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 --