James White (Christopher Abbott) is an aimless young New Yorker who drinks and parties with his best friend Nick. His estranged father had recently passed away. He's been living with and taking care of his sick mother Gail (Cynthia Nixon) for the last few years. James goes on a Mexican vacation with Nick where he hooks up with high schooler Jayne. He's struggling to get a writing job but he's struggling with darker demons. His mother is dying from cancer and hospice care forbids hospitalization.Honestly, the movie starts out slow for me. James isn't likable. He's self-destructive and a douche. As the movie develops, he shows more of his struggles and his inner demons. His manic effort in the hospital is heart-breaking. Abbott delivers a good performance and Nixon does some dying acting. These are intriguing characters and a compelling relationship. The movie does miss a definitive death scene although he does tell her to let go.

I just did not expect... that. Great respect to Josh Mond. I think he took on an incredibly heavy film that managed to feel incredibly visceral in its portrayal. I could physically feel it, its last 30 minutes probably being the most uncomfortable film-watching experience of any film from 2015. What makes it work so well are the performances. There's such an innate authenticity and raw power to the cast's work here. I've liked Christopher Abbott from what I've seen him in, most notably Girls. I never would have thought he was capable of what he did here though. Definitely one of the best performances of last year. Not a fun film to watch at all, but holding that as a criticism would be a complete disservice to everything the film does well.

I went out and seen a great movie tonight called James White.James White (Christopher Abbott) is a asshat who lives off his mothers (Cynthia Dixon) couch. His mother is battling cancer and during her remission his estranged father dies. James has a narcissist personality and is on a drunken and drugged fueled downward spiral. He heads to Mexico with his friend Nick (Scott "Kid Cudi" Mescudi) to escape from from his responsibilities. While he seems to be in a perpetual fog as a means of escaping his harsh reality he meets a girl Jane (Makenzie Leigh). Just as he starts to relax his mothers cancer returns and he receives that dreaded call. He returns home and has to put all of the emotionally irresponsible crap behind him and take care of her.James is a bitchboy who does his best but with two worlds colliding his anger and frustration over how to take care of his mother whom he loves more than anything makes him increasingly lost.The actors rolls are on fleek. Nixon with her portrayal of a cancer patient throwing up, collapsing, losing her memory, wandering aimlessly, the bathroom scene and agony of facing death is definitely award winning. Having seen someone die from cancer and living with it I must say Nixion portrayal of this is awesome. Abbott's roll shows multi sides of expressions of grieving which makes for a difficult viewing. The heart break and devastation of both watching someone you love die and trying to work through living with the pain is how it ends at the crossroad of choices and again definitely award winning.

James White (Christopher Abbott) is caught in an endless cycle of self-destruction. He has just lost his father and fears losing his ailing mother (Cynthia Nixon) who he has been taking care of for years. He spends his days drinking, sleeping around and lashing out at others, doing anything to avoid confronting his grief and emotions, which he keeps under the surface, bubbling and waiting to burst. Life has been unfair to him, and this behaviour that manifested sabotages any chance of career or personal growth. He might be using his mother's condition as an excuse not to step out of his comfort zone and try harder in life, which is reasonable to some extent, but he can't seem to change. In his prime, he is jobless and taking his mother's couch as a bed.This narratively loose drama doesn't offer anything particularly new in giving us a glimpse into the struggles, both internal and external, faced by James. There is not much closure or emotional reward to be given. This is summed up perfectly in one of the very few scenes in which we see James surrendering to his emotions, crying while repeatedly yelling "I don't know what to do".The best aspect of the film is the acting. Nixon gives an authentic, heartbreaking performance that's understated. Abbott, on the other hand, is given a character that requires patience and sensitivity to sympathize with. James internalizes many complex emotions throughout the film and what goes on in his mind is not always clear to the audience. It's a tricky act to balance but Abbott pulls it off. Their mother-son relationship is the only thing that's certain in their lives and is the core of the film.The film could have very well ended during its most powerful and stirring scene with James and his mother in the toilet. She can't get up, so they sit and talk about what their ideal life would be like and the future they had hope for. They feel at peace as both of them stay in this moment, still and smiling. This is when the bleak reality of the film truly sets in, as we see these people, both kind and full of dreams and desires, trapped in an unfortunate life.