directed by:
Jason Park written by: Jason Park genre: Drama |
When I was originally reading the synopsis for "Always Smile," I was curious as to how "two homeless brothers find themselves at the heart of an unexpected and dangerous journey when they witness a crime that shakes the foundations of the city's corrupt underbelly." Don't get me wrong, homeless people are still as fundamentally capable as anyone else in theory, but I was looking at this statement on paper and wondering how the heck they'd be getting around town to potentially solve this crime. That question gets answered pretty quickly when you meet Alex & Johnny, who are actually living the van life. So, like, yeah, homeless…but they've at least got a place to lay their heads and a system that seems to work for them. They're really close, without a doubt… you'll see the brothers cleaning each other with disinfectant wipes during their morning routine, which leads us to conclude they probably don't have too many secrets from each other. I like that you can see the optimism, hope, and positivity in these two main characters right away. Sure, they're obviously disadvantaged socially compared to others in many ways in terms of possessions and all that, but clearly, they've got the advantages of perspective, strength, and resilience.
Even the best of us can be steered in the wrong direction if we're not too careful, and the lure of things we don't have/desire for a better life can be too much for most people's morals. One of the most effective scenes we see early on is when Alex (Jason Park, who also directs "Always Smile") refuses to deliver a mysterious package for his employer and a lotta money. Clearly, that kind of dough would change a whole lot for the brothers, but Alex holds his ground & remains true to who he is, which promptly results in him getting fired from his job. It's one of several scenes that help establish Alex's character, who definitely seems like the dude who would give you the shirt off his back. You'll see him meet Elizabeth (Haley Hammonds), who hasn't eaten all day long, and while you know that Alex isn't made of millions, he immediately heads to his van to get her something to eat. Johnny is built of similar DNA, of course, and you see him propositioned by a couple of big shots trying to put him to work doing something shady as well, to which Johnny declines. Honestly, the amount of heart you see in these two brothers right away is nothing short of admirable – I wanna be Alex or Johnny myself when I finally grow up one day! Jason's done a very effective job in not only establishing their character and getting us immediately attached to them through the way he's written Alex & Johnny - in such an endearing way - but he's also played "Always Smile" really smart by contrasting their uplifting vibes with the potential threats and dangers in the city around them. Also, a great job is how we are instantly cheering for these two brothers. They have such a wonderfully organic charm to them that any one of us watching would want to be their friend or help them out in whatever way we could if we knew what their situation was like. Park has, in many ways, set out to make a socially conscious film that deals with a wide variety of issues. You've got the commentary on housing & how society views the two brothers, you've also got commentary on gun violence in schools & violence at home - there are references to crime & the dangers you see in living life that's off the grid, and you can see things like how awkward power dynamics also play a role in shaping Park's film. These two brothers, though? They never quit, and it seems like nothing can break them. For all the wealthy people you've ever met who believe they're leading stable lives with everything they'd ever need, you've likely never met two people as rich and fulfilled as Johnny (Min Keon Kim) & Alex are. Park's got a very natural & genuine style of directing, and it makes it super easy to get into "Always Smile" right from the get-go. He's got a great sense of how to go about framing his shots and the way that he approaches the writing of his main characters, and he's a pretty decent actor who can hold his own, too. He also has an eye for casting. Min Keon was a superb choice, and a believable one, to play his brother. The dialogue itself carries a lot of weight and drama, but for as serious as "Always Smile" goes on to be at times, Park wisely balances out his film with its relentlessly positive perspective as well.
I tell ya, though, sometimes in my line of work, you read a synopsis, and you just wanna throw it all right out the window. You visually SEE the crime that the brothers will likely have to contend with within the very first minute or two of "Always Smile" – yet you'll be more than halfway in and wondering if they're ever going to encounter some real danger. We get the sense that their luck has to run out soon enough – Johnny's love life & education are almost going suspiciously well, and we know that Alex kind of has to be struggling more than he's letting on. My question is simple, though – is crime and the "city's corrupt underbelly" really what this movie is all about? There had to be a better description of what "Always Smile" is going to show you based on everything that I've seen…this is a family-based Drama, not some kind of crime thriller! Park hasn't left us with much else to criticize beyond this opaque description of his own film…other than that, I'm genuinely happy about how much thought has been put into every aspect of "Always Smile" & how much it makes us think about what's important in the lives that we lead. Heck, there's so much wisdom on display in this film and so many strong values being presented - that you could practically call this movie a documentary on the human spirit and how unbreakable it truly is. Will you see a Shyamalan twist? Does "Always Smile" really even need one? As I said, you can feel that things are starting to move in a more dangerous direction as Alex starts to get a little more cagey and secretive…but it seemed more like a logical progression of a character arc that has to deal with extraordinary circumstances. I mean, let's be real here – Alex likes drinking Fresca way too much for any of us not to at least be a little suspicious of what he might be up to… that's questionable judgment for sure, no matter how much of a good guy he seems to be. Eventually, about three-quarters into the movie, we finally circle back around to the original crime we witness at the start, and before you know it, the brothers do their best to become the freakin' Hardy Boys by taking matters into their own hands. To me, by the time we reach this aspect of the storyline, it's almost like an afterthought, and in a way, it kind of felt like it wasn't really something "Always Smile" needed. That being said, we've all become so invested in the story of Alex & Johnny, that no matter where they go, we still wanna go along with them. So if they're gonna be vigilante crime fighters in the last twenty-five percent of this movie, we'll be right there with them, cheering as they take on the bad guys once and for all. The question is, how much risk do you take with your own life in the face of extreme danger? The brothers do witness something that's more than a threat to their survival, and you kind of have to wonder why they choose to put themselves in harm's way. Johnny seems to have no idea why it's so important to get involved, but we start to get the sense that Alex might know a whole lot more about the story than he's been telling his brother, after all. I dig it! "Always Smile" might arguably try to do more than it actually needed to before it's over - but I also never had an issue with giving this movie my full attention, even as it split into multiple directions. To its credit, "Always Smile" will likely not end how you thought it was going to from where it all began. I don't know that I loved the ending, but I suppose it still fits well enough. It was the other seventy-five percent of this movie that made the biggest impact on me…and I'll give it four stars outta five for that. |
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