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Hereafter (2010)

Time Out rating

Average user rating

21 reviews

Synopsis

'Frost/Nixon' author Peter Morgan teams with director Clint Eastwood and star Matt Damon for this moody drama about three people seeking answers to the big questions of life and death.

Movie review

From Time Out London

A globetrotting, partially subtitled dramatic meditation on the great beyond isn’t exactly typical Eastwood material, so give him a nod for ambition. As for accomplishment… a definite ‘hmm’. Certainly, the movie peaks early as a CGI-assisted tsunami hits the Thai coastline, where French TV presenter Cécile de France has a brush with mortality so close she glimpses the other side. She’s not alone, as her ongoing fortunes complement those of a disgruntled San Francisco psychic Matt Damon, whose gift has become a burden, and a London schoolboy (George McLaren) coping with the loss of a sibling.

Although winningly free of religiosity or new age mumbo-jumbo, Peter Morgan’s script plays fast and loose in weaving everything together, contriving a frankly ridiculous finale wilfully unsuited to the dramatic and metaphysical weight thrust upon it. Meanwhile, Clint takes every scene at the same pace, and ladles on his own mushy score. The result may not plumb Shyamalanian awfulness, but if you did get to the afterlife you’d hope they weren’t playing this movie.

Author: Trevor Johnston

Time Out London Issue 2110: 27 Jan – 2 Feb, 2011

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User reviews of this film

jane said...

Posted on Aug 29 2011 20:14 ugh.. boo too long and too boring to get to the end. The pace is sooo slow.

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Dissatisfied said...

Posted on Jul 28 2011 12:44 Boring, Bloody Boring. Expected SO much more for Clint Eastwood & Matt Damon. If i wanted to "READ a Movie" I would have bought a BOOK! To much subtitle, to slow, we waited 2 long agonising hours to see a climax-naked hand shake! Thin - way to thin! VERY Disappointed.

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Robs said...

Posted on Apr 20 2011 07:55 The movie seems out of touch and retro when it comes to the subject of life after death. Besides wooden dialogue and painfully mediocre acting (except for Matt Damon), I kept waiting for signs of intelligence to filter into the film about the subject. It never did. Plenty of folks have had near death experiences- and lots of books written about it. It doesn't need an intellectual french lady to tell her story. I couldn't believe this came from Clint Eastwood.
The tsunami scene is very cool, but otherwise, pass on this dull, unenlightened film.

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Marcus said...

Posted on Apr 17 2011 05:47 I would give this movie four out of five stars. It is true that the plot line is a tad slow at times. And the ending is somewhat peculiar. But there are moments in this movie that simply took my breath away. Yes the tsunami scene in the beginning is fantastic as we all knew it would be. But later on towards the end of the movie, there are a couple of scenes that are utterly beautiful. (The french cafe scene especially) If you look at this movie for the beauty of the film making, you will NOT be disappointed.

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FilmFan said...

Posted on Mar 16 2011 16:20 I went to this movie with an open mind and actually quite enjoyed it. Of course being a big Clint Eastwood fan helps as well! I hope that he will continue to make at least one new film every year for many more years to come!!!

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skeleton said...

Posted on Mar 01 2011 15:44 Luigi is a fag

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Debs said...

Posted on Feb 11 2011 02:51 Love love love this film. Incredibly moving and can't believe very little hype, probably due to big film releases like the Kings Speech. Totally disagree with a few negative comments regarding the young twins. I felt they were very real actors -not your Hollywood type, coping with the huge trauma of their Mother. Also the cooking scenes were relative to the storyline and felt the characters were really building up to a possible romance with the sudden realisation that the truth can really hurt. Urge you to see it if you liked Gran Torrino.

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Craigganmore said...

Posted on Feb 08 2011 12:19 An unconvincing melodramatic disaster of a movie. Go in, watch the tsunami, get out. There's nothing else to see here.

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Alfredo said...

Posted on Feb 06 2011 22:42 THIS IS A MOVIE ABOUT THE AFTER-LIFE. DOES IT EXPLORE THEN WHAT LIES BEYOND DEATH?. NOT AT ALL. DOES IT CONTAIN SPOOKY EFFECTS?. NOT AT ALL. SO, WHAT'S ABOUT?. SOME STORIES OF SOME PEOPLE THAT HAVE TO DEAL WITH CLOSE DEATH EXPERIENCES AND A GUY OVERWHELMED BY HIS PHYSIC POWERS. IS THAT ALL?. YES, AND IT'S A GOOD MOVIE ALTHOUGH SOMEWHAT BLAND.

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Evie said...

Posted on Feb 05 2011 21:58 My heart was pounding during the terrific Tsunami scenes at the start but by the time the waters had subsided id lost the will to live. Terrible script, unbelievable characters. The toe curling cookery class scenes with Bryce Dallas Howard are particularly awful and prompted me to leave. If you want to watch a moving, beautifully shot film with a metaphysical slant about coming to terms to the death then I would strongly recommend to you last year's The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud.

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xb said...

Posted on Feb 05 2011 21:00 pure genius -Clint does it again - a good script but one that in the hands of any other director, imay have ended up being a laughable movie. But just as he did with the bridges of madison county or one million dollar baby, Clint takes the risk and pulls together a movie that works in every possible way -it is believable, moving, thoughtful, sad and great fun to watch... not to be missed!

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G said...

Posted on Feb 03 2011 10:56 The opening tsunami sequence is simply amazing! The film then settles into a slower paced study into the lives of people who have had a experience with death. This is a thought provoking film. Recommended.

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Steve said...

Posted on Feb 02 2011 17:58 A quiet, tender, thoughtful & altogether beautiful film. The negative reviewers here are utterly clueless. But I guess that's what happens when you defy Hollywood convention as delightfully as Clint does here. Hereafter is one of the best things he's ever done & as for those mocking this film - I mock you back double.

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Mike said...

Posted on Feb 01 2011 20:32 I was pleasantly surprised by this film, having first read the reviews below and above. Yes, the young boys are far from the greatest actors, but on the whole I liked the story. Perhaps it was 10-15 minutes longer than it needed to be. This is a “made for TV” movie, something Matt Damon would do well to taken on board given recent films have all been so-so, and the success of Bourne was quite some time ago. Am I right in thinking Steven Spielberg’s named flashed up as “Executive Producer”? Ouch. Two stars.

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Roman said...

Posted on Jan 29 2011 20:47 Interesting and smart, simply like it, definetly recommend it...

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