Carnage is based on a French play titled "God of Carnage" and the film is very much like a stage performance. It takes place almost entirely in one location with only four characters getting any screen time of note. As the film opens, we see a brief incident on a playground where a couple of kids get into an altercation, and ends with one of the kids hitting the other with a stick. We see this from a distance, and hear no dialogue, so we don't know the context of what happened, and that's important to the story. This opening scene is very brief and is one of only two times that we are outside of our main setting. We then proceed to our primary location, the home of Michael and Penelope Longstreet (John C. Reilly, Jodie Foster). Their son, Ethan, was the kid hit by the stick in the playground scene. He has suffered some physical damage and Michael and Penelope have invited the family of the other kid, Zachary, to their home to discuss the incident. Zachary's parents are Alan and Nancy Cowan (Christoph Waltz, Kate Winslet). The discussion between the couples begins very cordially as they agree in writing to what happened between their children. We believe things are going to end well when Alan and Nancy start to leave, but then something is said that leads to more conversation between the couples. It's here where things slowly start to fall apart as the two sides start to splinter. The disagreements start out simple enough but eventually things deteriorate and when alcohol is introduced into the mix, all hell breaks loose. Can these 4 "adults" work out their differences or will human nature lead to carnage that will claim each of them?
Based on that brief description, Carnage may seem like a serious film. And while there are some underlying lessons here about being an adult, this is really a comedy as we see just how childish adults can be at times. I found myself laughing a lot during this film and there were a couple of scenes where I was almost in tears. This is a testament to the acting in this film, which is really what makes this film work. It's an actors movie, pure and simple. Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet are two of my favorite actresses and while both have been more memorable in other roles, they both show the enormous talent that they possess here, especially when they are going head to head on screen. Christoph Waltz is the actor I'm least familiar with but he more than holds his own here as an attorney who can't seem to stay focused on the task at hand due to the numerous distractions on his cell phone. John C. Reilly is a great actor and he is a catalyst for much of the comedy here. Of the four performances, Reilly's is the one that I will remember the most from Carnage. This is not a movie that will be for everyone. It's more of an artsy picture and while it is funny, it's not slapstick comedy which is more appealing to a wider audience. A lot of people will also be disappointed with the ending as we are not given clear cut answers to everything. You have to think about the closing scene a bit but if you pick up on the irony of it, you will enjoy the film more. If you don't, you may walk away going "Huh??" I got it and therefore I enjoyed the movie and recommend it.
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