"Hereafter" was definitely not what I expected. It's not often you see Matt Damon in a non-action role (save for his recent guest star role in TV's "30 Rock," which has been great so far), and to top that off, he's in a movie that Clint Eastwood directed. I also noticed that Steven Spielberg was listed as an executive producer. Combining these three elements, you would expect a great movie - and, in its own way, "Hereafter" is interesting - however, I found it to be a bit lengthy.
George Lonegan (Matt Damon, "Green Zone") has the ability to talk to the dead - a curse, as he sees it, but his brother Billy (Jay Mohr, TV's "Gary Unmarried") says it's a gift. He used to have a lucrative business in which he practiced this "talent," but he soon got sick of it - "A life about death is no life at all," he says, to paraphrase - and he stopped doing the readings and is now a factory worker. At the same moment in time, two other stories are happening around the globe: in London, a twin loses his brother in a car accident, and, in some undisclosed tropical location, a French woman (Cecile de France, "A Butterfly Kiss") almost drowns in a tsunami. These three stories end up converging at the end of the film, and the paths that lead them to their convergence are interesting.
Maybe see this movie. Matt Damon does a great job, as do the other main characters (Cecil de France as Marie, the French woman, and Frankie and George McLaren as the British twins). Bryce Dallas Howard ("Eclipse") also has a guest role as a friend of Damon's character, who later ends up deserting him once he does a reading for her. The three stories are definitely interesting, and I enjoyed seeing them unfold; however, in my opinion, parts of the movie lagged a bit. If you can stand Hereafter's 129 minute runtime, then you might enjoy this movie. I did enjoy it, which is why it merits a "Maybe"; it receives a "Maybe" instead of a "Yes," however, for its lagging, during which I was frequently checking my watch to see what time it was.
"Hereafter" opens in theaters on Friday, October 22nd.
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Liz Parker is a 2009 graduate of the University of Michigan. She currently works as an Assistant Medical Editor for a pathology website. Visit her at her movie blog Yes/No Films
