To the Bone is a Netflix original movie where 20-year old Ellen, played by Lily Collins, suffers from severe anorexia. When things start getting bad for her and nothing seems to help, she is sent to see a new doctor and live in a house with others suffering from similar conditions. This doctor and new group challenge her to try to embrace life and her situation.
This is the first film I've seen Lily Collins in and her work should not go unnoticed, as she brilliantly portrays her character both physically and emotionally. Lily lost a lot of weight to physically embody Ellen. Her transformative physical condition allows the audience to better connect with what she's going through. As I said, she also portrays the character very well emotionally. The character has a strong arc that takes her through many different emotions, all of which Collins hits well. She also does a great job of bringing to life a darker, younger character that isn't just the stereotypical brooding goth/hipster that we see often in film. It's clear that there's a lot of severe issues she's dealing with and the dark vibe that comes from that is something I found very intriguing.
Keanu Reeves plays the doctor in the movie. This isn't by any means a role that needed an actor like him in it but he does a very solid job. The only problem I find with his character is that I would have liked to see more of him throughout the film. The other key character in the movie is Luke, played by Alex Sharp. Luke is the lone male patient in the house Ellen moves in to. He brings an interesting contrast to the group that fills the house. While everyone else is down on life and depressed he tends to search for positives and help others when he can. He develops a strong connection with Ellen, which, for the most part is enticing to watch - the exception being the very off-putting sexual remarks he makes at a point in the film. The rest of the film is filled with an ensemble cast including other residents in the house and Ellen's family. Of that ensemble, the character I believe plays the biggest role is Ellen's stepmother, Susan, played by Carrie Preston. Susan is not a likable character. She is the stepmother who acts as though they are the real mother but has no idea how to help their child. Her character is featured heavily in the first act and she never seems to stop talking. Luckily for me her role diminishes as the film progresses.
While the acting is overall very good, the storytelling is flawed in many areas. On a positive note, it does a very good job depicting the disorders these characters face, as well as how they are perceived by other people, whether it be family, another patient, or just a random person. It also tells a fairly gripping and interesting story about this more serious topic, without giving it too much of a depressing tone. Unfortunately, parts of the story are told through boring exposition that seemingly comes out of nowhere. Not only is this exposition boring, but it leaves out some details, leading to either more exposition or topics left unexplained. While I found the director did a good job of changing the tone as the story grew, I found that the film's pace plummeted towards the end, barely chugging along to a very abrupt ending. This is fairly disappointing considering the film had a very strong opening.
Overall I think the performances in this film, especially by Lily Collins are what carry it. Although the storytelling starts off very strong it runs out of gas towards the end, leaving the audience wanting more. Luckily those performances, a very strong opening, and an interesting, growing dynamic between characters make this film one I would suggest people check out.
Rating: 3.6/5
Written by Matt McKenzie
Edited by Rebecca McKenzie
This is the first film I've seen Lily Collins in and her work should not go unnoticed, as she brilliantly portrays her character both physically and emotionally. Lily lost a lot of weight to physically embody Ellen. Her transformative physical condition allows the audience to better connect with what she's going through. As I said, she also portrays the character very well emotionally. The character has a strong arc that takes her through many different emotions, all of which Collins hits well. She also does a great job of bringing to life a darker, younger character that isn't just the stereotypical brooding goth/hipster that we see often in film. It's clear that there's a lot of severe issues she's dealing with and the dark vibe that comes from that is something I found very intriguing.
Keanu Reeves plays the doctor in the movie. This isn't by any means a role that needed an actor like him in it but he does a very solid job. The only problem I find with his character is that I would have liked to see more of him throughout the film. The other key character in the movie is Luke, played by Alex Sharp. Luke is the lone male patient in the house Ellen moves in to. He brings an interesting contrast to the group that fills the house. While everyone else is down on life and depressed he tends to search for positives and help others when he can. He develops a strong connection with Ellen, which, for the most part is enticing to watch - the exception being the very off-putting sexual remarks he makes at a point in the film. The rest of the film is filled with an ensemble cast including other residents in the house and Ellen's family. Of that ensemble, the character I believe plays the biggest role is Ellen's stepmother, Susan, played by Carrie Preston. Susan is not a likable character. She is the stepmother who acts as though they are the real mother but has no idea how to help their child. Her character is featured heavily in the first act and she never seems to stop talking. Luckily for me her role diminishes as the film progresses.
While the acting is overall very good, the storytelling is flawed in many areas. On a positive note, it does a very good job depicting the disorders these characters face, as well as how they are perceived by other people, whether it be family, another patient, or just a random person. It also tells a fairly gripping and interesting story about this more serious topic, without giving it too much of a depressing tone. Unfortunately, parts of the story are told through boring exposition that seemingly comes out of nowhere. Not only is this exposition boring, but it leaves out some details, leading to either more exposition or topics left unexplained. While I found the director did a good job of changing the tone as the story grew, I found that the film's pace plummeted towards the end, barely chugging along to a very abrupt ending. This is fairly disappointing considering the film had a very strong opening.
Overall I think the performances in this film, especially by Lily Collins are what carry it. Although the storytelling starts off very strong it runs out of gas towards the end, leaving the audience wanting more. Luckily those performances, a very strong opening, and an interesting, growing dynamic between characters make this film one I would suggest people check out.
Rating: 3.6/5
Written by Matt McKenzie
Edited by Rebecca McKenzie
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