Look for the award nominations to come

I saw the movie Manchester by the Sea today. Definitely well acted and beautifully filmed. But it isn’t a joyous romp for the season.

The story centers on Lee. We meet him at his job as fix-it man for several apartment buildings. He gets paid minimum wage and given a room. His customer relation skills are definitely lacking. He is called back to his hometown of Manchester when his brother Joe dies. Much to Lee’s surprise, he is given guardianship of Patrick, Joe’s 16 year old son. We see flashbacks to Patrick growing up and the good times the boy had with father and uncle. We also see the horrible event, the reason why Lee had left and why he doesn’t want to stay in town.

There were a few times, such as when Patrick has a meltdown, when I wanted to shout at Lee, sheesh, guy, give the kid a hug. Then again, Lee is emotionally damaged too. The situation is resolved by the end of the movie, but not really in the way I had hoped.

I’d recommend the movie as finely acted, but it isn’t a feel-good movie.