Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

lavatch This modest film has the feel of "Manchester By the Sea," but without the over-the-top melodrama. Set in a small New England village, the film follows the lives of three buddies reunited at the time of the death of one of their dads. There are some touching and heartfelt moments in this well-crafted slice of life of dysfunctional New Englanders.We see the action primarily through the eyes of Jon, the former high school quarterback and erstwhile writer. Jon is about to give up his fishing vessel, the Mandy Lynn, and commit himself to full-time writing. While Jon has the touch of the poet, Sam is a hard-working realtor, who was divorced from Kate, another one of the close connections to all the characters from high school. Sam is dedicated to supporting his daughter, but struggles with loneliness and must face an episode of premature ejaculation in a long night on the Mandy Lynn.Dave is the playboy who left town. After a failed stint in Las Vegas, he is now residing in Arizona. It is Dave's father who died and for whose funeral he has reluctantly returned to the Massachusetts fishing village. In a moment of confessional, Dave opens up to Jon about the affair he once had with Kate. Jon is outraged because he feels that the Dave's affair was an affront to Sam, despite the fact that Sam and Kate were separated at the time. A shortcoming of the film was to unconvincingly depict women who fall for Dave and become emotionally enmeshed with essentially a loser. One of the more interesting scenes was a therapy session, wherein Jon lets loose a rare outburst of anger in an act of self-loathing. As a gifted writer with a New Age girlfriend, it puzzling why he seemed so disconnected from himself. It is also not clear if his therapy will make a difference. One also wonders how he is able to pay for a therapist. One of the strengths of the film is that we are never given pat answers to the dysfunction in the characters' lives. We do not learn why Dave left town, other than his father was a philanderer. We never learn what was the emotional connection between Kate and Dave. We never learn why the women flock to him. Those deep, dark secrets appear to be known only to the Mandy Lynn.

gmilano This was a surprisingly good movie. I'm not going to try and write a "pro" review. I'm simply sharing my opinion, and I'm a person who has seen A LOT of movies, and has studied fine art...so:The cinematography is amazing. It's like the color version of The Night of the Hunter. I grew up in the Northeast on the water so it really hit home. It added a genuine romance to the homes and common sceneries you walk by everyday and never look at or imagine in the way it was presented in this film. It's almost like an old chair you have in your back yard that a photographer makes look like it belongs on the cover of a travel magazine. The story is pretty hard hitting and well told. That said, however, the characters take too long to blossom as well and suddenly it gets cut really short. In other words, just as I was starting to get into the story...it ended. So for me that was the downside. Otherwise this definitely gets a WATCH. It's quite good.

Eva Noon Watching FAIRHAVEN was everything I love about Tom O'Brian's theatrical plays come to life a million times over with all of the elements fitting together: lovely shots, poetic scenery, authentic acting, heartfelt pacing and musical score combined to remind me of what acting coach Wynn Handman would refer to as "a perfect pitch and tone". Tom's character was an endearing, curious, mysterious and fun protagonist. I understand what he means about Tom Brady! I love the story and how the film captures the way that we are all ever unraveling from, entwining in and learning from the events in our lives. We were riveted and while I knew it would be great, I was so excited and surprised by how great. My boyfriend watched in silence the whole time and when it was over he said, "that was impeccable… perfect". He said he loved it and wants to watch it again. We were both moved. I have been spending more time this past year in my hometown than I have spent in 26 years... I related so much to the relationships, internal and external landscapes and the heartbreaking beauty of watching life expand all of us no matter where we stay or travel to. Movie made with excellence!

becmatt-401-394891 How can I see this movie again? I saw Fairhaven at the Tribeca Film Festival and loved it. I was moved by its beautiful cinematography and flawed characters-- you end up relating to almost every character in the film. We need more character driven films! Fairhaven is story about friendship but addresses so many other issues at the same time. I loved it's documentary style filming --kind of reminded me of Friday Night Lights. It wasn't like watching people act, it was like watching people live. Rich Somer was fantastic-- his character was so sweet and vulnerable. Chris Messina was perfect as the asshole with a good heart...and Tom O'brien's character made the film--soul searching while he actually has everything right in front of him all along. Seriously folks, how can I see this movie again?