There are some movies that, after watching, I just want to be quiet and let the impact of what I've watched resonate in me. Stella did that for me. It wasn't a masterpiece, but it was what it was, a truthful experience.
It makes sense that real life brothers would show this exceptional chemistry, but they shared that chemistry with every well cast actor in this film.
The Wolff brothers revealed that irreverent humor and play time that many of us only reveal in the safety of our family relationships. It rang so true and Polly Draper, as usual lived up to that truth. Her performance was so good and she made me believe she could be such a pushover, and a person who could raise two good guys.
Initially, Nick Sandow's character of Ron smelled a little stereotypical, until the writer cleverly turned a realistic corner. And after all stereotypes are often based on generalizations of truth, right? By the way, Sandow is always a fine actor.
Violet was played a little thinly by the beautiful Paulina Singer. I can't honestly tell who's to blame, she did glimmer at certain moments (though her ballet moves were clearly amateur).
I love dogs, so I know that helped me to enjoy this movie. I love my family and have a similar relationship to my siblings. Maybe that's why this movie touched me deep and has left me quiet, enjoying the stirrings it evoked.