C’mon C’mon is a thoughtful film about human beings. It’s a touching film about familiar relationships and getting along. What it’s like to be a father – or at least an uncle – to a precocious child. A brother to a stressed sister. It’s a remarkably human film that wants nothing more than to gaze at other humans and ask them about themselves.

The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as the brother of a stressed but loving mother to a sweet and hyper little kid played by Woody Norman (and his floppy hair). Phoenix lives across the country and he hasn’t seen the kid in years and starts to bond with him when he comes for a visit. But when life gets in the way, he elects to take care of the kid while his mom deals with her own problems.

Fantastic acting, writing, and use of black and white film. That’s the main take away. This movie isn’t like many other movies out there right now. Its heart is on its sleeve, it seeks to be nothing more than this peek at a special relationship between an uncle and his nephew. And I loved that the mother is herself so loving and frustrated and isn’t out of the picture due to her own crisis but due to the crisis of a loved one. It never blames anyone for just being human, for getting angry, for sulking, for being real.

And I think it has deeper meanings based on interviews Phoenix’s character does… asking children what they think of the future. It does and does not directly involve the “plot” but hovers around as background theme of being human and kind.

I really enjoyed this film’s subtle, thoughtful groove. It’s well worth checking out.

Score: 88