The Listener

Well, this movie directed by Steve Buscemi is exactly as it is advertised to be. 

This movie is about a woman named Beth, (played by Tessa Thompson) who is a crisis helpline agent. Throughout the movie which takes place at her house, she is doing just that the entire night. Some calls are run-of-the-mill and some are actually deep. She gets one call from a woman who is contemplating the idea of suicide and this is the one that takes the most of her time. She finds her situation somewhat relatable and feels really engaged to help her. Nothing remarkable happens on the screen as this movie goes on. This is a relaxing movie that you honestly can have playing in your ear while doing something else. Tessa does do a good job with her facial reactions, however you aren’t really caring that much about the acting but more so the conversations. She chimes in with a soft, unbiased tone as the callers dish out their dirt. Definitely not a family flick nor a movie that gives you a solid dose of entertainment. It’s literally her taking one call after another until the movie ends. I was intrigued to see it since Steve Buscemi directed it. I was not disappointed but wasn’t impressed either. Considering the plot of the movie, I got what was expected and believe anyone who watches this would too.  You can also tell that Tessa Thompson was a producer on this as well. 

3 out of 5 stars