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Carnage

kdk March 21, 2012
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Read Time:3 Minute, 28 Second

Whether you grew up in the city or the suburbs, you probably know a thing or two about life on the playground. On the playground, friendships grow and break down again in a matter of hours. Alliances are formed and broken. And, every once in a while, things get nasty.



Fortunately, things change as we get older, right? We become more civilized, more rational. And we’re able to handle things like grown-ups. Or at least that’s what two pairs of parents attempt to do in Roman Polanski’s Carnage.



After their eleven-year-old sons are involved in a playground fight, the Cowans and the Longstreets meet to discuss the situation and work through it like adults. After drafting a document about the incident, the four of them sit down for a friendly cup of coffee. But their awkward attempt at neighborly conversation quickly spirals out of control as their real personalities come out—and alliances are formed and broken down quicker than they are on any playground.



Based on a play by Yasmina Reza, Carnage is an extremely simple film—just four characters in one small apartment, their polite façade gradually crumbling over the course of a short, 80-minute conversation. With so little action—and so few distractions—you might expect it to drag. But the small cast generally manages to make these strong characters, their different perspectives, and their wildly swinging emotions absolutely fascinating.



The four characters offer a wonderful mash-up of diverse personalities—which the award-winning stars accentuate with robust performances. Christoph Waltz shines as Alan Cowan, a preoccupied lawyer who’s obviously more devoted to his job than he is to his wife or their unruly son. In the times when he’s not taking business calls on his ubiquitous BlackBerry, he often faces off against Jodie Foster’s snippy, self-righteous Penelope Longstreet, whose coldly polite demeanor quickly collapses.



But Alan and Penelope aren’t the only two adversaries in the room. At one point or another, it seems that each person sides with one of the others, only to change alliances in the next breath. Kate Winslet’s cool Nancy Cowan battles both the Longstreets and her own husband as she tries to defend her marriage, her parenting, and her son. And even John C. Reilly’s easygoing, accommodating Michael Longstreet finally snaps when he’s confronted about his treatment of his daughter’s beloved pet.



In the end, Carnage definitely lives up to its title, with an attempt at mature conflict resolution quickly turning into a verbal massacre that makes playground justice seem like, well, child’s play. Sharply witty and delightfully over-played, it’s a simply entertaining train wreck of a film.





DVD Review:


The four talented stars of Roman Polanski’s Carnage helped to make it the sharp and entertaining film that it is—and you’ll get much more of them on the film’s DVD release.



The special features menu includes a few extras—most of which focus on the cast. In the super-short On the Red Carpet, the cast, crew, and various others discuss the film and the philosophy behind it while walking the red carpet at the film’s premiere. The cast members then go on to discuss the film in a little more depth in the slightly longer Actors’ Notes. Here, you’ll hear a little more about the filmmaking process—and about working with a renowned director like Polanski.



For the most in-depth discussion of the film, though, you’ll want to watch An Evening with John C. Reilly & Christoph Waltz, an amusing half-hour interview with the two male leads, who offer all kinds of interesting little behind-the-scenes tidbits. Both stars are likeable and easy-going and entertaining—with great rapport—making it a fun feature to watch.



Whether you have just a few minutes or a full hour to spare, be sure to take a look at one or two of the extras on the Carnage DVD release. No matter which one you choose, you’re sure to learn something new about this captivating little film.

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About Post Author

kdk

Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it. Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course. As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com). Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
kdk@nightsandweekends.com
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kdk

Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.

Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.

As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).

Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.

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