Susan Granger’s review of “All I See Is You” (Open Road)
The concept of blindness has resulted in some fascinating films, starting with Charlie Chaplin’s “City Lights” in 1931, followed by “A Patch of Blue,” “The Miracle Worker,” “Wait Until Dark” and “Scent of a Woman” and “Ray” – to name a few. Unfortunately, “All I See Is You” isn’t one of them.
Set in Bangkok. Thailand, this psychodrama revolves around Gina (Blake Lively), who is legally blind, and her husband James (Jason Clarke). After visiting an ophthalmologist (Danny Huston), Gina undergoes a corneal transplant to restore sight to her right eye after her vision was damaged in an automobile accident many years earlier.
As Gina begins to perceive the world around her more clearly, she recognizes that not only is their apartment a disappointment but so is her husband. When they go to Barcelona to visit Gina’s sister Carla (Ahna O’Reilly) and her artist husband Ramon (Miquel Fernandez), who take them to a grotesquely garish peep show, Gina also realizes that certain aspects of her sexuality are unfulfilled.
Once they get back to Bangkok, Gina’s increasing dissatisfaction with their apartment results in Jason’s agreeing to buy a house, one that can accommodate a child. And her distress about not getting pregnant is relieved after an encounter with a hunky Daniel (Wes Chatham), whom she recognizes as a fellow swimmer from the gym.
Of course, the fact that increasingly insecure James was told by another specialist that his sperm were not viable complicates matters – along with mysterious difficulties involving Gina’s steroid eye drops.
Working from a weak script he wrote with Sean Conway, director Marc Forster (“Finding Neverland,” “World War Z”) flounders, while Blake Lively’s limited acting range is disappointing. The most memorable scene chronicles Gina’s visit to Bangkok’s famed flower market when she first begins to recognize colors.
In retrospect, Lively was far more effective in the terror thriller “The Shallows,” “The Age of Adaline” and TV’s “Gossip Girl.”
On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “All I See Is You” is a tepid 3 – with an absurd conclusion.
