141. The Bachelors; movie review

THE BACHELORS
Cert 15
97 mins
BBFC advice: Contains scene of self harm

After all his hard man roles, J.K. Simmons proves that he can be a big softie too.
But, while his performance in The Bachelors is one to admire, this predictable weepie is just a too downbeat for either the tastes of Mrs W or me.
Sadly, Mrs W has lived with much tragedy in her family, having lost her father when she was young and two sisters and her mum since the millennium.
Thus, I thought that Kurt Voelker's movie might touch a nerve with her more than me. It didn't.
Simmons stars as Bill, a bereaved father who is hopelessly depressed following the death of his wife just 61 days after diagnosis with cancer.
Unable to stay in the family home, he uproots with his son (Josh Wiggins) whom he places in the posh school where he has got a job as a maths teacher.
Thus, the poor lad is faced with trying to acclimatise to an unforgiving new environment as well as coming to terms with the loss of his mum.
His plight seems to have positive possibilities when he is homework-partnered with an attractive if sullen girl (Odeya Rush) from a nearby school.
However, it transpires that her woes are almost as deep as his and, when he is not cajoling his father out of his depression, he is attempting to resolve hers.
Enter French teacher Julie Delpy who desperately tries to add a smiling face to The Bachelors but is fighting a losing battle.
The Bachelors has a thoroughly decent cast playing thoroughly decent folk beset by tragedy and turmoil but it was just too miserable for us to really enjoy and, worse still, its resolution to its sadness was far far too easy.
Indeed, a good 30 minutes before its finale, Mrs W and I described to each other exactly how it was going to finish.
We were disappointed when we were right on every count.

Reasons to watch: Heart-rending performance by J.K. Simmons
Reasons to avoid: Way too predictable denouement

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 5.5/10

Director's statement - Kurt Voelker: "What initially inspired me to write The Bachelors was a strong desire to explore the incredible power of father-son relationships, coupled with an equally strong desire to tap into the rich milieu of my adolescence."

The big question - How is it possible to get over the death of a loved one?

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