Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

The chemistry between Mickey Rourke and Nat Wolff felt genuine and was embracing. I found myself smiling and wished the MRI inside the basement was a second opinion and Mickey wasn't dying. Quite a balancing act achieved considering several life altering themes throughout the film. I then hoped he would pull out a gun and eliminate his assassins. The high school teacher Mr. Mark kept delivering great lines like Kubricks characters in Dr Strangelove, Major King Kong , the cowboy riding a nuclear bomb and George C Scott as General Buck Turgidson. Dark comedy done with great style and pulled off by great acting from Mickey and Nat. Best performance yet by Mickey Rourke.

The character Ed was drawn out through the film. Rather than a gradual formation of confidence, the character was entirely on the fence. His intelligence greatly surpassed his ability to connect with people and understand their feelings - this changes near the end as events become more serious and he obviously learns some life lessons from Ashby. Aside from this typical series of events, the character Ashby had a lot to offer to the film, but it seemed too rushed for any in-depth progression. Regardless, Rourke's acting is entirely convincing and heartfelt, taking you into the life of someone who has done wrong but with good intentions. Also, beyond the cliché high school scenes, there was an interesting perspective by the director that played out as it went beyond the typical jock-hierarchy and parties to something more systematic. However it did not shy away from the stereotypical high school drama - just not to the extent that the film would feel like your average high school movie.

'Ashby' is yet another film lacking any sort of direction, structure, and storytelling. Is it a character film, a teen drama, or redemption story... perhaps all three? Tony McNamara brings a lot of different ideas into a script that lacks anything important to say at all.Mickey Rourke portrays the titular character Ashby, a former CIA assassin who has killed for his government because quote; "That was my job... sigh..." I suppose as a younger man he must have been a patriot and a soldier, but all that has changed over time, when he has his first heart attack and finds out he has very little time to live. His neighbor (Nat Wolff), a rather bland teenager who just moved into town with his single mom (an equally bland Sara Silverman), asks Ashby if he can write an essay about him... because quote; "You're old." And so the film unfolds at a slow and steady pace with nothing really to offer the viewer and focuses solely on a teenager who literally has nothing to complain about, yet still finds the time and energy to do so.What really upset me about this movie's direction and writing, isn't the awful story line itself, but the real lack of any message for the viewer. Outside of Micky Rouke's character coming to terms with who he was and the horrible things he'd done during his career, every single character in this movie is exactly the same at the end, as when it started out. The idea of an assassin seeking redemption through a kid writing a high school essay is laughable at the least, but putting up with the most annoying teenager in the world, makes me literally weep for future generations of screenwriters and directors. It's predictable at most times, ablaze with platitudes, and lacks anything worth watching for an hour and forty five minutes.This movie has absolutely nothing to teach anyone except that murder can be part of a geek coming to age film. He also becomes an accessory to murder, but hey... that's fine if you're friends right? I wish I could get my time back.4/10

I liked it, I consider it a good movie. It's different than other movies and at the end of the movie I felt I had received a good message. I think the story is good without clichés and everybody performance was focused. It was good to see beautiful Emma Roberts and also Mickey Rourke.I like since the beginning it made me laugh with a the bj scene, and also I think it was really good it didn't take the way of typical movies, there were like 5 different scenarios in which the movies could take direction but it didn't, that helped to make this movie a good and different movie without the typical options, I consider that it has more realism than other movies.Thanks