Conventional but an enjoyable romance driven story. Since they don't make romcoms anymore a Nick Hornby penned dramedy is close enough to be refreshing.

The real story Oscars wise is Saoirse Ronan who gives a winning-caliber performance let alone nomination in my opinion. Such an emotional performance while keeping the character an introvert. Even something like an early scene in Ireland watching her more normal friend dance with a new beau reveals a lot about her character.

Brooklyn is a wonderful film focusing on the immigrant experience through the prism of a predictable romantic drama (or is it a romantic drama through the prism of the immigrant experience? Lol.). It perfectly illustrates how it feels to be stuck between two places, not knowing where home really is. The film is buoyed by competent direction, a sharp script, and a career-best performance by Saoirse Ronan as Eilis. The supporting cast also does fine work, with the highlight being (surprisingly) Emory Cohen, who is charming, funny, and vulnerable. The film is a rather old-fashioned story, yet it is very moving and engrossing at the same time. A/A-

This was such a lovely movie. Sweepingly romantic and heartfelt - it works on basically all levels and takes what could have been a very conventional love story and makes it feel timeless. Saoirse Ronan is absolutely fantastic as Ellis and deserving of all the acclaim - this is one of her best performances and the character is very complex and fascinating. Also deserving of special mention is, surprisingly, Emory Cohen. I absolutely hated this guy in everything I've seen him in prior to this, but he's fantastic here and incredibly charismatic. The two of them share a very believable and sweet chemistry and you completely root for them from beginning to end. The rest of the movie is perfectly cast down to the smallest supporting roles. Standouts are definitely Domnhall Gleeson (continuing his run as one of the best up-and-comers out there today) and Julie Walters. I thought John Crowley did a great job directing and Nick Hornby did a fantastic job adapting this as well - it's very warm and sensitive, occasionally quite funny and really fleshes out even the smallest characters. The cinematography is also gorgeous. Highly recommended and a surefire awards contender. I loved it. A

This could also be a definite sleeper hit at the box office this fall if younger audiences connect with it.

It's honestly hard to believe this Emory Cohen is the same one that was so unbelievably awful in Place Beyond the Pines and "Smash". I haven't seen him in anything since then so maybe he took acting lessons or something But he's really, really great here.

I had to come in here to see what you thought of Emory Cohen's performance since I'm in the same boat as you and can't stand him. I was surprised by the trailer when he looked good in it. Damn it. I don't want to like him .

I was going to see Room, but me and my friends mixed up the screening times and instead saw this one again. Still a lovely film. And there was a surprise Q&A at the end with Saoirse (who looked stunning) and the director. So I've seen this twice now with a Q&A at the end. Lol. Also, I went to the bathroom at some point and there was a big crowd of people in front of the theater. As I was returning to the theater and pushing my way through the crowd, I nearly bump into Ralph Fiennes, who was there (I guess) for a screening of Spectre. I was so starstruck, it took me a couple of minutes to get back into the movie after that.

I was at the Spectre screening - were you at Lincoln Square in NYC? It was for BAFTA. Ralph, Daniel, Lea, Christoph, Sam Mendes and Barbara Broccoli were all there. It was insanity. I think Brooklyn was literally playing next to the theater I was in

Ha YES!! Lea was there? And Daniel Craig? Damn it, I shouldn't have gone back inside.

Daniel went through a back entrance to enter the theater for the Q&A but the rest of the cast just walked through the lobby, which surprised me.

This is an exquisite production, but it left me almost entirely cold. The film turns on a naive Irish girl (Saoirse Ronan) as she leaves behind the life she knows to emigrate to America in the early 1950s, finding a position in a department store and romance with an Italian American plumber. Every costume and set is gorgeous, and Ronan delivers a luminous performance utilizing her enormous blue eyes and general aura of wistful elegance, but the storytelling is superficial (at times tidily contrived, too) and the historical atmosphere sanitized. The story involves a sense of dislocation, a seismic shift in identity in what was presumably a fast-paced and diverse urban environment, but there is rarely a sense of genuine fear or wonder. The vision presented here of an immigrant's bicontinental odyssey is as sweet, simple, safe, and fleeting as a piece of candy, and it is, in my opinion, never particularly involving. For the heroine and her film, there is no obstacle a chic dress, a wisp of nostalgia, or a biting Julie Walters one-liner cannot overcome.

C+

An utterly charming tearjerker reflecting on the fluid notion of "home" and what it means to us. Saoirse Ronan and her captivatingly expressive eyes are wonderful; Ellis could've been far more of a cipher in the wrong hands, but Ronan perfectly shows the character's awakening and maturity in her new surroundings. She also shares an adorable chemistry with Emory Cohen, in a perfectly sincere performance. I did feel the film had a couple of narrative missteps when Ellis returns home to Ireland, but it doesn't change the loveliness of the film overall. A-

This is a disappointing week for David. First a C+ for Brooklyn, and then a D for By the Sea?

Saoirse is fantastic here, perhaps my favorite performance from her now taking over Atonement. I'm having trouble seeing many other actresses within her age being able to handle the film as she did here. The film itself is fairly straightforward but I enjoyed the simplicity of it and it's beautiful to look at.

A wonderful film. Ronan was quite great. A

I saw this last weekend. I thought it was great. Saoirse Ronan and (I can't believe I'm saying this) Emory Cohen were terrific. Cohen won me over so much that I'm actually kind of rooting for him to get a Supporting Actor Oscar nomination. He's incredibly charming here.

9/10 (A-)

I thought it was a bit of a disappointment. Ronan was fine, the movie was fine but I was left with "that's it?" when the credits started rolling. I will say that the first half is MUCH stronger than the second, which was quite boring and incredibly corny. Good but incredibly over hyped.

B

Ronan's very good, and there are many sweet moments but when her character goes back to Ireland... Meh. Gleeson is kinda wasted here in a throwaway role. Overall an enjoyable film but not a very memorable one.

Really good. Much better than I expected. Looked boring, but I liked the characters. And I really thought it wouldn't end quite so happy, but unfortunately it did. I was hoping for something a bit more bittersweet and less predictable, but the film is enchanting nonetheless.

B+

In the era before easy global travel and communication, Brooklyn provides a glimpse in to the life of one emigrant's life in America. Told with unusual emotional truth for modern film (except for the dodgy premise of the third act), I credit Saoirse Ronan with making this movie a success. She was robbed at the Oscars this year. *A*

I think the backdrops were beautiful and Ronan steals the show but overall the movie felt distant and cold with not much of emotional impact. The third act stumbles entirely and closes too quick, it needed more time. There are great small level details in the movie which helps elevate the material and makes it distinctive but I felt this was one of the weakest BP nominee last year.

6/10.