See You in Valhalla (2015) Reviews

• Woefully frustrating for the first half, but the resolution makes up for most of it.

  lnvicta2015-05-07

  See You in Valhalla is a very frustrating movie. I can't say it's a bad movie, I can't say it's a good movie, but I can say with confidence that it is an exhausting watch. The plot of the movie makes things inherently dark: a brother kills himself so his two brothers, sister, and their significant others return to their dad's home to mourn his death and patch up old wounds. So kind of like The Big Chill except it's a family and they all hate each other. Don't be fooled by the labelling - this is NOT a comedy. Sure there are a few chuckle-worthy moments here and there but the tone is so bleak and depressing for most of the runtime and it prevents any joke from gaining momentum. There's no lightheartedness in this movie. This is a character driven drama and for half of the movie you hate every character. Seriously. I had no idea who I was supposed to root for; it was just a bunch of people either yelling at each other or reciting painfully awkward dialogue. Seriously, the writing is horrendous in this film. I'm sure the filmmakers wanted the tension to be impactful but it just comes across as forced, cringeworthy, and borderline whiny. Things change when more is revealed about certain characters, namely the sister Jo (played by Sarah Hyland). I won't spoil anything but you begin to relate to her once she opens up and things go uphill from there. I think the problem is that there are way too many characters. At one point I was like "wait, who am I watching on screen right now?" People come and go. Some only appear in like a scene, some appear in a couple and never show up again, and the worst part is that even these minor characters are insufferable. The movie really sucks during the moments where everyone's antagonizing one another; it's just uncomfortable and no one wants to see that. However occasionally there are sparks of something more, like a truly touching story hidden behind this abysmal dialogue. I know something beautiful is under there... buried under all that sh*t... Again, it's frustrating. You can't blame any of these actors for what they were given. Sarah Hyland definitely has the potential to carry a movie but aside a few moments where she does show off her dramatic acting chops, her potential isn't given enough time to be realized. One standout performance was Steve Howey as Makewi. He was the funniest part about the movie. At first I thought he would be the really cliché open-minded hippie (that ended up being another character) but he's actually a lot smarter than he initially lets on and ends up being one of the deepest and most genuine characters. The role could have easily been bombed by another actor but Howey knocks it out of the park. I believed his character. That's more than I can say for half of the family. Peter also had funny moments but he was just Jo's date. Literally the only likable people are not part of the family. So basically See You in Valhalla is a very depressing episode of Modern Family that is dragged out for 80 minutes. The family does grow on you eventually but by then it's too little too late. I have to give the movie props for handling this subject matter and making it somewhat effective in the end, and for that alone I give it a 5.5/10, rounded up because I'm nice like that. But I can't think of a single reason to watch this movie. If it's on TV one day and you want to revel in sadness and ice cream then sure give it a watch. You won't remember it being good, or bad. Just... agh. You get the picture. Speaking of pictures, almost every character in this movie carries a picture with them at all times. It's weird.

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• Absolutely NOT a bad movie !!

  marceldorenbos2015-04-29

  To be honest..... Not a bad movie at all !! I don't get the bad reviews, because I could actually relate to all of the characters. And yes, because I'm a musician, I've seen them all, and they do exist ! And yes, I've seen families like this and they do exist ! One guy a bit out of it ( not gonna tell you which one..), but it is believable. And, well.... It's a comedy-drama... There is not much action, but it is well paced, with the comedy just let to speak for itself. And the drama did just as much. Not the best movie of all times, but certainly not the worst ! I liked it ! And what's this thing here on IMDb ? With their 10 lines minimum ??? Morons !!

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• Don't know why, but I like it.

  doktorroev2015-04-25

  As soon as I finished the movie, I went in here to see what people was saying about it. The reason for this, was that I really liked this movie and I don't know why. As I read on metacritic, I would agree it has all been seen and done before, but for some reason, this just felt right and believable. Especially one scene which seems to re-live childhood brotherly shenanigans (totally saw my brother and me back then - and some time we still do it ;) ) The viking angle was something I found enjoyable, perhaps because I'm a dane - I don't know. But what he said, could have been said by friend of mine who practice Asa-faith (The believe of the vikings). To sum it up; Good movie. Been done before but somehow, this one is different.

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• Beautiful film about family

  shorty6_1_902015-04-25

  First of all quite a cast although there were several members of the cast who I thought would have more imperative roles. A fan of Modern Family I find that Sarah Hyland's performance was very good and believable. I thought this film was a beautiful of a family working through their problems in a time of tragedy with the father trying to get the family back together with all the members pushing themselves away. The issues I have with this film are that there were several aspects that weren't explained. I also felt that there was a certain aspect of Johana's life that didn't get enough closure. However overall it was a beautiful film where the lost members of this family realize what is truly important.

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• A family comedy for an unusual angle

  JeromeArlettaz2015-04-25

  I love the characters, rather caricatured to stay in comedy, but with enough subtlety to take human shape. It reminded me how close people can be violent with each other when not fulfilling each other's expectations. I guess it reminded me of something somehow. One scene is particularly intense and realistic. I'm not a family guy, so the message of this category of movies usually leaves me cold. It's probably the only family movie that touched me somehow. I've never seen a movie from Jarret Tarnol, so I'll try to watch some others. I'm surprised the rating is so, low, as I'm usually the one underrating. It may be due to the weak scenario.

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