Third Person

Third Person

Solid dialogue can't talk its way past a cheat ending

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Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on June 2014

An eminent author (Liam Neeson) in Paris is carrying on with a society reporter half his age (Olivia Wilde). An irresponsible mother in New York (Mila Kunis) fights for child visitation rights. A small-time swindler (Adrien Brody) in Rome decides to help a gypsy girl (Moran Atias) retrieve her abducted sister. Paul Haggis (Crash) has found a way to interweave these three very different stories, but the final “twist” is a cheat of the “and then I woke up” school.  Telling you how that’s so would constitute a spoiler, but the title’s a hint. Liked the dialogue and the acting; hated being jerked around. (137 min)