March 26, 2024
'Manchester by the Sea'
The Ringer's Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey revisit Kenneth Lonergan's 2016 drama 'Manchester by the Sea,' starring Casey Affleck, Lucas Hedges, and Michelle Williams.
Cast
Casey Affleck as Lee Chandler
Michelle Williams as Randi
Lucas Hedges as Patrick
Kyle Chandler as Joe Chandler
Gretchen Mol as Elise
Matthew Broderick as Youth Pastor
Directed by: Kenneth Lonergan
Written by: Kenneth Lonergan
Notes
- Budget of $9 million, grossed $79 million. Amazon Studios acquired it out of Sundance for $10 million – essentially the first major Amazon Studios film.
- The idea originated with John Krasinski and Matt Damon, who brought it to Lonergan. Lonergan worked on it for approximately six years.
- Matt Damon was originally supposed to play Lee but took 'The Martian' instead – a 'Sliding Doors moment.' Casey Affleck stepped in.
- Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Director, Actor (Affleck, won), Supporting Actor (Hedges), Supporting Actress (Williams), Original Screenplay (Lonergan, won).
- Michelle Williams had only 12 minutes of screen time but earned a Best Supporting Actress nomination. She has 5 Oscar nominations and still hasn't won.
- Casey Affleck's emotional breakdown at the funeral was not scripted – he genuinely got upset, and Lonergan kept it.
- The scene where paramedics can't get Michelle Williams's stretcher into the ambulance was unscripted – the gurney actually fell.
- Timothy Chalamet auditioned for Patrick and did not get it. Lucas Hedges used a technique of not talking to anyone the entire day before filming his emotional freezer breakdown.
- They ran out of money before filming a planned whale-watching flashback scene that Damon described as 'an epic scene that tied the whole thing together.'
- The shoot was compressed (~30 days), racing to finish before winter ended in Massachusetts.
- Lonergan's previous film Margaret went through six years of post-production/lawsuit hell, costing him 11 years of filmmaking.
Categories
Most re-watchable scene
- The hill scene: Lee runs into ex-wife Randi on the street – described as 'one of the best scenes of this century.'
- 'I can't beat it': Lee tells Patrick he can't go back to Manchester – the entire movie in four words.
- The fire reveal / police station scene: Lee tries to confess, then grabs the officer's gun. 'A 10 on the rock bottom scale.'
What aged the best?
- Casey Affleck as a dead-eyed, pissed-off New England drunk – his 'Massholery.'
- Amazon Studios putting themselves on the map, leading to Netflix/Apple spending on films.
- The Casey Affleck 'grabbing the gun' meme gaining a life of its own on Twitter.
- The New England vibe. Patrick's Bridge 9 Records poster (legendary Boston hardcore label).
What aged the worst?
- Casey Affleck's Me Too issues overshadowing his performance and career trajectory after the win.
- Trying to do anything (like go to dinner) after seeing this movie.
- They ran out of money and couldn't film the whale-watching flashback ending Lonergan wanted.
Most cinematic shot
- The last shot: Lee and Patrick with their backs to the camera, throwing a lacrosse ball.
- The hill scene framing with Michelle Williams – the hill is slanted, he's physically below her.
Best needle drop
- Adagio in G Minor used extensively over key emotional scenes.
- 'Lily, Rosemary and the Jack of Hearts' by Bob Dylan.
- Stantorian (Patrick's band) playing in the garage – 'they suck so bad.'
Weak link of the movie
- Bill: The wife gets out of the house but the kids don't – his wife couldn't get past this.
- Chris: Too much driving back and forth in the movie.
- Sean: Patrick never recognizing what being back in Manchester is doing to Lee.
The hottest take award
- Bill: The wife (Randi) shares 50% of the blame for the fire – her sinus issues meant no heat, flimsy fireplace screen, and she got out while the kids didn't.
- Sean: It's OK if Lonergan only ever makes 4 movies total. Sometimes genius has a small body of work.
Casting what-ifs
- Matt Damon was originally the lead, took 'The Martian' instead.
- Timothy Chalamet auditioned for Patrick, lost to Lucas Hedges.
- Ben Affleck could have played Joe but was likely shooting Justice League.
Best "that guy"
- CJ Wilson as George. Anna Baryshnikov as Patrick's second girlfriend (Mikhail Baryshnikov's daughter).
- Matthew Broderick's youth pastor character. Kenneth Lonergan's own cameo ('nice parenting').
Apex Mountain
- Casey Affleck: Yes – this is it (over his 2007 run of Gone Baby Gone / Jesse James).
- Kenneth Lonergan: Yes – won the Oscar, though he hasn't made a movie in the ~9 years since.
- 'Manchester by the Sea' (the town): Yes, Apex Mountain for the actual town.
Cruise or Hanks?
Hanks wins
Hanks for the lead role (Lee). Young Tom Cruise ('Risky Business' era) would be great as young Patrick, but for the lead, Hanks wins.
Picking nits
- No convenience store would be open at 3 AM in that part of Massachusetts.
- 'Manchester by the Sea' depicted as more blue-collar than it really is.
- Patrick's two girlfriends would find out about each other immediately in a town that small.
- Joe didn't tell Lee ahead of time about the guardianship arrangement.
Best (or worst!) life lessons from the movie
'Sometimes you can't beat it. You just can't.'
Best double feature for this movie
- Bill: You Can Count On Me (start with that, finish with 'Manchester by the Sea').
- Sean: 'Good Will Hunting' (similar worlds).
- Chris: Shutter Island.
Who won the movie?
Kenneth Lonergan – Affleck and Lonergan both won Oscars, but the consensus landed on Lonergan as the overall winner.