Stephen Daldry's "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" is probably one of the most exploitative and heavy handed films concerning 9/11 I've ever seen. Every theme, every story point, and every plot element is so on the nose and saccharine that's it's impossible to believe a film like this was held in such high regard in Oscar time. You figure if you're going to spotlight a movie on and around a maladjusted young boy trying to find a way to keep his father alive, you'd write a central protagonist who is likable, empathic, and engrossing. "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" has the disadvantage of featuring one of the most obnoxious and self-aware young protagonists in cinematic history. Thomas Horn gives a truly excruciating and stilted performance as young Oscar, a young boy so self-involved, selfish, and mean-spirited in nature, it's kind of a leap to imagine he has two loving parents and a grandmother ready to help him at his beckoned call. But lo and behold, Tom Hanks plays Oscar's put upon father who almost seems to spend most of the movie through flashbacks trying to find ways to connect with his son and trying to find reasons to like him, while his mother is barely acknowledged until Hanks is dies in the 9/11 attacks. The flashbacks reveal much more about the relationship between Oscar and his dad Thomas as both seem to try to find ways to endure one another.

Oscar's own narration and existence relies on self-loathing and quirks that are so forced, it's about as manipulative as your run of the mill Lifetime Original Movie. The character Oscar berates and belittles every person he comes across, from the kindest stranger to the saddest individual, and he's never above mocking people who go out of their way to show kindness to him. Much like anything pandering to the 9/11 pro-American sentiment, everyone Oscar comes across is a kind person who allows Oscar a glimpse in to their lives, and he's rarely ever in danger. And Oscar inexplicably garners a wealth of disposable income that allows him to travel around New York a month after the 9/11 attacks, and gives him the ability to buy a new answering machine and supplies for his travels for his expedition. I've never seen a kid with so much money before. The journey Oscar embarks on is to find out where a mystery key left by his father fits in to. But by the first hour audiences will realize what the actual mission is and be compelled to roll their eyes, as I did. It's so on the nose and cutesy that I couldn't believe the writer assumed audiences wouldn't catch on until the very end.

There's so much better ways the writer could have handled Oscar's own sense of denial and trauma, and it could have been so much more entertaining than what we experience with this loathsome little boy. I can think of many more films that tackle the trauma and heartbreak of 9/1l, and they all choose to explore rather than exploit. Featured in the Blu-Ray is a DVD and Ultraviolet version of the film, including a featurette "Making Extremely Loud..." about the production of the film, as well as "Finding Oskar," a small featurette about actor Thomas Horn. There's also "Ten Years Later" about the 9/11 attacks, and a compelling documentary on co-star Max Von Sydow.