The Florida Project (2017)

[Steph J]

Anyone else seen this?  I thought it was pretty good right up until the ending, which I hated (though it did prompt someone in the theater to loudly exclaim, "What?" which made me laugh).  Willem Dafoe is excellent, wouldn't surprise me at all if he gets an Oscar nomination, as many people seem to be predicting.  Alexis Zabe's cinematography is also fantastic; the movie is full of really striking images.

[Browncoat]

I finally got to see it tonight, and I agree.  It was an interesting slice of Florida life that no one ever thinks about, especially that close to the House of Mouse.  I have to think a little more about the ending.  I mean, obviously it was a fantasy, but whose?  Moonee's or Jancey's?  But I suppose if you're going to have a fantasy about running away to live happily ever after, why not Cinderella's castle?

I loved the way Willem Dafoe handled the pedophile, and really the kids in general.  You could tell he actually cared about his people even while mostly being powerless to help them.

It's also interesting to compare these "projects" to the ones depicted in Moonlight.

[methodwriter85]

I loved that they didn't mince words when it came to Moonee's mother. They didn't try to make her some noble, put-upon woman who just has to become a prostitute. She is in a hell of her own making, and she's dragging her daughter into it. I like how they contrasted Haley with Ashley, who isn't perfect either but is genuinely trying to make her situation better.

On 10/29/2017 at 10:09 PM, Steph J said:

  I thought it was pretty good right up until the ending, which I hated (though it did prompt someone in the theater to loudly exclaim, "What?" which made me laugh).

I thought Brooklyn's acting was good right up until the ending. It reminded me of how a child acts when they're trying to cry to get sympathy, but they're not really crying. That was the one false note I got from her acting.

As for the Disney stuff...I didn't really like it, but I got why it ended that way. Mooney's deal throughout the entire movie is going on her "adventures", and this is the final one before she has to leave.

[AnnieHeights]

I was so hoping there were more people discussing this movie! I finally watched it yesterday and have mixed emotions.  

My thoughts:  The actors were incredibly good and I felt like I was truly watching a portion of someone's life and not a movie.  I had no sympathy for Moonee's mother Hayley, I believed she loved her daughter but the way she raised her and the things she taught her were appalling.  She was a taker and was teaching her daughter to be the same way.  The scenes where people were lined up to receive the free groceries, Moonee snatched the things she wanted without a thought of being thankful, asking adults for money for ice cream and lying about the reasons, etc.  Ashley got more of my empathy because she recognized her son would keep getting into trouble if he continued hanging around Moonee and she (Ashley) at least held down a job and was giving them free food up until she had enough of Haley.  Willem Defoe continued to be his awesome self.  He played a good balance of being a moral person without being overly judgmental, which would be really hard with everything he sees on a daily basis.  I liked how there wasn't really a plot, no real redemption arc, just a harsh reality of people living (surviving) how they felt like they had to and all in the close proximity of the 'Happiest Place on Earth'.  I was fine with the ending as well.....there was no real way to 'wrap it up' since there was no real plot.                    

[methodwriter85]

On 3/26/2018 at 2:50 PM, AnnieHeights said:

I had no sympathy for Moonee's mother Hayley, I believed she loved her daughter but the way she raised her and the things she taught her were appalling.  She was a taker and was teaching her daughter to be the same way.  The scenes where people were lined up to receive the free groceries, Moonee snatched the things she wanted without a thought of being thankful, asking adults for money for ice cream and lying about the reasons, etc.  Ashley got more of my empathy because she recognized her son would keep getting into trouble if he continued hanging around Moonee and she (Ashley) at least held down a job and was giving them free food up until she had enough of Haley

I kind of loved that the movie gave us two examples of poverty-stricken mothers- one who is genuinely trying to make her situation better (and might actually do it eventually), and one who is pretty much stuck in the gutter with no real desire to get herself out of it. I'm sure Hayley's mother was exactly the same way, hence the "circle of poverty."

In my fantasy ending, Moonee will wind up with decent foster parents who put her on a decent path.

I remember being horrified at the revelation that all those shots we saw of Moonee taking her bath to loud music were really the times that Hayley was turning tricks. I did like the casting of Hayley- those tats are real and the actress looked rode hard and put away wet. They didn't cast a dewey young ingenue and give her a make-up job to look rough, like with Emma Stone as a drug addict in Birdman. Bria Vitale just felt really authentic as someone who lives her life in a drugged up haze and is taking her daughter down with her. And I like that they don't try to redeem her- she's defiant right to the end, dumping out Moonee's clothes on the bed and refusing to help.

Anyway...I hope Caleb Landry gave his  agent a big hug. He managed to get into three movies that were all nominated for Oscars in one year. I kind of wish we had seen a bit more of the son, though.

As for Brooklyn Prince, I really hope she can manage to get a career out of this. Sometimes you're lucky and the big break as a child star can work (Jacob Tremblay definitely seems poised for bigger things and Wonder proved he isn't a fluke) and sometimes you just can't find the right next role. (Quvenzhané Wallis, although she might still find her next great role. I was not sure about Hailee Steinfield until Edge of 17 proved to me that her Oscar nomination as a kid wasn't a fluke.)

Edited April 14, 2018 by methodwriter85

[greekmom]

deleted

Edited April 16, 2018 by greekmom
there is already a topic for this movie

[Ohwell]

There's already a thread for this movie.

[greekmom]

I saw this on Friday night and I cannot stop thinking about it.

1. Was it Halley's ex friend Ashley who called DCF on Halley?

2.  Technically it was her son Scooty that started the fire at the abandoned condos.

3. If Bobby was so protective over Halley and Moonee - why would he hand over the tapes to DCF to show what Halley was up to?

4. How did Ashley find Halley's escort profile so easily .

5. Did Halley even bother to try and find a legit job? Because I seriously doubt it (even though she did mention she applied up and down the strip). She could have gotten something at the park to clean up. I know the park frowns on tattoos but if she was an after hours cleaning staff I don't think that would have mattered.  I think she just preferred lazily around.

6. The ending bothered me as well. We don't know what happened to Moonee. My take was that she just wanted to disappear in the park till DCF left so she can go back to her mother. 

Edited April 16, 2018 by greekmom

[MsNewsradio]

On 4/15/2018 at 12:41 PM, greekmom said:

5. Did Halley even bother to try and find a legit job? Because I seriously doubt it (even though she did mention she applied up and down the strip). She could have gotten something at the park to clean up. I know the park frowns on tattoos but if she was an after hours cleaning staff I don't think that would have mattered.  I think she just preferred lazily around.

Disney is notoriously strict when it comes to appearance, even for what would be considered after hours cleaning staff. If she had a tattoo that was easily coverable it might be different, but with the amount she had, it's highly unlikely they'd hire her for any role, especially not anything where she could remotely come in contact with guests. Not sure how strict the other parks (Universal, Sea World, etc.) are in that respect, but her overall attitude made it seem like she didn't care very much about anything beyond existing day-to-day.

Just watched this myself and really enjoyed the performances.  Agree with those who have said it felt more like viewing a slice of someone's life rather than watching a movie. 

[lasu]

On 4/15/2018 at 12:41 PM, greekmom said:

1. Was it Halley's ex friend Ashley who called DCF on Halley?

3. If Bobby was so protective over Halley and Moonee - why would he hand over the tapes to DCF to show what Halley was up to?

Two years too late, but I floved this movie.  I thought Willem Dafoe was simply amazing in it.  And to answer two of the questions from the above post, when I watched this a second time, I think it actually was Bobby who called Protective Services, because he did care and could see Haley wasn't going to take enough care of Moonee.