Merolliv
I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.
HomeyTao
For having a relatively low budget, the film's style and overall art direction are immensely impressive.
Janis
One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.
truemythmedia
This movie really is kind of a 'meh," for me. It has couple of shining lights, Annette Bening's (20th Century Women) and Corey Stoll's (House of Cards) performances for one, but overall, there just isn't much to grab the attention here.
Dave McClain
"The Seagull" (PG-13, 1:38) is a drama directed by television movie and series helmer Michael Mayer and written by Stephen Karam ("Speech & Debate"), based on the oft-performed classic play of the same name by renowned 19th century Russian theater and short story writer Anton Chekhov. This American version features an all-star cast with multiple Oscar and Golden Globe nominees/winners.The story is very character-driven and more about the development and journeys of the various characters than an overarching narrative. The action takes place in and around the Russian country home of Irina (Annette Bening), an actress who still works, but whose glory days are behind her. Also living there are her brother, Sorin (Brian Dennehy), a man in failing health who never realized his dream of becoming a writer, and Irina's son, Konstantin (Billy Howle), who is a manic-depressive aspiring playwright who wants nothing more than to earn the respect of his cruel, self-absorbed mother.Others at the house include the groundskeeper (Glenn Fleshler) and his wife (Mare Winningham). They're treated like members of the family, but subject to the arbitrary and capricious whims of the lady of the house - and worry about what would happen if they anger her. Irina herself is married to a man named Boris (Corey Stoll), who is a successful writer. She seems to want to be with him mainly because of his fame, but he's the kind of man who may not be satisfied with the same woman for too long.And that brings us to the various love triangles. Konstantin has a girlfriend, an aspiring actress named Nina (Saoirse Ronan) who has trouble reaching out to him when he's in one of his moods, but she's also attracted to another. An unassuming school teacher is pursuing the groundskeeper's jaded daughter, Masha (Elisabeth Moss), but she's interested in someone else in the household. And so it goes. Not much happens outside the estate, but the characters develop and some of their conflicts are resolved. "The Seagull" is an entertaining version of Chekov's classic play. His 19th century sensibilities may not be to the taste of modern Movie Fans and the Russian setting (although the characters all speak in English) may be just too foreign for some, but the story explores life, love and longing, universal themes to which most people can relate. This is a great actors' showcase, and every member of the cast rises to the challenge. Every one of those characters are interesting and well-developed, but also basically selfish... although that's kind of the point. "B+"
xopollo
This was one of best artful camera work, soundtrack, acting and directing I have seen in a long time. All women's characters are in the foreground and are so well developed, so different, so rich, so interesting ... with something peculiar about each one of them. The camera was seeing every woman with love.... bravo!Annette Benning is such a vulnerable, profound, complex, genius and tender comic. Please crown this regal actor - she is perfection...Costumes!!!! Spectacular... - Oscars due!!!! Exquisite execution.... eye candy... The garments are big players in this film. >> Appreciate what an important role a bustier plays in the scene where Gorina is begging her lover to not leave her: touching, funny, embarrassing, sexy, paradoxically perfect. The men were terrific too, and in the ensemble, I did care about all of the characters. The Seagull delivers to the viewers pure tender pleasure to revel in human drama of love while allowing them to chuckle at least a dozen times in the comedy of life.
GManfred
I wish I could have taken a course on Russian Playwrights when I was in college, that way I could have some insight into Chekhov's psyche. Absent that, I will do my best with "The Seagull", one of Chekhov's most famous plays. As I said in the heading, it is about relationships, and peculiar in that everyone involved loves someone else. Without going into dizzying detail, this labyrinthine nature of the plot requires concentration, in the absence of a scorecard.The overall mood of the play is gloom and despair, as though love casts a pall over the proceedings. It is 1904, at a Russian mountain resort. Without going into painful detail (just read the website's storyline), there are at least four unhappy couples with their hearts in pain, and the main star is Annette Bening, who gives a terrific performance as an aging actress trying to stay young. Elisabeth Moss is a name I am unfamiliar with but she was excellent as a woman desperately in love with Bening's son (Billy Howle, out of his element here), who is in love with Saoirse Ronan. I'll stop here before it becomes confusing.All in all, the film is handsomely mounted and, as far as I can tell, faithful to the material. I wish I could have generated more feeling for the principals involved, but I grew restless waiting for an impactful scene.
