Crappy film

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

I Really Wanted to review this movie before but every time i tried i was Speechless my Thoughts were so loud,i couldn't hear my mouth like the song lyric goes....I loved this powerful story,powerful and touching performances by Benicio the King and whole cast from Halle till kids. Halle Berry shows all the drama happening around her Character truly. her face her act is exactly how it supposed to be,her voice her eyes she was Perfect! and So Was Benicio Del Toro! Oh Benicio Were you Addicted before?? i mean truly everyone who has or had any connections with drug addiction will say that Benicio truly acts like he is addicted! i mean in real life! i loved every Scene and Wholeevolution of movie from start till end, how Halle decided to drag Jerry(Benicio Del Toro) to her House was Brilliant(i mean when she found the lost money under the seat in car,when she thought that Jerry stole it). Also the Touching Scenes of Jerry When he is back to the Heroin and when Audrey(Halle Berry) starts rehab of Jerry at home. i Loved the end it isn't Banal at all.I wanted to say more but i cant express myself now really!so it is the best real life touching drama with great story and powerful performances. Applauds!

This was good, an emotionally powerful drama about grief, addiction and love. In all honesty its kind of an average film brought up a bar because of the extraordinary performances from Halle Barry and Benicio Del Toro -who is amazing. The pace is slow and its really a character study of their relationship which was intriguing to watch unfold.The story follows a grief stricken woman as she tries to forge a bond with her deceased husbands childhood friend, an ex-lawyer who is struggling with drug addiction. It's a bit jumpy in the beginning as we get a lot of flashbacks after the tragedy to show her husband (David Duchovny) in his life with his children, wife and friends. He really is a good guy here, stable and nice, family man.The movie is all about the after though and Barry does grief real well showing all sides (crazy, unhinged, angry, desperate) At times she's also full of hate which gets directed at 'Jerry', who just takes it. Del Doro is excellent, very believable and a little heartbreaking.About the only thing I disliked about this movie was the weird camera pans the director seemed obsessed with, where suddenly the audience is getting an extreme close-up of Halle Barry's lips or ear, David's hands or Benico's eyes. These shots were jarring and took me out of the moment. 5/24/15

I had high expectations when I saw "Things We Lost in the Fire", Partially because I am a huge fan of Halle Berry and the story structure looked at the most quite intriguing. Sad to say, it failed to give us a rich, deeply emotional story and that's where I deduct several points. Editing, production and a better script could have made this movie ten times more better than what was given to us.The story is set in the present times with well-timed flashbacks in the background to keep the story in tact. Halle Barry plays the role of Audrey Burke, a single woman with two daughters. Her husband Brian (David Duchovny) was tragically killed. From the flashbacks we are informed that Brian's friend from childhood Jerry (excellently portrayed by Benicio Del Toro) were still close even in adulthood only Jerry is now a heroin addict and that Brian has helped him throughout his ordeal by paying him a visit regularly and to provide groceries to him, much to the annoyance of Audrey who felt concerned about Brian visiting Jerry because of the bad side of town in which Jerry lives.In the complexity of Audrey's stems from two possibilities. It could be whether she wants to hang on to her husband's memory or just a simple need for attention, Audrey takes Jerry under her wing to help him overcome his addiction as she invites him under her roof and lets him sleep in her garage which is like a studio apartment in which she repetitively reminds us of "stuff that was lost in the fire" and Brian kept on constantly reminding her "we didn't lose each other and that's the most important" that's how the title came about.Audrey's multi-layered personification is to say the least comes across as at times unusual and at times self-centred as she makes unorthodox demands for Jerry like making him rub her ear lobes so that she can go to sleep at night. The scene itself makes me want to cringe in anger, I mean it was okay that she invited Jerry and be a part of her family, but also refuses Jerry to come anywhere close to her children. I guess this just adds to the complexity of her character. Sure it's nice that she wants to fill in her husband's void to get this dude on the straight and narrow, but for him to resort to force him into rubbing her ears is just overdone and lacks any believable traits to the story.On the whole the performances were quite impressive, but the dialogue feels contrived to the extent that we get the feeling that director Susanne Bier's been watching several episodes of Dr. Phil with the continual saying rubbed in our faces that we must "take things one day at a time". The whole psychology of the film makes the subject matter saccharine and superficial. To me this whole predicament makes me very uncomfortable and insults my intelligence for that matter. The kids are offered stereotypical ridiculous lines like the one daughter who screamed at Jerry accusing him for "taking over her father's place." Sure broken families are everywhere, but I don't think children really talk this way. If I talked that way to my dad I would have been grounded. It's only just people assuming how kids would react in those kind of situations. The reaction I got shocked me and angered me at the same time.If you thought the script was appalling, the direction does not fare any better. Miss Bier assumes that in-your-face close-ups of one's eyes springs emotions and artistic merits or any kind of importance. I was wondering, why the eyeball close-ups? Does she have some kind of strange eye fetish or something? There was nothing significant to it at all. It didn't make the movie any more better. It just wandered off like a lost sheep. The only good thing about the direction is that Miss Bier did was that she let her performers utilize their acting chops even though the material given to them was scarce and not very satisfying. In addition the flashbacks were handled with care and set them at the right time and it was quite informative and compelling.Although I ranted more than I raved I still give this movie a six out of ten. The acting was sublime, the subject of the matter holds one's interest, and Halle Berry turns in a brilliant performance even through her complex nature. Sadly the editing, the script and the directing brought the film down which had a lot of potential going for it. I still recommend those who want to see it, and I hope that if you see it you won't be upset with all the faults that come with it.

Benicio del Toro's facial gestures are captivating from beginning to end. He wedges in occasional humor to a tragic situation. A harrowing depiction of a once successful attorney turned heroin addict masterfully performed by del Toro. His presence and personae command the screen. It's inspiring to see the main character maintain a sense of dignity about him even during the nadir of his life. No facades about what he does to survive, or the occasional deplorable state of his body. Refreshing cynicism. He derives a sense of self-worth from his brains. The alternating affluent and adverse living conditions don't compromise his authenticity. One roots for him to rise from the ashes. In real life it would be highly unlikely for someone in his situation to have one, let alone four wealthy people (a couple of them strangers) trying to help him get a second wind. Creative dialog. Excellent supporting actors, including charming children. It needed a less sad title to attract a larger audience. Benicio should have been nominated for awards for this one.