I was mildly intrigued by the trailer for The Only Living Boy in New York and, since I had already seen everything else on my list, I decided that it would be the cure for a lazy Sunday afternoon. Thomas Webb (Callum Turner) is a young man at loose ends who aspires to be a writer. His father Ethan (Pierce Brosnan), with whom he has a distant relationship (there is a reason for this which is revealed later), is a hot-shot New York publisher who gives him little encouragement, calling his work "serviceable." He is incredibly protective of his mother Judith (Cynthia Nixon), an emotional mess (there is a reason for this which is revealed later) who throws pretentious dinner parties as a way of dealing with her unhappiness. He pines over Mimi (Kiersey Clemons), a girl with whom he has been in love forever but only wants to be friends with him. One night while at a club with Mimi he sees his father out with another woman (Kate Beckinsale). He begins following her with the intention of telling her to stop seeing his father but eventually begins an affair with her. Thomas begins discussing all of the above with his new neighbor, the writer W.F. Gerald (Jeff Bridges), who has aggressively wormed his way into Thomas's life (there is a reason for this which is revealed later). W.F. eventually turns these conversations into a novel about Thomas titled The Only Living Boy in New York. The problem with this movie is that it thinks it is an edgy treatise about New York City when it is really just an run-of-the-mill family drama. There are tons of mind-numbing speeches about how New York has lost its soul, including one by a character who exists only to give a speech at a wedding, which do nothing to advance the plot. I was so bored that I checked my phone multiple times (the only other person in the theater with me left mid-way through). By the time the big plot twist, which explains everyone's motivations, is revealed I didn't really care because I just wasn't that interested in any of the characters. Turner is very handsome and appealing to watch but I didn't really buy his alienation and I thought his response to the big plot twist was way too accepting. Brosnan is just playing another version of the judgmental father he played in Remember Me. Bridges speaks as if he has just had major dental work done. Everyone else is fine but largely unmemorable. I did like the music but after listening to moody songs from Simon and Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, and Procol Harum, it was a little jarring to hear a peppy song by The Head and the Heart in the final credits. It is an entirely forgettable movie that should only be viewed on Netflix when you can't sleep.
