Falling. Crying. A man who doesn’t speak. Adventures. 9/11. Falling. This is “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close.”

Finally a film with emotion, comedy, tragedy, and adventure, too bad it is not intriguing enough to be chosen over other films currently in theaters.

A year following the attack on 9/11, Oskar (Thomas Horn) and Linda Schell (Sandra Bullock) are still mourning the loss of their father and husband, Thomas (Tom Hanks). After Oskar finds a mysterious key in his late-father’s closet, Oskar is sure whatever the key opens is a message from his father. He sets out to search New York City for its owner. He just never expected what he would discover along the way.

It is kind of like “War Horse” in that the focus is more on the people met than the main character.

Casting in this film is spot on. Though neither Hanks nor Bullock are featured all that often, they shine as their roles as mother and father. Hanks’ acting abilities combined with his soothing voice and subtle humor make him a perfect addition to the cast. As one can probably guess from knowing 9/11 is part of the plot, the movie is sad and never more so than when Bullock is on screen. Her performance is tear-jerking in every scene, and her level of experience is definitely noticeable.

Experience, however, is not always needed especially in the case of Thomas Horn. He is a new-comer to acting but delivers his self-hating, melancholy, determined and often times crazy, child as well as someone who’s been in the business longer.

The only negative which distracts from the many positives aspects the film offers just happens to be one which overpowers all these positives; the storyline is slow and at times, boring. The filmmakers cannot be blamed for the unoriginal story because the movie itself is based off the novel of the same title by Jonathan S. Foer.

Director, Stephen Daldry’s attention to detail further emphasizes the emotion and impacts such little things have on the film. Though there is relatively no music, the silence combined with the dropping of a vase or the ringing of the telephone make viewers pause and hold their breath in anticipation as to what will happen next. The film, though not a comedy, includes such subtle humor it could almost be missed but when noticed causes laughter which lifts up the overall melancholy theme.

Oskar said, “Only humans can cry,” and cry you will. Unfortunately, the search for a fantastic movie is still on but this one is still worth a try.