Purely Joyful Movie!

Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

I liked this movie and found it an interesting character study that creates a hypnotic viewing experience. A few times the writing can be a bit overboard, but it's mostly very good.The one scene that stood out to me as really out of character was one towards the first where the character Paul runs off into the woods and starts crying. To me, it seemed vary unlikely that it would've happened this way. It doesn't seem likely, and this seemed more like a blunt object to set up the plot and background than coming out of the character here.To me, this movie was much more interesting for things that were unsaid than for the things that were said. The negative space is used well and I was glad they didn't follow up everything with some explanation of what happened next. You have to stay observant and make connections rather than expecting to be spoon fed. Nothing is certain in life, and neither is this movie. If you want a very linear storyline then go see something else. But if you want to examine the edges of things that are said and things that are meant, but not said, this is a good movie.Fascinating to watch. Peri Gilpin's brief appearance was perfect, also.

The incomparable Ned Beatty shines so brightly in this soft and simple on the surface buddy film that gets deeper and more meaningfully philosophical as the continued shared conversation about all aspects of life changes each man for the better. Kind of like a blue collar version of the '80's film, My Dinner With Andre.The story was set in a city park where both men worked in park maintenance jobs, and their progressively more personal conversations while they worked(or sat around goofing off)helped them gain more and more trust in each other over time. All the work-related fence painting, leaf blowing, planting and other simple duties they did demonstrated well that what we all do in life is mostly the same small maintenance things over and over no matter how we might glorify or belittle them. That's most of life.....basic routine. And we are better off for it as it tends to "set us straight" and keep us on track, a point the film clearly intended to make. Liv Schreiber was excellent as the ex-con workmate so very curious and perplexed about what makes life and people tick, and conveyed well an interesting and informed blue collar philosophy along with an almost desperate sincerity to find a way to set and keep his life straight after a criminal mistake sidetracked him and caused him to be distrustful of others and society in general. Ned's character had some tortured soul problems too as, for example, he had a son die from AIDs and he was still confused and very hurt that the good friends who knew his nice son as he grew up forgot that friendship and turned on him when they found he was gay. In a climactic scene with a desperate young mother late in the film, a point was emphasized that we all can get very unrealistic and maybe even crazy at times about the importance of the unfortunate things that happen in our lives, but there is nothing better than human caring and benevolence to help us try to set it right. Jesus, Buddha and Mohammed would surely agree.Spring Forward is the perfect title for filmmaker and writer Tom Gilroy's sincere film, as both men in this soul-nourishing story did spring forward as a result of their growing companionship and sharing and were ultimately better men for it. We should all be so lucky in life. And, all who see this film will be lucky that they saw it.

I loved the non-narrative style with self-contained scenes. It was refreshing to experience a non-narrative film since so much of Hollywood's product these days is narrative-driven. It was easy to follow what was happening without a linear story line. Too bad more films don't have the courage to go to black between scenes and start on a new tack.Also liked the sense of place. The locations were just beautiful and the compositions of the shots were skillfully done. I especially liked shots like the flashing light on top of the truck coming out of the snow bank. The sound track of birds, trains, and all the things that make time and places memorable to us was really enjoyable.

A rare delight for those of us who watch a movie more for the acting techniques than for the explosions and bikini babes. Beatty and Schrieber portray two city workers who muse about their lives during their day to day working relationship. Nothing really major happens. No plot twists abound. No great arc of transference happens in the plot, just a gentle "getting to know you" feeling develops as the viewer gets drawn into the story very gently. I've seen lots of movies and I must say this is one where I couldn't predict what would happen next because it defies Hollywood traditions by choosing the natural moments in life to focus on rather than the supernatural. It's a small gem for those that prefer their movies to be more introspective than most