Where the Crawdads Sing

7/16/2022

By January 2022, the book had sold 12 million copies, making it one of the best-selling books of all time. Almost everyone in the theatre, yesterday afternoon, had read the book and were wondering if the movie could be as good as the book, so in my exit poll, of a dozen, or so, viewers, I asked then specifically, “Did the movie do justice to the book?” Without exception they said it had. (Although one reader thought the movie had a more definitive ending than the book.) Their ratings were 8s, 8.5s and two 10s. When I said that anything I rated over 8 would be worthy of a rewatch, it was unanimous that all of them would rewatch it, some thinking they’d like to read the book, again. So, these people, who came to see the movie, had high standards that they felt were met. The story is simpl

7/28/2022

Daisy Edgar-Jones is really quite good in this adaptation of the Delia Owens story of a young girl left to her own devices in 1950s America. One by one her mother, siblings and finally her father abandon her to bring herself up. She takes to fishing for mussels in order to try to make ends meet, and is generally shunned by her community. Except, that is for her childhood friend "Tate" (a good effort too from Taylor John Smith) but when he leaves to go to college, she is exposed to the local Lothario "Chase" (Harris Dickinson). Turns out he is a bit of a wrong 'un for her, and when he is found dead at the bottom of a fire tower, she is prime suspect. What now ensues is a trial that provides us with retrospectives of the girl's childhood and her relationships whilst "Milton" (David Strathair

8/2/2022

Split opinion on this. Overall, though, I think my thoughts regarding it are, just narrowly, positive. <em>'Where the Crawdads Sing'</em> is a tad overlong and I'm not sold on the ending, though even so I think I like this enough. The acting is the big reason for that, with Daisy Edgar-Jones standing out alongside David Strathairn. Taylor John Smith and Garret Dillahunt are solid elsewhere. Away from the actors, most other elements are forgettable. The conclusion is iffy to me. It was clear the film was holding something back in regards to the story, though the way it eventually goes isn't the most satisfying to me personally. It's a pretty straightforward film, when all is said and done. It's close to being what I'd consider a miss, but I reckon it just about does enough right.

8/5/2022

WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING is a movie adaptation of the novel of the same name by Delia Owens. The movie is set in the early 1950s in the fictional town of Barkley Cove, North Carolina. Kya Clark (played by Daisy Edgar-Jones) is a young girl who lives in isolation after she is abandoned by her family. She becomes friends with Tate Walker (played by Taylor John Smith), a local boy who helps her learn how to read and write. When Tate also abandons her, Kya becomes involved with Chase Andrews (played by Harris Dickinson), the town's golden boy. When Chase is found dead, Kya becomes the prime suspect. The movie begins with the murder, unlike in the book. In the movie, Kya is arrested and put on trial at the start. The trial is the central focus of the movie, whereas in the book it is a second

9/4/2022

MORE SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS @ https://www.msbreviews.com/ "Where the Crawdads Sing is one of the biggest surprises of the year - may the extraordinary box office result serve as proof. A survival story - on many levels - that tackles heavy trauma, the power of nature, prejudice, hypocrisy, and many other topics in a thematically rich screenplay. Daisy Edgar-Jones ends her breakthrough year with yet another complex performance that convinces viewers to invest in the equally intricate, fully-developed protagonist over a runtime slightly affected by a short period during the second act where it loses some momentum. A tad too melodramatic for my taste, and the divisive revelation of the final minutes will certainly generate much discourse - personally, it almost ruins the whole work.

11/1/2022

**While well done and well told, it is not a movie I would return to.** Where the Crawdads Sing is a lingering sorrowful tale of an abandoned young woman finding her purpose and strength in the isolation of nature. The story mourns the abuses and judgments the protagonist faces as nearly every relationship in her life betrays her. Yet, she remains hopeful, kind, and gentle after all that. The movie is a mixture of biography, courtroom drama, and murder mystery, and while that might sound full and active, Where the Crawdads Sing is an unhurried creeping story. Typically, slow-moving films bore me, but this one was definitely engaging. The main character is steadfast and strong even after all she had endured making the story more compelling and interesting. The mystery part of the movie a