Review: THE BETTER HALF Is Pixar Style Live-Action Greatness - FilmQuest Festival
One of the things I love about film festivals is that you never know what kind of movies you’re going to get to see. I’m currently covering the FilmQuest Film Festival, and I saw the film The Better Half, which was absolutely fantastic.
It may have been a low-budget indie film, but it had all of the elements that make a great Pixar movie, only it is a live-action production. The story, script, characters, and acting were all impressive. The reason that I compare it to Pixar is because it has all of the emotional ups and downs that a Pixar film has. It’s loaded with humor mixed in with some charming drama, and it’s capped off with the heartfelt soul that makes you feel the warm fuzzies. A couple of the things I liked about it most were it’s wackiness and unpredictability.
The film is a fantasy comedy that follows a dysfunctional wife and mother who dies and finds herself in Purgatory. Upon entering, she learns that her soul was split in two. One half is the mean-spirited tough side, while the other half is her fun, loving and playful side. Neither half can stay in Purgatory, so both souls are sent back to Earth to fix their family issues. If they don’t, they face eternal damnation.
The movie was directed by Michael Winnick and stars Kathleen Rose Perkins (Gone Girl), Jamie Bamber (Battlestar Galactica), and Chris Parnell (Saturday Night Live). They all give great performances that make you care for the characters they play. By the way, the characters in the story are very colorful and well-crafted. The filmmakers did wonderful job bringing them to life in a way that audiences will enjoy.
I have to say that Perkins stole the show. She was absolutely fantastic playing these two drastically different personalities of the same character. It’s not an easy feat for any actor to play against themself, but she pulled it off wonderfully.
This was such an enjoyable film, and it needs to find distribution, because I think people would enjoy it! I feel lucky that I was able to see this movie, and I hope that one day you’ll all get a chance to see it for yourself.