thebeckerman

"Mostly Martha" is a superb movie. I never give a movie 4 stars (out of 4) until some time has passed, so that I can see if it stands up over time.

Mostly Martha does stand up. I give it 4 stars.

I almost don't know how to state it without sounding too glowing.

But it is a movie about life, about love, and even about food.

A control freak, who thinks she's got it all under control, and who needs to have things under control, has her life entered in a sudden way by her 8 year old niece.

The entire construct begins to erode.

She, her niece, and a new chef at her restaurant, who's got a whole different take on how to live one's days, learn from each other in ways that are beautiful.

Not to be missed.

This is an excellent movie.

Phenomenal screenplay, lovingly photographed, incredibly well acted and directed. I think it's an astonishing movie.

For a first-time, low budget, movie, it's a miracle. Miraculous that it could be executed so well, and miraculous in that the director stayed true to his story and his characters, rather than trying to go over the top in attracting attention and showcasing his brilliance.

It really captures in an honest way the duality of life.

It is amazingly straightforward, told without overacting, building characters whom we wind up caring about.

It was pretty gripping, and I wasn't sure when it was done if it was a documentary or a mockumentary. I actually thought it was probably for real. Throughout I kept thinking, what is this madness that makes a person who has no particular vision and no particular thing to say so certain that it is important that his film get done, while most of us, with more to say than "Paulson", never get to get films done? Meanwhile, of course, the joke was on me, but very well done. So I guess they really did have something to say.