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Awhile back, what maybe two weeks ago now...?? I watched a movie at random with my boyfriend Mike. It was a random movie that my parents gave us to sell in the yard sale back in June. It didn't sell and we figured we'd watch it at some point, so I kept it. He rolled a dice to see what movie we'd watch out of I think five choices. And it went on this random movie called "A bag of hammers": A film by Brian Crano.
This little rant will have spoilers, you have been warned ~
On the DVD cover it is a bright background, yellow with a bit going on... three of the main characters and some random other things like hammers, ect. "A comedy about good times and grand theft" they say... Okay, so we thought this was a comedy... boy, if could we ever be wrong about anything, it was this movie and the the label "Comedy". This was one of the most recent depressing and heart wrenching movies I've seen. I got teary eyed two or three times. On the back is also the misleading sentence "Featuring touching performances from it's young cast, A bad of hammers is a hilarious offbeat comedy about learning life's hard lessons."
So we put it in and gave it a watch. The start of the film made me laugh a few times, but then slowly we got into darker waters - murky waters it was starting to feel like. The two main characters make a living off of stealing cars and live a somewhat dull, quite life. But the one guy had a relationship end to this, the first car we actually see them steal is his ex's who they confront at her dad's funeral nonetheless and she lets them have it! Then we meet more characters - a waitress at a small dinner who is the one guys sister. And these two main characters have a house next to theirs that they own and rent out. So this is where the other main character comes in, a boy and his mother who came here after a hurricane destroyed their home. Already we see that they are struggling since she mentions how she is late on rent or needs some money and will pay it back from her landlords - which to me honestly takes some nerve. Just to ask or assume someone will give you a large sum of money is a bit disgusting if you ask me.
But anyway, as the movie goes on we see this boy who lives next door struggle. He gets bulled at school, seems to have no friends, has a terrible home life. His mother is trying to find jobs that she isn't qualitied for because as the interviews go on and they ask her these questions she only responds with things like "I like to help people". At first you feel a bit sorry for her, but as time goes on she proves that it's difficult to keep feeling this way. She's verbally abusive to her son, not keeping food in the house, not keeping things clean. The waitress I mentioned earlier finds this out while being invited inside for a soda and makes a call to have someone come and do an investigation. On and off everyone around them sees the mother as she verbally abusive her son. She even sneaks into the landlord's home to take a check back or steal money, honestly we aren't sure because they come in and find her in their house unexpected. And she claims she came for eggs. Then when the subject of rent is due she suggests sleeping with them.. in order to pay, I assume... it was a painful and weird scene to watch. As the movie goes on things go from bad to worse and one thing leads to another and then we find out she takes her own life!
Now the two young men are left with a bad situation - they have to report this - but will they keep the kid or let him go into foster care? They both had bad experiences from foster care and the one is more hesitant than the other about this choice. The boy then stays at their place for the time being. They eventually have to tell him about his mom, while out at the dinner with the waitress. He can order anything he wants, which in itself is heartbreaking because throughout the movie you can tell he isn't given much food or choice to food at all. And here is where the movie finally announces the title. They talk to the boy about how life will sometimes hand you a bag of hammers and it all depends on how you use those hammers. I've never heard this expression before, but it seems to fit this strangely sad and messed up moment we now have been brought to. The kid asks to stay with them and they keep him for a short while before the two young men have a fight about their situation. One wants to keep the kid and the other doesn't. Eventually they make up and decide to keep the kid, give him the best life they can with what they have. Which honestly is a much more happier fate for this kid than he had with his mother.
The final part of this movie was about the school finding out now where this kid lived and taking him away. When the teacher asks the kid about where he would want to be, what would make him feel happy basically. The kid talks about how he's felt unwanted so much of his life and he's finally wanted now by these two guys who he looks up to. Then we get this weird sort of rush of moments and experiences for the boy and all of the people he knows - from the waitress to these two new guys - and how happy he is. From birthdays, to telling them to stop stealing cars, to daily living together, to seeing the waitress finish college, to the boy growing up finally happy with a good, solid support system - it was unexpected, emotional and heartfelt beyond words. But then we find out it was all just a dream, or a daydream... or a wish on what could have been... Back to reality now and He goes into some sort of foster system that is pretty bad considering how he looks and talks when we see him being asked questions about it by a social worker. Something damaged him there. They said they have a set up a new family for him to go to. Then we find out it's the two young men! Happily he goes with them and they have a good life together. At the end they show the boy grown up and going off to college with a guitar strapped on his back. Both the guys are there, aged but proud and excited for their adoptive son's next new chapter.
And that was it! "A bag of hammers" was a movie honestly I wasn't expecting and now I think it's one of my new favorites. It was NOT the comedy they said it would be - but something to me made it feel all the more better. Real. Which I will take anyway over a comedy. Secretly I love movies, music, art and books that make me think and feel. And this one completely did that. I'm not a huge movie person, usually I fall asleep halfway through most movies I watch these days (My couch is too comfortable) but this movie kept me awake and engaged. I feel like what I said about it doesn't give it justice. I'd say give it a watch and see how you like it, but be warned - you might get teary eyed or cry. And that's okay. This movie goes to show you that we know little of those around us until we take the time to be there for them, listen to them and care for them.
