re sure to spot his extended ears, broader shoulders, and bunchy gloves.

The second Bat-project from executive producer Matt Reeves (after the 2022 film “The Batman,” and before this fall’s “The Penguin” ) features familiar bad guys (including a gender-flipped Penguin, voiced by Minnie Driver) and obligatory origin stories. Harley Quinn (who got her start in “BTAS” and gets a wonderfully fresh narrative here), Catwoman, and most notably Two-Face get their own episodes, and a closing tease for next season’s featured nemesis is painfully predictable. But these expected reprisals prove compelling enough, if not downright sprightly, after seeing how “Caped Crusader” incorporates so many homages to classic Bat-stories. Set in an unspecified period reminiscent of the 1930s and ’40s, the series hearkens back to everything from Batman’s run-ins with Robin Hood to the “Biff! Bam! Pow!” antics of Adam West. One episode sees Batman playing vampire-hunter. Another finds him going cowl to cowl with an actual ghost.

Still, the core strength of “Caped Crusader” stems from its top-to-bottom dedication to noir. Beyond the style, which is striking and comforting in equal measure, the series is swarming with corruption. The mob runs the city. The cops work with the mob. The politicians play both sides, and everyone else doesn’t know where to turn. Costumed vigilantes (meaning Batman and his flamboyant enemies) are framed as last-ditch reactions to a world that’s beyond saving by traditional means. When random citizens speak up, they’re talking about closed-down factories that leave locals hungry or poor neighborhoods abandoned (or even attacked) by the police. Old Gothamites see Batman as a menace because the establishment describes him as such. Young Gothamites see Batman as an inspiration: “Bout time someone gave these cops a lickin’,” a twenty-something says on the evening news.

The series could stand to take a few of these ideas further, in addition to going down more original avenues all its own, but “Batman: Caped Crusader” feels primed to do just that after an ideal first season. It’s entertaining, self-aware, and sturdy. It’s beautifully drawn, tightly written, and well-acted. (Diedrich Bader, Christina Ricci, and Jamie Chung are all excellent in their respective roles, while Hamish Linkalter is really flexing his range in 2024 — playing both Batman and Abraham Lincoln before appearing in the hotly anticipated adaptation of “The Nickel Boys” this fall.) It pays homage to what came before without feeling inhibited by the past, and its progressive mentality serves its genre just as well as its story.

Much of this could be said about previous versions of Batman, but that doesn’t take anything away from “Caped Crusader.” Casual fans should be happy, die-hards will find plenty to savor, and a new generation may be about to discover a Bat-series to call their own.

“Batman: Caped Crusader” premieres Thursday, August 1 on Amazon Prime Video . All 10 episodes of the first season will be released at once. The series has already been renewed for Season 2.

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