Infinitely Polar Bear

— An tender look at a 1970’s family consisting of a manic-depressive, Boston blue-blood father, his black wife, and their two daughters. The film [DVD] has a slice-of-life feeling to it, as though we’ve been made privy to the family’s struggles and joys. Stories of families in crisis often have a darker feel to them, but this film seems purposely colorful with reds and blues and yellows everywhere. There’s no denying Mark Ruffalo’s talent and his bipolar ups and downs are filled with tenderness and exuberance, but it seems as though we see a good deal more of his manic side injected for likability and wackiness, than his depressive side, emphasizing a cutesiness that’s seems injected in an effort to make the film more appealing to general audiences. Cutesiness aside, it’s a good film (DVD) with a good cast, particularly Ruffalo.

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[2015. 90 min. Directed by Maya Forbes. Starring Mark Ruffalo, Zoe Saldana, Imogene Wolodarsky, and Ashley Aufderheide.]
http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/infinitely-polar-bear-2015/