James (Dan Stevens) is blind, married to Sam (Malin Akerman) with young son Jonah. He works at a call center with other blind people including his friend Bob (Oliver Platt). One morning, he wakes up cured of his blindness. His personality changes. His flirtations with co-worker Jessica (Kerry Bishé) get serious.

There are some good actors doing good work but this movie is stuck in a slow, disjointed, cold art-house world. It also fails as a character study for a simple reason. His change at the very start makes it hard to know James' personality before his turn. It's hard to know the degree of his change, or feel for Sam's loss. This film just leaves me feeling cold and pining for the lost potential.

PLOT SPOILERS, although you can guess the ending, I won't state it.

This is a film that is something a high school kid could come up with for a Lifetime film. James (Dan Stevens) a nice guy who is blind, gets the miracle of sight and quickly alienates everyone climbing the ladder of success. The title if from a well know blonde joke that they ruined by taking out the blonde. Oh the political correctness of it all. And yes I saw the ending coming with the sad music and the fade out and that oh we are supposed to be moved about life feeling... which the cynic in me didn't get because I have seen these types of films too many times before and this one didn't add anything new other than the blind aspect which spared the camera man from using the focus.

A sappy film for people who think sappy films are deep.

Guide: No swearing. Implied sex. No nudity. Does Dan Stevens look like Trump's son?

The Ticket (2016)

A serious movie, and sincere. The obvious thrust is the poster lines, and this is no spoiler—a man who has been blind for a decade gains his sight back. The metaphor here (and repeated throughout) is that it's like winning the lottery (hence the title of the film).

Now what?

Slowly (too slowly for most of us) the man goes through several broad phases as he reassesses his world, both personally and physically (viusally) around him. The euphoria, the wanting more, the doubts, the challenges, each section is simple (to the point of simplistic, I think) but heartfelt. The leading character (played by Dan Stevens) is compelling enough as a regular guy swept up with things bigger than most of us encounter.

It's maybe unfair to say this isn't enough—but it isn't. It's a lot, but there needs to be other layers, complications of plot, but also nuances of feeling that someone in this situation would experience. It would not and could not be an easy arc from one zone to another. Disruption should be really ruinous and ecstatic, not a dull slow ride.

Also, and an odd comment but needed to be made—the audio is weird. A lot of the film is murmured, as if people are conversing their inner best. But much of the time a gentle music also plays and it's just plain hard to hear! Mood triumphs over content, but it's not enough.