Search - The Hollars [Blu-ray] on Blu-ray

B.J. W. (analogkid01) from CHICAGO, IL
Reviewed on 7/5/2025...

John Krasinski has had a pretty terrific career since the end of The Office. Having directed a couple episodes and an indie ("Brief Interviews with Hideous Men"), he hit it big with his "Quiet Place" series, and has an animated feature "IF" coming soon.

In 2016 Krasinski directed and starred in "The Hollars," which can be summed up thusly: "Miscommunication: The Movie." The screenwriter, Jim Strouse, specializes in broken families. His works include "Grace is Gone" (about a father of two whose wife has died in Iraq), and "People Places Things" (about a divorced father of two navigating the dating scene again).

In "The Hollars," the broken family in question consists of parents Don (Richard Jenkins) and Sally (Margo Martindale), their live-in son Ron (Sharlto Copley) who's divorced and does not have custody of his two daughters, and somewhat-estranged son John (Krasinski) who lives far away with his pregnant girlfriend Rebecca (Anna Kendrick). When Sally is diagnosed with a brain tumor, John and Rebecca come back to town to support the family.

At the outset, it seems as if these characters don't know how to be honest with themselves or each other. It's a common screenwriting trope - the entire plot would've been avoided had two people had a conversation the way two real people probably would have.

It's never quite clear why John went away or remained aloof for so long; his parents seem like decent people despite the fuck-up Ron has become. But without explanation or real motivation, the characters suddenly learn how to be better people and better communicators, setting up the bittersweet ending which feels manufactured.

There are some entertaining moments, and Krasinski did a decent enough job with the material he was given. Script needs a once-over though. RIP Carrie Fisher...

Grade: C+

Post-script: I want to say a word about Margo Martindale. I love when she shows up in a movie and I want to see more of her. But let's list the ways Margo has died in movies:

Walk Hard: fell out of a window, then head crushed by a radio playing one of her son's songs.

Cocaine Bear: eaten by a bear high on cocaine. (The bear, not her.)

The Hollars: complications following brain cancer surgery.

I'm going to try to find a film where Margo lives, dammit.

Post-post-script: Krasinski actually made the bold choice in this film to play two roles: John Hollar, and Dr. Fong, oncologist.

K. K. (GAMER)
Reviewed on 1/6/2024...

The whole movie is shown the in the preview so don't watch it!