Antonius Block Set the controls for your suspension of disbelief to max before watching this one folks. You'll also have to forgive it for its schmaltz and melodrama along the way. On the other hand, there are some nice moments, and the movie's treatment of death, loss, searching for answers when there are none, community, rebuilding, and understanding is touching. Director Stephen Daldry is wise in exercising restraint about the horrors of 9/11, and Thomas Horn and Tom Hanks turn in strong performances. Do fathers like the one Hanks plays actually exist? Perhaps not, but the balance shown with bad fathers in the film may strike a chord with anyone who has conflicting feelings about family members. I loved seeing Max von Sydow at age 82 in his supporting role, and that alone made it worth seeing for me. On the whole, your emotions will either be stirred or you'll find yourself cynical, and I suppose I experienced a bit of both and ended up in the middle. It is surprising to me that the film was nominated for Best Picture. Its heart was in the right place but it just wasn't subtle enough in its execution to recommend without reservations.

Irishchatter Although there was no such thing as an actual Thomas Schell who died that day, it really shows the reality of how it shatters peoples lives. With Thomas Horn playing as a boy with high functioning autism, it is a HUGE struggle to get though life even more, especially losing your father in a terror attack. That didn't stop him to look for where that key was belonged to and honestly, people like myself who have this condition are misunderstood of the way we behave towards others. Oscar really is a good role model for anyone who has this condition.Good man Jonathan Safran Foer for creating this book and of course, make it recognised as a film we know today. RIP to those who lost their lives on that faithful day <3

Mr-Fusion Despite the cloying sentiment, emotional manipulation and that hateful kid, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" has a good story to tell; one dealing with loss and the struggle to make sense of the senseless. I didn't like watching it, but in the hands of better filmmakers, there's the potential for poignancy.It's the exploitative use of 9/11 that ruins it. And I'm one of those least affected by that day.Hanks could've died any number of ways; plane crash, cancer, you name it. It still would've left an autistic child and his mom as a shattered family. The story's still completely intact; nothing's lost. So the images of a man jumping to his death from the World Trade Center are utterly shameless and (worse) feel awkwardly jammed right into the movie. Especially when staged in "artful" slo-mo with that infuriating score.Come on.3/10

Screen_Blitz It was September 11, 2001 when our nation was gripped with a devastating tragedy, a tragedy that lead to the disappearance of the twin towers at the hands of terrorists from Al-Qaeda. As the planes crashed and the towers collapsed, millions of people watched as thousands of innocent lives were lost. Since this day, it has become a day America will never forget. This catastrophic event serves as the emotional backdrop of this melodramatic drama inspired by the novel of the same name by Jonathan Safran Foer. Director Stephen Daldry, the man responsible for 'Billy Elliot', 'The Hours', and 'The Reader' makes a somewhat competent translation of Foer's novel which strictly centers on a youth struggling to make sense of the tragic event that snatched a great chunk of his life away from him. It is safe to say Daldry's efforts pay off in some areas but still leave something more to be desired in the process. This film stars young Thomas Horn as 11-year old Oskar Schell who's developed a close relationship with his father Thomas Schell (played by Tom Hanks) through their adventures of trekking the streets of Manhattan in their scavenger hunts. When the 9/11 attacks suddenly hit New York, young Oskar and his mother Linda (played by Sandra Bullock) are abruptly hit with tragedy upon learning Thomas is killed in the catastrophe. One years rolls by and Oskar wanders into his father's closet to find a key on his coat. Out of curiosity, Oskar goes on an emotional trek to find where his father's secret key leads to while forming a bond with a silent elder man (played by Max Von Sydow).This emotionally charged drama piece is certainly doesn't turn out as the firmly haunting vehicle Stephen Daldry and writer Eric Roth aim for. But it is clear that this movie at least has it's heart in the right place. After all, the film efficaciously builds up a deeply emotional atmosphere surrounding the tragedy that leaves the lead character lost in a sea of uncertainty and loneliness. The young lad has just lost his father, he has no friends, and has ever since felt emotionally distant from his mother who he rarely takes the time to talk to. As the story proceeds, Oskar morphs into a character you learn to sympathize with, especially for those who have to dealt with a similar tragedy or perhaps lost a loved one in the 9/11 attacks. The main area in which the film falters is the story elements. Stephen Daldry and Eric Roth engineer a story that desperately calls for viewers to weep buckets. While some of the story elements are somewhat successful at scoring this, the others tend to come off a bit contrived to the point of being a little exploitative than genuine. That is not to say Eric Roth doesn't know how to come up with a realistic tale, especially one that hits close to home. After all, the performances are at least decent, particularly Max Von Sydow as the muted elderly man who's performance is limited to sign language and him writing words on his bare hands when communicating with the lead character. Tom Hanks does a fine job but his severely limited screen time render his performance less memorable than most of his other roles, the same can be said about Sandra Bullock in her role as the mother. Finally, Thomas Horn's performance is pretty average, constantly alternating back and forth between genuine and emotionally forced. Then again, Eric Roth's screenplay is easily the reason behind this.Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is a mildly solid drama that has the performances, the direction, and the ingenious message about learning the accept the reality of how some things are left unanswered to make for a marginally entertaining cinematic piece. In other hand, its overly contrived script is a major factor that keeps the film from reaching the masterful cinematic piece to sets out to be.