Uncle, Nephew, Love
Manchester by the Sea
Review by Ross Anthony

I'm a fan of Casey Affleck, so I was looking forward to this film. While he does a fine enough job here, his performance didn't knock my socks off as much as ... say .. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. (Part of the reason for that is just the nature of this role.) Likewise, the film plays well enough, but falls just a bit short of being the must-see I thought it'd be. Were my expectations too high? Perhaps.

That said, I find it very interesting to compare this film to The Shack – the premises are very nearly parallel, but the means and ends are curiously different. In fact, their differences provide juicy prompts for a lively meaningful discussion. It should be noted tht "The Shack" is very often hokey, where "Manchester By the Sea" is quite the opposite.

Btw, loved the last scene with Lee and ex - powerful! And I greatly appreciate, that despite the harsh words, or raised voices, whenever the Uncle and Nephew are in a scene together -- the viewer can always feel the love between them.

-- Books by Author/Illustrator Ross Anthony --


  • Manchester by the Sea. Copyright © 2016.
  • Starring Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, Michelle Williams. Written and Directed by Kenneth Lonergan. Amazon Studios.

Grade..........................B+ (2.5/4)


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Copyright © 1998-2023 Ross Anthony, Author - Speaker - Solo World Circumnavigator In addition to reviewing films and interviewing celebs at HollywoodReportCard.com, traveling the world, composing great music, motivational speaking, Mr. Anthony also runs his own publishing company in the Los Angeles area. While traversing the circumference of the planet writing books and shooting documentaries, Mr. Anthony has taught, presented for, worked &/or played with locals in over 30 countries & 100 cities (Nairobi to Nagasaki). He's bungee-jumped from a bridge near Victoria Falls, wrestled with lions in Zimbabwe, crashed a Vespa off a high mountain road in Taiwan, and ridden a dirt bike across the States (Washington State to Washington DC). To get signed books ("Rodney Appleseed" to "Jinshirou") or schedule Ross to speak check out: www.RossAnthony.com or call 1-800-767-7186. Go into the world and inspire the people you meet with your love, kindness, and whatever it is you're really good at. Check out books by Ross Anthony. Rand() functions, Pho chicken soup, rollerblading, and frozen yogurt (w/ blueberries) also rock! (Btw, rand is short for random. It can also stand for "Really Awkward Nutty Dinosaurs" -- which is quite rand, isn't it?) Being alive is the miracle. Special thanks to Ken Kocanda, HAL, Jodie Keszek, Don Haderlein, Mom and Pops, my family, R. Foss, and many others by Ross Anthony. Galati-FE also deserves a shout out. And thanks to all of you for your interest and optimism. Enjoy great films, read stirring novels, grow.


Last Modified: Tuesday, 27-Jun-2017 13:03:06 PDT