Lion Review (2016)

Lion

  Lion is the true story of a young Indian boy named  Saroo, who gets lost on a train and taken far away from his home. Saroo is then adopted by a family in Australia and 25 years later, he tries to find his real family.

  I have very mixed feelings about this film because the first hour is absolutely amazing. It's powerful, it's emotional. The little boy who plays five year old Saroo is a revelation. Sunny Pawar. Remember that name guys. Not only did he have the cutest face in the history of ever, but his first acting debut completely won me over. Every line was believable, every expression genuine. He was by far the best part of this film. 

  Dev Patel plays Saroo as a 25 year old, and this is where the film kind of lost me. It's not that Dev Patel did a bad job, he was really solid, I simply felt he was miscast. He literally looks nothing like 5 year old Saroo, and I couldn't help thinking that someone like Manish Dayal would have been better for the part. 

  The second hour of this film was flawed on a lot of levels, but mainly dictatorially. What at first felt extremely organic, and truly gut-wrenching in execution, suddenly switched tones into a frankly boring melodrama. Nothing really happens in the second half of this film, and what does happen feels rushed and contrived. This is Garth Davis's directorial debut, and it shows.

  Nicole Kidman and David Wenham were pretty good, but a lot of Kidman's scenes feel Oscar-baity. They want us to cry, but they don't take the time to earn the tears. 

  Rooney Mara was also in the film, and her character felt completely useless. She didn't add anything to the plot and could have been played by almost anyone.

  In the end, Lion is a good looking film with a beautiful score, but the emotional punch doesn't quite land despite it's spectacular set up. 5 out of 10 stars (Rent It)