If one were to judge a movie by the amount of times it brings one to tears, this would unquestionably be a '10'. However there's a definite attempt at manipulation here, and I felt the story's central premise of Oskar Schell's (Thomas Horn) trying to locate the former owner of a key from over six hundred possibilities, and using only his foot power to interview them, stretched all the bounds of credibility the picture might have had. Now you can't fault any of the players for that, as the young actor here performed admirably; getting through that complicated monologue at one point was astonishing. I liked Tom Hanks' limited role as well, effectively conveying the attributes of a dedicated father to help his son reach his full potential as a human being with a limiting Asperger's condition. Set against the backdrop of the 9/11 World Trade Center disaster, the story prompted me to consider just how many families with young kids had to endure the torment of losing loved ones and carry that memory forward for the rest of their lives. The primary message coming out of this story for me was best conveyed by one of the hand written messages left by the elder Thomas Schell/The Renter (Max Von Sydow) for his young ward. Afraid and paranoid of virtually every new obstacle to achieving his goal, Thomas eventually found comfort in the advice that "Sometimes we have to face our fears". It's a valuable lesson for everyone, though I would have liked the picture to allow some closure for the elderly man himself. Unlike the hulking Chief Bromden in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", who chose not to speak except for those two words to R.P. McMurphy ("...ahh, Juicyfruit."), the mysterious renter could have provided an added measure of consolation to his grandson if he had only followed his own advice.
