I first saw this film back when it hit theaters in 2009, and it continues to give me the creeps to this day. I am normally not one for suspenseful and frightening dramas that involve serial killers and young girls—or any scary films involving anything remotely horrifying. Yes, I am a wimp, but moving on. The fact that makes this movie something worth watching and interesting, is the actor Stanley Tucci who plays George Harvey or as he is more commonly known in the film—Mr. Harvey. Tucci completely changes in this film from his normal comedic routine in other films you may have seen him in. It is a far cry from his characters on The Devil Wears Prada or The Hunger Games.
Tucci is so good at pulling off Mr. Harvey, you really feel your skin crawl, and your heart race (in a bad way). Tucci makes you realize how cringe-worthy Mr. Harvey he is. Any actor who makes you hate them in a film or creeps you out so well, is definitely a good actor, because they are doing their job right in portraying how the character (usually the antagonist of course) is supposed to be seen as. Mr. Harvey is an evil, sick, man and you have to hate him. This is why I respect Stanley Tucci all the more. If you can act like that, and make me feel that way, bravo my friend.
The other actors may appear subpar in comparison to Tucci, but they don’t kill the movie. The film is well spun, and inventive—especially when it comes to depicting the after-life, the beyond, or the in-between that Susie Salmon (Saoirse Ronan) is stuck in after her murder. The images in the world between Heaven and Earth are very child-like and can be quite nightmarish as well depending on Susie’s feelings and memories that she examines over and over again. The world is almost presented as a canvas that can be painted on or erased in connection with these emotions and memories. In fact, the two are directly linked in the film and make the barrier between the living and the dead only a thin veil.
All things considered, this film is another that I would say is underrated and overlooked. Because of Tucci’s performance in The Lovely Bones I now would classify him as a great actor, and one who is proficient in his field.
