Timothée Chalamet and Kaitlyn Dever Starred in This Adam Sandler and Jason Reitman Movie That Ran Out of Theaters at Full Speed -

Jason Reitman is one of the most fascinating filmmakers working today, as it has become almost impossible to predict the quality of his upcoming projects. Reitman showed a lot of early promise in his career, as his films Juno and Up in the Air, both earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Director; however, subsequent efforts of Reitman’s include the nostalgia-heavy legacy sequel Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the melodramatic romance Labor Day, and the underwhelming political thriller The Front Runner. While most of Reitman’s films have at least some intriguing components within them, Men, Women & Children is a tone-deaf misfire that completely fails in its attempts to say something intelligent about the Internet era. Although it’s easily the worst thing that Reitman has ever made, Men, Women & Children is somewhat redeemed by the strong performances by Timothée Chalamet and Kaitlyn Dever.

What Is ‘Men, Women & Children’ About?

Men, Women & Children is an ensemble drama about a community in a small Texas town, and shows the various insidious ways in which digital interactions have made it more challenging for both adolescents and their parents to form tangible connections with one another. While Reitman’s intention may have been to make a sprawling character piece in the vein of a Robert Altman film, Men, Women & Children ultimately feels like an out-of-touch informational video made to warn adults about the unseen evils of pornography, identity theft, and cyberbullying. Many of Reitman’s casting decisions fall completely flat, as Adam Sandler is for some reason chosen to play Don Truby, a creepy father who cheats on his wife. Nonetheless, Reitman does have better luck with some of the younger characters; Chalamet co-stars as the obnoxious bully Danny Vance, and Dever appears as the introverted loner Brandy Beltmeyer.

Love-Actually-Thomas-Brodie-Sangster-Keira-Knightley'

22 Years Later and I Still Can’t Wrap My Head Around Keira Knightley’s Age Gap With This ‘Love Actually’ Co-Star

One age decade, two very different storylines.

Chalamet and Dever make the most out of their supporting roles, as they actually work to elevate their co-stars. Although Ansel Elgort’s performance as the depressed football star and MMORPG addict Tim Mooney does not make for a very compelling protagonist, it is easier to relate to what he is going through after seeing how he is picked on at school by Tim. Similarly, Jennifer Garner’s role as the overprotective mother Patricia feels like a complete caricature, but it is a bit easier to sympathize with her anxieties about Internet safety by showing what her relationship with Brandy looks like. Since neither Chalamet nor Dever is really the focal point of their storyline, they are not held back by the weak writing on Reitman’s part; it’s during their moments when the film embraces a more complex idea about what it looks like to grow up within the Internet era, and does not resort to melodramatic twists that try to force emotion into scenes that are otherwise flat.

Kaitlyn Dever and Timothée Chalamet Are the Best Parts of ‘Men, Women & Children’

Chalamet and Dever are the only two cast members in Men, Women & Children willing to engage with their characters’ flaws, as Reitman’s approach to the main cast is relatively toothless. While Danny is a belligerent, ignorant kid who takes his frustrations out on others, his aggressive tendencies are motivated by insecurity, and not currently; in fact, a scene where he actually draws Tim into a fight ends up making the viewer sympathetic to both characters. Similarly, Dever shows how Brandy has completely ignored her mother’s advice and guidance, which has only motivated her to become more anxious about the potential misdeeds that she could commit on the Internet.

Chalamet and Dever are involved in storylines that are more purposefully ambiguous, which helps Men, Women & Children let the audience determine for themselves what their takeaways from the film should be. It is never addressed whether Tim has learned to become more self-aware, or if he will be even more resentful; although Brandy does seem to connect with her mother, it is unclear whether they will be able to find common ground. If nothing else, Chalamet and Dever both prove that it is sometimes more impressive to stand out in a bad movie than to be anonymous in a great one.

Men, Women & Children is available to stream on Paramount+.