Collateral Beauty (Will Smith, Ed Norton, Kate Winslet. Helen Mirren, Michael Pena, Naomie Harris, Jacob Latimore, Keira Knightley) – The premise of this film emerges before the title hits the screen: Love, Time and Death dominate the human experience.
This star-studded story of grief, fear, and empathy centers on the unthinkable, emotional journey of the majority owner of a Manhattan advertising agency following the death of his 6-year-old daughter. Howard (Will Smith) has shut down, disconnected, become erratic, quit eating, and stopped working. He can’t even say the child’s name.
His partner, Whit (Ed Norton) has tried to engage him for the two years since the tragic death. The lesser co-owners of the agency, Claire (Kate Winslet) and Simon (Michael Pena), are equally frustrated with Howard’s eccentricities and disconnection but empathize more deeply. With the agency’s future on the line and many of its customers tied closely to Howard, the trio seeks a way either to bring Howard back from the abyss or at least get him to agree to a sale of the agency. Whit hires a private investigator to find out what Howard is doing and whether he has gone over the deep end. It turns out Howard has been writing letters to Love, Death, and Time, expressing his disdain for each.
A chance meeting between Whit and Amy, an actress auditioning for one of the agency’s ads, leads to a way-off-Broadway theater where Amy and two other actors are rehearsing a new play. Keira Knightley plays Amy; Helen Mirren is Brigitte; and Jacob Latimore is Raffi. Whit & Co. hires them to impersonate Love, Time and Death and engage Howard. In his state of mind, Howard buys in.
The rest of the movie will either tug at your heartstrings or test all credulity … or both. You will probably feel manipulated (cause you are), and you may guess the ending. But you might be OK with that.
Watching this outstanding cast of scene-stealers trying to act as an ensemble might be worth the price of admission. That might be the Achilles heel of Collateral Beauty. There are just too many well-known lead actors trying to play bit parts. Actually, the surprise performance comes from the lesser-known Naomie Harris, who plays the woman who leads a support group for parents who have endured the death of a child. Harris was also exceptional in Moonlight in the breakout performance of the year.
Critics have been brutal with this film, which isn’t fair. It is not nearly as bad as the reviews. Just be ready for an emotional hour-and-a-half; take some Kleenex; and don’t expect too much.