Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- wistful
- earnest
- quiet evening
- holiday movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film well-meaning but contrived and sentimentally executed, with its intended uplift undermined by awkward dialogue and unintentional humor.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Howard writes directly to Love, Time, and Death, whose unexpected responses become embodied encounters.
Howard retreats from life after the death of his child, leaving his friends struggling to reach him.
The letters and encounters lead Howard toward understanding how loss can coexist with beauty and a fully lived life.
Howard is a successful New York City advertising executive, while his concerned partners attempt to protect both him and their firm.
Films like Collateral Beauty, and why
A Christmas Carol
shares a grief-centered fantasy premise in which abstract forces guide a withdrawn protagonist toward renewed emotional connection
The Five People You Meet in Heaven
shares an ensemble melodrama about loss, friendship, and unexpected encounters with personified or spiritually transformative figures
The Family Man
shares a sentimental fantasy-drama structure using supernatural encounters to explore mortality, love, and the value of ordinary life
Movie Details
- Director
- David Frankel
- Release Date
- 2016-12-15
- Runtime
- 97 min
- Rating
- 7.2 / 10 (5621)
Cast
- Will Smith
- Edward Norton
- Kate Winslet
- Michael Peña
- Helen Mirren
- Jacob Latimore
- Keira Knightley
- Naomie Harris
- Ann Dowd
- Kylie Rogers
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Howdy Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Collateral Beauty about?
- A grieving advertising executive confronts love, time, and mortality through uncanny encounters that reopen his connection to life.
- What is Collateral Beauty like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Collateral Beauty as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Collateral Beauty violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Collateral Beauty.
- What did critics think of Collateral Beauty?
- Critics broadly found the film well-meaning but contrived and sentimentally executed, with its intended uplift undermined by awkward dialogue and unintentional humor.
- Which films are like Collateral Beauty?
- Films with a similar feel include A Christmas Carol, The Five People You Meet in Heaven, and The Family Man.
- How long is Collateral Beauty?
- Collateral Beauty runs 97 minutes.
- Where can I watch Collateral Beauty?
- In United States, Collateral Beauty streams on Howdy Amazon Channel.