This little rant will have spoilers, you have been warned ~
On the DVD cover it is a bright background, yellow with a bit going on... three of the main characters and some random other things like hammers, ect. "A comedy about good times and grand theft" they say... Okay, so we thought this was a comedy... boy, if could we ever be wrong about anything, it was this movie and the the label "Comedy". This was one of the most recent depressing and heart wrenching movies I've seen. I got teary eyed two or three times. On the back is also the misleading sentence "Featuring touching performances from it's young cast, A bad of hammers is a hilarious offbeat comedy about learning life's hard lessons."
So we put it in and gave it a watch. The start of the film made me laugh a few times, but then slowly we got into darker waters - murky waters it was starting to feel like. The two main characters make a living off of stealing cars and live a somewhat dull, quite life. But the one guy had a relationship end to this, the first car we actually see them steal is his ex's who they confront at her dad's funeral nonetheless and she lets them have it! Then we meet more characters - a waitress at a small dinner who is the one guys sister. And these two main characters have a house next to theirs that they own and rent out. So this is where the other main character comes in, a boy and his mother who came here after a hurricane destroyed their home. Already we see that they are struggling since she mentions how she is late on rent or needs some money and will pay it back from her landlords - which to me honestly takes some nerve. Just to ask or assume someone will give you a large sum of money is a bit disgusting if you ask me.
But anyway, as the movie goes on we see this boy who lives next door struggle. He gets bulled at school, seems to have no friends, has a terrible home life. His mother is trying to find jobs that she isn't qualitied for because as the interviews go on and they ask her these questions she only responds with things like "I like to help people". At first you feel a bit sorry for her, but as time goes on she proves that it's difficult to keep feeling this way. She's verbally abusive to her son, not keeping food in the house, not keeping things clean. The waitress I mentioned earlier finds this out while being invited inside for a soda and makes a call to have someone come and do an investigation. On and off everyone around them sees the mother as she verbally abusive her son. She even sneaks into the landlord's home to take a check back or steal money, honestly we aren't sure because they come in and find her in their house unexpected. And she claims she came for eggs. Then when the subject of rent is due she suggests sleeping with them.. in order to pay, I assume... it was a painful and weird scene to watch. As the movie goes on things go from bad to worse and one thing leads to another and then we find out she takes her own life!
Now the two young men are left with a bad situation - they have to report this - but will they keep the kid or let him go into foster care? They both had bad experiences from foster care and the one is more hesitant than the other about this choice. The boy then stays at their place for the time being. They eventually have to tell him about his mom, while out at the dinner with the waitress. He can order anything he wants, which in itself is heartbreaking because throughout the movie you can tell he isn't given much food or choice to food at all. And here is where the movie finally announces the title. They talk to the boy about how life will sometimes hand you a bag of hammers and it all depends on how you use those hammers. I've never heard this expression before, but it seems to fit this strangely sad and messed up moment we now have been brought to. The kid asks to stay with them and they keep him for a short while before the two young men have a fight about their situation. One wants to keep the kid and the other doesn't. Eventually they make up and decide to keep the kid, give him the best life they can with what they have. Which honestly is a much more happier fate for this kid than he had with his mother.
The final part of this movie was about the school finding out now where this kid lived and taking him away. When the teacher asks the kid about where he would want to be, what would make him feel happy basically. The kid talks about how he's felt unwanted so much of his life and he's finally wanted now by these two guys who he looks up to. Then we get this weird sort of rush of moments and experiences for the boy and all of the people he knows - from the waitress to these two new guys - and how happy he is. From birthdays, to telling them to stop stealing cars, to daily living together, to seeing the waitress finish college, to the boy growing up finally happy with a good, solid support system - it was unexpected, emotional and heartfelt beyond words. But then we find out it was all just a dream, or a daydream... or a wish on what could have been... Back to reality now and He goes into some sort of foster system that is pretty bad considering how he looks and talks when we see him being asked questions about it by a social worker. Something damaged him there. They said they have a set up a new family for him to go to. Then we find out it's the two young men! Happily he goes with them and they have a good life together. At the end they show the boy grown up and going off to college with a guitar strapped on his back. Both the guys are there, aged but proud and excited for their adoptive son's next new chapter.
And that was it! "A bag of hammers" was a movie honestly I wasn't expecting and now I think it's one of my new favorites. It was NOT the comedy they said it would be - but something to me made it feel all the more better. Real. Which I will take anyway over a comedy. Secretly I love movies, music, art and books that make me think and feel. And this one completely did that. I'm not a huge movie person, usually I fall asleep halfway through most movies I watch these days (My couch is too comfortable) but this movie kept me awake and engaged. I feel like what I said about it doesn't give it justice. I'd say give it a watch and see how you like it, but be warned - you might get teary eyed or cry. And that's okay. This movie goes to show you that we know little of those around us until we take the time to be there for them, listen to them and care for them.
