There are a few things I appreciate more than a movie that looks and feels like it matches the time period it’s set in, and that’s exactly what we get with David Robert Mitchell’s The End of Oak Street. Plus, when a film stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor, it’s not a matter of if I’ll watch it, but when. It’s a no-brainer at that point, so whether it was aggressively fine or sensational, I’d be seated either way. But it feels nice to say that it’s more than worth it.
On paper, the story sounds completely absurd, but at its core, it’s a bigger story about endurance. Set in 1982, the movie essentially follows an ordinary family with marital problems and pesky neighbors that are somehow transported back in time to the Mesozoic era. Hilariously, if we had a nickel for every time Anne Hathaway’s on-screen husband did questionable things for work in the year 2026, we’d have two nickels. It’s not a lot, but the similarities between McGregor’s Greg and Matt Damon’s Odysseus in The Odyssey are kind of funny.
With Great Performances, The End of Oak Street Is Surprisingly Endearing
There’s a lot to appreciate about The End of Oak Street. For starters, the grimy visuals and practical effects ensure that the movie feels believable in the time period we’re exploring. And more importantly, the story strikes like the transportive on-screen lightning. It might not have the same magic as a movie like Jurassic Park does, but really, it doesn’t need it, and that’s okay. It has heart, which is more than enough.
More than anything, it’s the performances in The End of Oak Street that make it a believable and worthwhile treat. Hathaway is having one of the most incredible years in her career, showcasing the full range of emotions she’s capable of. From The Odyssey to The Devil Wears Prada 2, Mother Mary, and everything else she’s got lined up, she ceaselessly confirms she’s a force to be reckoned with. And not only is it remarkable that each of these roles is different from the other, but it’s transcendent to be reminded of how much she’s capable of. Whatever it is, Hathaway ensures that we believe every emotion her character is experiencing and, at the same time, she makes us understand them.
Even with a premise like this, we can feel the profound love she carries for her kids and husband. We can tell that she’d fight like hell to ensure their safety, no matter the cost. And a performance like this easily allows a movie to become something worthy—memorable. The same can be said about McGregor, Maisy Stella, and Christian Convery—once more, emphatically, the performances are everything here.
It’s also not every film that has rewatchability, but thanks to its surprisingly happy ending, The End of Oak Street does. With the hope it leaves us with, it becomes a movie that sends a lovely message about why it’s often important to believe people and take a chance on something that sounds absurd. The film’s wormhole theory might not be fully solved in the end, but that’s also not something we needed. We needed a movie that’d make every minute of the plot feel real, and that’s essentially what we get.
First Featured Image Credit: ©Warner Bros.