I never saw this movie in the theater because I was somewhat “eh” on the subject matter. However, it didn’t quite go the way I thought it would go and John Hawkes was fascinating to watch. Unfortunately, Helen Hunt chose to go the route of attempting the Boston accent and that nearly sank the entire picture.*
Cost: free from library (a “Why not?” selection)
Where watched: at home.
*Honestly, I think that accent is acting kryptonite. Only people from Boston should attempt. Oh, and John Hawks, born and raised in rural Minnesota, who did it so well that I didn’t notice he was attempting one until Helen Hunt’s attempt caused me to wince.
http://www.impawards.com/2012/sessions.html
I definitely think one’s tolerance of certain accents depends on if one has lived in the place of the accent. For example, before I lived in Texas, I never thought twice about Southern accents. And now a bad one really bothers me. “No one in Texas sounds like that,” I think. “That’s a Virginian accent.” And so forth. On the other hand, there haven’t been a lot of fake British accents I’ve heard that I thought sounded fake, and I’ve never lived there. However, I agree that a Boston accent is very difficult to pull off well.
On a side note, I power watched this show called “The Fosters” on Netflix and was surprised to discover that the main character, who is American on the show, is played by an Australian woman. I never would have guessed.
Yay for Minnesota actors getting their Bah-ston on! I bet you have a stronger ear for it, with your former MA state living. Sorry it bugged.