Tough to Handle – a bumpy ride with a heart

So, I just finished watching Tough to Handle last night, like at 23:15, and I gotta say… it’s a bit of a knut på tråden, this one. They got Jake Gyllenhaal (the guy who always looks like he hasn’t slept for a week – in a good way), and Meryl Streep doing her “stern-but-lovable” routine, like when my gran used to make us sit still during Midsommar. Directed by Greta Gerwig, which honestly surprised me, since I still mostly think of her as that awkward girl from Greenberg.

The first thing that hits you is how the film looks – like someone smeared Stockholm November light on everything. Makes me want to put on a wool scarf and complain about SL. There’s a chase scene that’s supposed to feel real tense, but the music (Hans Zimmer, again) just blares so much I half expected him to show up in a cameo with a synth under his arm.

Okay, the plot is, eh, all over the place. I mean, I liked the soup of themes: loyalty, betrayal, that feeling you get on a Tuesday when everything’s just a bit mycket. But sometimes it feels like they wrote whole scenes on a napkin at Wiener Caféet – characters get moody really fast, and in the next shot someone’s throwing a meatball across a fancy restaurant. Maybe that’s just me (never forget when I spilled lingonsylt over a first date’s trousers watching a similar messy drama).

But you know, it got under my skin a bit. Like those Ulf Lundell songs dad used to play on long drives to Hudiksvall. It’s flawed, yeah, but weirdly cosy? Not for everyone. But I think if you’re a sucker for messy people making messier choices… you’ll see yourself in there somewhere. Just bring patience – and maybe some extra napkins.

watch the full movie on Mavshack Movies on YouTube

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