SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

ActuallyGlimmer The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Lidia Draper Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

SnoopyStyle College professor Ethan Learner (Joaquin Phoenix), his wife Grace, their son Joah and daughter Emma (Elle Fanning) stop at a gas station late at night. Josh gets out. Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo) accidentally runs him over and drive away. Dwight is a divorced dad afraid of losing the limited custody of his son. Ethan is impatient for progress in the police investigation. He hires lawyers and Dwight turns out to be an associate in the firm. As the investigation tightens, the question becomes what what Ethan do when he finds the perpetrator.The actors are some of the best. The material is an unrelenting grind. It insists on pounding the emotional darkness. It is heavy. It also refuses to take sides. However, the crushing load doesn't lead to a satisfying ending. It's a long straight grind with some terrific actors doing good work. The ending could have gone several different ways but it seems to have taken the straight ahead main road.

Sherazade Ethan and Grace Learner (played superbly by Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connelly) are returning home with their two children Josh and Emma (played by Sean Curley and Elle Fanning) when they make an unscheduled stop at a gas station, while Ethan goes in search of wiper fluid, Grace takes Emma to the restroom while unbeknownst to both parents, Josh wanders off on his own to go and set free some fire flies he had captured for his sister but his mother said they couldn't keep. Meanwhile Dwight Arno (Mark Ruffalo) and his son Lucas (Eddie Alderson) are racing home to beat the boy's curfew for which his mother (Mira Sorvino) had been calling all day to remind them of. Dwight is divorced from Lucas' mother and though he's a lawyer, she controls visitation rights he does not want to forfeit. In a split second, Dwight is blinded by the high beams of a car in the opposite lane when he gets distracted by his ringing phone and he swerves to avoid a collision with the vehicle as his own car had already drifted past the lane divider in this confusion, he hits Josh, killing him instantly and doesn't stop to investigate. The devastating hit-and-run and the impact of Josh's death on his family, especially the psychological toll is takes on Ethan forms the rest of the movie.

MattyGibbs I happened upon this on Netflix the other day and it looked an interesting idea. Added to that it stars three of my favourite actors in Mark Ruffalo, Joaquin Phoenix and Jennifer Connolley. It's a pretty grim story and one that is particularly hard to watch if you have kids. Losing a child is every parents worst nightmare especially to something that may be avoidable like a hit and run. The film throws in an interesting curve-ball as the perpetrator of the crime Mark Ruffalo is not some low life scumbag but a normal loving father himself who is overcome by grief at the crime he has committed. It's a slow burning tale but excellently acted throughout by the three main players who bring the sad tale to life in a realistic and sensitive way. This is a fine film that explores a difficult subject well and whilst it is by no means a perfect movie (it loses it's way a little halfway through) it is well worth a watch for those that like hard hitting emotional drama.

board-5 Joaquin Phoenix,and Mark Ruffalo shines in this sad drama,sometimes they just too strong,it's their movie,screenplay writers wanted something more,but that is not enough strong to be enough memorable when these two fantastic actors are on the screen,but the movie has it's own message.Jennifer Connelly,and Mira Sorvino are not enough memorable in this,unfortunately the two main male characters pushed them to the invisible zone,I mean If I don't see the movies main page before I send this comment,I will not remember them.7/10-one of the better social-family dramas I've seen in this year.