Best movie of this year hands down!

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Best movie ever!

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

There are many aspects to Hateship Loveship lay a groundwork of excellence even before you look at the first frame. Guy Pearce is who drew me to choose it through netflix, as I've never seen a movie of his I didn't like and list him at the top of my charts for fine actors. That said, it was only when I got the disc going that I saw the movie is based on an Alice Munro short story, and she's a fine author with powerful themes. Exceptional supporting cast members Jennifer Jason Leigh and Nick Nolte sealed the deal in knowing there was a better than average chance that this heretofore unheard of cinema would be an enriching experience in watching. It was only after getting to the end of the film that I realize how often dynamic tension that is created in plots leads to some anxiety-producing situation that oftentimes ends in disappointment. To get to the end of Hateship Loveship without that happening was so satisfying! That said, Kristen Wiig had me hooked from the opening scene. She is the central figure upon which the plot revolves and she maintains that centrism throughout. Her awkwardness is almost palpable and elicited a pain in my own heart as I watched her stoically navigate through a world where she is an invisible accessory that makes life easier for those around her. It is only when she becomes visible that she becomes vulnerable. There is the heart of a champion that waits within, and it is when an eye sees her that it begins beating.Guy Pearce plays his character flawlessly. The son in-law on eggshells around his father in-law. The father who wants to be whole with his daughter again. The cokehead who is caught between two worlds. The halfassed boyfriend of another cokehead. The man who is suddenly caught in the spotlight of an affection-starved oddball. What happens from the time the spotlight begins shining cannot be forgotten. Love's heartbeat begins the world anew for all. To watch makes me feel almost like an aesthete voyeur, privileged.This film is a keeper and will be watched many times. Thank you to all involved in the making of it.

This too, for me, was initially so dreadful (and I thought... potentially depressing) a story (initially) that I stopped watching it after about 20 minutes...BUT!!! A couple months later, I watched Kristen Wigg in "Bridesmaids" (a second time, this time to observe Ms. Wigg)... and realized (in addition to her talents shown in "Welcome to Me") that Kristen was actually a POWERFUL actress, with a BROAD range of talent and acting ability...SO... I gave it another chance, last night, realizing that this NON-major NON-Hollywood production was a personal acting choice for Kristen, for the real CHALLENGE it presented...!!! and I'm SO very glad I did.I started over, watching it from the beginning, with a new understanding of the role.Her line "I have what I want." was such a moving moment (and resonated as a point of strength and stability that I happen to really need (a nightmare boss) to realize in MY life) that it became something of a mantra, to put my mind to rest, last night.Now, having watched Kristen Wigg perform in "Girl Most Likely" and "The Skeleton Twins", I'm simply filled with admiration for what I consider her phenomenal talent, as a versatile actress.I want to add that I thought Guy Pierce was FLAWLESS, and (little downer here) Nick Nolte's facial features... were (how to put this...) disturbing and distracting.Otherwise... a TERRIFIC Film!!!

Being funny on the screen seems effortless to Kristen Wiig. Her comedic clowning skills are on a par with Lucille Ball and Shelly Long. Sincerity, however, doesn't come as easily — especially when her character is plain and charmless.HATESHIP LOVESHIP sat on the Thriftway DVD rental shelf for several weeks. I took note of its great cast: Wiig, supported by Guy Pierce, Nick Nolte, Hailee Steinfeld, Christine Lahti, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. What could go wrong there? My memories of GIRL MOST LIKELY (which was supposed to be a comedy, but whiffed miserably) prevented me from taking the chance. Wiig's performance as said GIRL lacked any charm whatsoever; she was drab, homely, and totally unappealing. So, what was she going to do with this, her first dramatic role? It didn't look promising at all.Finally, I took HATESHIP LOVESHIP home. And, I'm so very glad I did. What a splendid collaboration between star, cast, screenwriter, director and crew in this adaptation of Alice Munro's short story. Ain't no heroes here. These are real, extremely flawed human beings. They might live next door to anyone. They might be anyone.Wiig's Johanna is a caretaker. That's what makes her life make sense. And, that's her odd beauty. She also finds herself attracted to bad boy Ken (Pierce) a drug-addicted user with delusions of accomplishing something that will finally give him independence.But no one in this story seems to feel entitled to anything. They've all been wounded. So they protect themselves.No one is hanging from a cliff. No clock is ticking. No fuse is burning down. Yet, somehow watching Johanna scrub a long-neglected bathtub filled me with worry, hoping she wasn't setting herself up for disaster.The sex scenes, while not showing any nudity, are luscious and beautiful. I hope to see more of Liza Johnson. She is one gifted and inspired director.Yeah, maybe Ken will never change. But it won't be for Johanna's lack of patience, and devotion. The story leaves us rootin' for the dude — and loving her. The doormat has won his respect and admiration. And ours. She deserves it.

Includes ***spoiler***, so marked.This is another one to add to the list of recent superlative female performances in the last few years. They just keep coming. If a lack of action or "character driven" defines a chick-flick, then I guess this one qualifies. But for me, its tone just doesn't put it in that category. And even for those who don't believe in awards, the melding of the truly imaginative screenplay with Kristen Wiig's superb, often wordless performance of it, would probably prompt a lot of them to make an exception for this magnificent film.In the scene with the Chinese food, and taking it in the scene's context, Kristen delivered the most wicked grin ever recorded in film history. It makes an artistic set piece to accompany Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile in oil and canvas, only here you know what prompted it.***spoiler***In the last scene where Kristen stands in front of her unintended benefactor (Sami Gayle), listening to her explaining her cookie cutter plans for the future to someone, you can feel Kristen weighing her options for a response. When Sami rudely asks "What do you want?", it makes up Kristen's mind for her, and she responds perfectly, "I have what I want" (instead of a possibly helpful suggestion that she consider a career in writing). I thought at first they'd missed the boat there, but then I realized the audience could savor both, while Sami's character could wallow on her shallow journey towards square-filling non-fulfillment. That double spoken/unspoken statement is another milestone for me as well.***spoiler*** 95/100