Everything and everyone is trying here. Cuaron’s directing and cinematography is far from coasting- there are shots like Hawke and DeNiro rushing under a New York arch, leaves swirling, that were captivating. Speaking of, Hawke is doing his best with what he has, as is Paltrow, and there are moments when she nails the alluring mystery and hidden tragedy of Estella. But the script is so rushed that the actors can’t sell the character growth.

Finn less falls into losing himself so much as a switch is suddenly flipped, and it’s as jarring as most of the needle drops incongruously slipped in. Estelle isn’t granted enough interiority to sell the ending as anything but obligatory. Bancroft isn’t allowed to dial it back and really shine until her last scene, and then it’s undercut when the script once again demands her to ham it up and go over the top.

The two standouts are Cooper and DeNiro. Cooper thrives throughout, and his art show scene was the most emotional with how genuine and earnest he was. And while DeNiro felt perfunctory in the beginning, when he returns for the climax he shows why he’s one of the greats with an affability that dances on the edge of real or put on, of whether he’s true or if it’s believing a danger. And as his true intentions show you start feeling for him and loving him at the same time Finn does. The film would’ve benefited from more of these two.

As is, you can see glimpses of greatness, but they only settle into good, at best. Come in with expectations contrary to the title, and you’ll have a good enough reward.

And as I watched this as part of my Lance Reddick filmography watch after his passing: He has a minor role here, but even then he cuts such a figure and leaves an impression. Here I was struck by his different voice. It doesn’t sound out on, and it’s still recognizably him, but he shifts enough to fit the setting and his position and to congeal into the scene rather than draw attention away from it. He was a real professional, and this is a good display of that. Sometimes it’s not about stealing the scene but about selling it.