Watch The Greatest

The Greatest is a 2009 indie drama directed by Shana Feste that revolves around the aftermath of a tragic event within a family. The movie features a star-studded cast including Carey Mulligan, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Pierce Brosnan, who deliver some of their best performances in this poignant tale. The story of The Greatest centers around the Brewer family, and in particular the family's teenage son Bennett, who dies in a car accident just a few days before he was due to set off for college. The film begins with the family members' raw reactions to the news of the tragedy, and follows the difficulties they face in moving forward with their lives.

Bennett's parents, Allen (Brosnan) and Grace (Susan Sarandon), are understandably devastated by the loss of their son, and struggle to cope with the reality of his death. While Allen tries to hold his family together, Grace retreats into herself, sinking into a deep depression from which she doesn't seem to want to recover.

Meanwhile, Bennett's younger brother Ryan (Taylor-Johnson) is dealing with his own feelings of guilt and sorrow over not being able to prevent the accident. He tries to reach out to his parents, but they are too wrapped up in their own grief to notice his pain.

Into this sad and fragmented picture steps Rose (Mulligan), a quiet and introspective girl who turns up at the Brewer house claiming to be pregnant with Bennett's child. She is taken in by Allen, who sees her as a way to keep some connection to his son, but Grace is less welcoming, unable to accept the thought of her dead son having been sexually active.

Despite the various ways in which the family members try to connect with each other, they are all fundamentally isolated in their grief. Each of them has their own private pain to deal with, and there seems to be no way for them to come together as a unit and share that burden.

As the movie progresses, however, the family slowly begins to find their way back to each other. Allen starts to bond with Rose and to see her as a kind of surrogate daughter, while Grace starts to emerge from her depression and confront the reality of what has happened to her family.

Taylor-Johnson delivers a standout performance as Ryan, the younger brother trying to hold his family together in the aftermath of his brother's death. He delivers a nuanced and heartfelt portrayal of a young man struggling to come to terms with the full weight of the tragedy that has befallen his family.

Mulligan, too, is excellent as Rose, the girl who brings both love and further pain into the Brewer family. She gives a subdued and nuanced performance that captures the heartache and vulnerability of a young woman dealing with a difficult situation.

Brosnan and Sarandon both deliver powerful performances as the grieving parents, with Brosnan in particular showing a surprising depth of emotion and vulnerability in his portrayal of a man trying to hold his family together.

Throughout the movie, the tone is somber and introspective, but never heavy-handed or excessively sentimental. Feste handles the subject matter with a mature and sensitive touch, allowing the story and the performances to speak for themselves.

Overall, The Greatest is a moving and beautifully crafted drama that deals with some of the most difficult aspects of the human experience: grief, loss, and the struggle to find meaning and hope in the face of tragedy. It is a film that will stay with you long after the credits have rolled.

The Greatest is a 2009 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 38 minutes. It has received mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 6.6 and a MetaScore of 45.