It’s difficult to make a film about 9/11 without appearing exploitive of the national tragedy. Some people will call these films out for manipulating the event for cheap tears, or that it’s “too soon.” How long must we wait for it to be acceptable to make films about 9/11 without public outcry? I’m not sure, but if a film is good and just so happens to include 9/11 as a plot point, it shouldn’t matter. Unfortunately, ‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close’ is stuck in the middle, as it neither feels exploitive of the tragedy, nor does it actually tell a compelling story.

The film follows an odd young boy named Oskar Schell (played impressively by first-timer Thomas Horn) who lost his father in 9/11. We get to see Oskar’s father plenty of times through his memories and flashbacks. The father, Thomas (played by Tom Hanks), is very loving and caring. Sandra Bullock plays mother, Linda, who’s relationship with Oskar is strained after the death of Thomas. Linda tries her best to raise her son, to explain to him why the “worst day” happened, but it’s difficult. It’s even harder when Oskar tells his mother “I wish it was you.” Now how do you respond to that while still trying to be a supportive and loving mother?

When Oskar finds a mysterious key in his father’s closet, with the only clue a small envelope with the word “Black” inscribed on it, his adventure to find the lock it fits begins. Oskar’s strategy is to go to the home of every person in New York whose last name is Black. It could take up to three years to accomplish this incredible feat, Oskar calculates. But it doesn’t matter how long it takes, Oskar’s love for his father is what keeps him dedicated to finding the lock.

Now here comes the biggest problem with ‘Extremely Loud & Incredible Close’. Oskar is supposed to impact the lives of the many people he meets during the journey throughout New York. However, we barely see any glimpse of Oskar being influential or important at all to these strangers’ lives. In fact, Oskar even says he doesn’t want to listen to their stories. Yet by the end of the film these dozens of strangers have supposedly been strongly impacted by Oskar’s presence and quest. It’s just not convincing.

The film, at a lengthy 129-minute running time, is unbearable at times because of Oskar’s personality and treatment of other people. Though he claims to have been “tested” with inconclusive results, it’s pretty evident that he has Asperger’s, a disease that allows Oskar to have great intelligence, but with a loss of social ability. His negative attitude towards the doorman (John Goodman) seems unwarranted and his harshness to his mother is just plain mean. It’s hard to feel emotionally attached or sorry for a character who’s so unlikable throughout most of the film. And this is unlike-ability in a bad way, not a good way.

There’s also a little side-story involving The Renter (Max von Sydow), who may be Oskar’s grandfather, Thomas’s father. The old man can’t, or won’t, speak, and instead uses hand-written notes to talk to others; he also has “yes” and “no” tattooed to both his hands. The Renter’s involvement with Oskar is barely explored, and his potentially interesting backstory is merely tossed away in the background. The man pretty much disappears in the latter half of the film. The importance of The Renter in Oskar’s quest is hard to pinpoint, and in the end it hardly matters at all.

The film boasts some great actors that not only include Hanks, Bullock, and Goodman, but also Viola Davis (‘The Help‘) and Jeffrey Wright (‘The Ides of March‘). However, these veteran actors are unable to help the film very much. ‘Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close’ is just too unbearable and self-important at times. In the end I didn’t feel like this was a story that needed to be told, as it didn’t offer anything involving other than the mystery key. Yes, there are moments where I did get teary-eyed, but they’re mostly from the thought of losing a loving father and husband than sadness conveyed by an emotionally-powerful scene.

Two and a half out of four Kents.

Extra Notes:

Though the film doesn’t really exploit 9/11, it does feel like a big Oscar bait, and surprisingly it worked. It’s nominated for Best Picture, and Max von Sydow even has a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He was nice in the role of The Renter, but it wasn’t good enough to warrant a nomination.