It's rather goofy at times, but Cotillard is great, and the melodrama just works, despite itself. Plus she gets nekkid quite a bit, though you really don't see much.

What did you think about the seemingly tacked-on final act? After Ali leaves and winds up in snowy Strasbourg. The transition really didn't feel right or well done. Before that it was quite good, though.

Yeah, I didn't much like that. And the plot contrivance of having his son fall into the frozen pond... terrible.

Cotillard is indeed fantastic and deserves a nomination for her work here. Unsurprisingly, the rest of the film doesn't hold up to her performance. There are a few standouts in Schoenaerts' scenes but the way his story developed almost seems a bit too forced or over-the-top at times. I wish there was almost more time following Cotillard instead of her seemingly abrupt exit from a good last third of the film. I agree that the ending was a little bit odd and the phone call would have left a bigger impact.

All in all, it is still fairly enjoyable and tackles a good bit of its themes effectively.

The first hour and a half of this is SO GOOD. I was completely into it and found the characters fascinating and the relationship between Stephanie and Ali incredibly complex and well-developed. I also cared a lot about the other characters including Ali's sister and his son. But the last fifteen minutes or so are where this film kind of loses its way. I didn't like the way Stephanie and Ali's relationship ended so abruptly, the epilogue of sorts with Ali and the final act shocker with his son, it felt cheap and like something out of a different, more sensationalistic film. The final phone call between Ali and Stephanie is also less effective because of it. It's the second time this year after Flight that I've felt that an amazing job was done developing the female lead before the strange decision is made to eliminate her from the finale entirely. Anyways, my issues with the film should not discredit the many, many great things about it. Visually, it's gorgeous and poetic from the first frame, and the more melodramatic elements of the story are handled very believably. Marion Cotillard is heartbreaking and brilliant as Stephanie and I was also wowed by Matthias Schoenaerts as Ali. I can't believe he isn't in the awards discussion more for his tour-de-force performance and I can only imagine it's because the Best Actor race is so crowded. This is definitely one of the year's most mature, ambitious films, and definitely worth seeing without a doubt. A-

This is a ferocious and unleashed beast of a film, invigorating in its embrace of human imperfection at its most foreboding and inspiring in its complex and textured presentation, blending hard-edged realism and earnest melodrama to perfectly tell a story of failure and hard fought redemption. Its Oscar-season arc is centered only on Marion Cotillard's soulful performance as Stephanie, an athletic woman forced to learn to regard and value herself in a new way after a disabling tragedy, but relative newcomer Matthias Schoenaerts, the Belgian answer to Tom Hardy, also deserves recognition for his focused and intense turn as Ali, an extreme fighter and mediocre, at times even abusive father who helps heal and is healed by the Cotillard character. It is a challenging and rewarding screen love story in a film which is riveting and surprising in almost every way, including its transcendent use of modern popular music.

A

I love the third act. Ali at long last recognizing his failure in full and starting anew by pounding the ice to save his son is super cinematic and wrenching. Melodramatic? Sure, but melodrama is not a dirty word.

I really loved this and I think I liked Shoenaerts more than Cotillard. Between this and Bullhead he's had such a great year.

Why on earth Cotillard didn't get a nomination for this is beyond me. She was perfect. The movie itself was pretty damn great too, but like most here, I did have my problems with the third act too. Up till Ali ran away I was so into the movie and emotionally invested (the phone call still got me) but compared to the rest, the third act just couldn't hold that level for me. Still, this is a fantastic film with great, moving performances from both leads and one of the best of the year.

Yes, Cotillard's absence is criminal. Although I believe the film should have contended in several other categories, too, including Best Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay. It is a real powerhouse.

I think the screenplay had issues, especially with the silly break towards the end and the weird final 15 minutes that felt tacked on.

Also, Cotillard was very good, but let's face it, the reason she got this much attention for this film and Shoenaerts didn't was because she is a much bigger name. Because he sure as hell was equally good.

Schoenarts definately deserved way more recognition for his work here, I agree.

WOW @ Marion. She was perfect. The male lead was great too. and the movie was great till the last 15 minutes, where it goes way over the top for me.

A-

The more I think about it, the more I like it. I really want to see this again.

I thought Marion Cottilard was great in this. I wish her character would have been more the focus of the film. I was surprised she wasn't. I was more invested in her character. Matthias Schoenaerts is really good but I found his character pretty unlikeable.

I didn't care for the last 15 minutes or so. It took an awkward shift in direction, in my opinion, and just didn't work as well as the rest of the film. Cottilard's character was also missed.

Regardless this is still a really fine film. Definitely worth watching.

8/10 (B+)