Reviews by Matt

Every now and then a movie slips past my radar. I know it is hard to believe, but I do not know about every movie that comes out each and every week. Most of the time it is because it is a crappy movie that appeals to the lowest common denominator. Then there are movies like “Rabbit Hole” which is right up my ally and yet, I just don’t seem to catch them before the hype begins.

Based on a play of the same name, “Rabbit Hole” looks at how people deal with grief and find closure. When their young son dies in an accident, Becca (Nichole Kidman) and Howie (Aaron Eckhart) find themselves trying to cope and figure out what to do now.

I am not sure how much more to say than that. These two people find ways to cope and their own sort of closure in very different ways.

Kidman and Eckhart are stunning. The only proof I need to show is the scene where they fight over changes Becca has made. Howie is furious that she is slowly removing any part of their son from the house. At the height of the fight, they go through the “what ifs” of the accident. The both feel a huge responsibility for the death and it comes out in this scene. This scene is by far the strongest in the film, but it is also the turning point in the movie. It is where they truly go their separate ways in grief. This scene alone is worth the price of admission.

I was so moved by this movie. It deals with grief and loss in such a real way. No one finds closure in the same way. Becca goes one way and Howie goes another. These are two people who experienced the same loss and grieve in their own way.

9 out of 10
Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material, some drug use and language
91 min