This movie is not for everyone, but I found myself loving the atmosphere and begging for the relationship to be mended. It hurts to watch as a father, and leaves you rooting for the best possible outcome.

When watching these types of stories, upon reflective potential underlying relatability, bolstered by the starring gimmick of real-life relations acting out a given storyline, there tend to be certain expectancy that either falls in despair or rises warmly with hope whilst touching personal and therapeutic levels. A routinely pedestrian debut benefitting from the father-daughter chemistry with Ewan successfully evokes resonance, over a thinly unbalanced screenplay. (B)

When I first saw the trailer for Bleeding Love, I knew I had to see it soon as humanly possible as both a fan of Ewen McGregor and a fan of well done dramas. Flash forward to two weeks ago where a longer scene from the film was showcased in a Jimmy Kimmel Live interview with its stars, and I was even more excited to check it out then ever before. This is the story of a father and daughter journeying on a road trip reflecting on old times while making some new memories together. Clara McGregor, daughter of Ewen McGregor, wrote the screenplay, stars in, and helped produce this at just 27 years of age. The perfect trifecta and what surprised me further was learning she's been involved in films since 2017 where she first starred in a movie called Groove as a character by the name of Nicole. I liked this Jimmy Kimmel interview quite a bit and one of the highlights for me was Clara McGregor recalling fond days of all the great catered food she enjoyed when she visited her dad on the Star Wars prequel sets in her younger days! She's been exposed to filmmaking from a relatively early age and is now following closely in the foot-steps of her Dad doing some really great work here. They both mentioned in the same interview that certain parts of this movie are inspired by and based on different moments from their actual father-daughter relationship over the years. This only ratcheted up my interest even further hearing this. Without giving too much away here, you have a story from director Emma Westenberg that primarily revolves around confronting the evils of addiction head-on with proper self-reflections after mistakes are made and repeated without lessons being learned. Some standout scenes focusing on earlier memories from Clara's life when things were far simpler and not overly complicated by the dangers of alcohol and self-medicating with various drugs. She's being picked up and spun around high-in-the-air like an airplane by her Dad. In a different flashback sequence, her father puts on a funny costume head making her laugh and enjoy her precious youth, providing the kind of much needed lighter moments that really worked well for me. I loved their more sensitive scenes together where things get downright confrontational, heart-breaking, candid, and raw at times. Also enjoyed a scene where Clara's character swipes some tiny alcohol bottles at a gas station when the attendant there seems far more interested in what's on his tv set, then actually taking care of his paying customers. Quite possibly best of all though, was a moment where Ewen McGregor's character shows up at a meeting where he discusses his failings as a father figure with his daughter reluctantly attending. She hears things spoken by him that she's likely never heard communicated before and its absolutely earth-shattering. The tow truck scene was comedic and there was another solid one where both father and daughter take a plunge into a swimming pool before being reprimanded for breaking the rules. She doesn't view him as a guy who likes to have much fun in life and he does this in part to try and properly dispel her flawed notions of him. Music was well done and there are was a nice balance with varying comedic elements to off-set many of the far darker moments. Looking forward to seeing what Clara McGregor has in store for us next. I really need to make a point of trying to see her in Reefa and The Birthday Cake when I get the time. Thought this was pretty enjoyable and the ending for me really cemented just how much I was entertained by it and fully appreciated how well written and cleverly devised it was. I didn't think the scores from IMBD or Rotten Tomatoes were properly reflective of the quality work done here.

This really should be good. It has the elements. But it isn't. In fact, it's bad. It a lot of coloring with no real story. It's a shame.

I really liked this movie. It was emotional and funny and sincere. Ewan and Clara McGregor worked well together and the characters we are introduced to add warmth and, at times, fear that threatens to derail Ewan's (dad) real intention - to save his daughter's life and mend their relationship. The director, Emma Westenberg, does an admirable job as a first time feature length director and the screenwriter, Ruby Caster, comes out swinging with this debut film. Caster shows a refreshing imagination by infusing this script with emotional swings from tense drama to quirky comedy. It all helps to keep you fully engaged.

Not sure why the critics are such haters…we really liked this film. It's a story that's certainly been told before but the love and dynamic between Ewan and Clara is utterly palpable; these two should absolutely do more work together! I didn't find the writing as clunky as some of the reviews noted. We also really liked the gritty NM backdrop- it added just the right amount of beauty, isolation and oddity that played well with this father/daughter duo. Plus the Seabird duet at the very end! Cherry on top!

Very moving and beautiful acting by Ewan McGregor & his daughter.

Interesting take on a daughter/father relationship once strained. To watch the growth over the film between the two is worth the build up. Humor and heart. Worth the watch. Enjoy.