QUICK TAKES: Lucky, Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House, and The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
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| Courtesy of Magnolia Films |
(Not rated, but contains strong language. Now playing at Landmark Midtown Art in Atlanta.)
The cast: Harry Dean Stanton, David Lynch, Ron Livingston, Ed Begley Jr., Tom Skerritt, Beth Grant and Barry Shabaka Henley.
What it’s about: The story focuses on the spiritual journey of an eccentric 90-year-old man named Lucky (Stanton, in one of his final roles), who lives in a small, nondescript desert town. As he finds himself near the end of his life, Lucky begins a journey of self-exploration, philosophizing and pondering existence in conversations with his equally quirky neighbors.
The good: If – like me – you’re a fan of character actors, Lucky is an absolute joy to watch. It’s so nice to see the incredible Stanton (who died last month at 91, after appearing in more than 100 films) get such a fitting send off. As the titular character, he gets to convey a vast range of feelings, from bombastic anger to quiet reflection, with moments of cheerfulness and humor in between. I sincerely hope he gets a posthumous Best Actor nomination.
Everyone Stanton shares screen time with matches him in charm and charisma, but the two clear standouts are Lynch and Skerritt. The former plays Lucky’s best friend, an odd but kind fellow who’s mourning the loss of his pet tortoise. The latter portrays a fellow vet who Lucky strikes up a conversation with in a diner. As a bonus for sci-fi nerds, their brief scene together also serves as a poignant Alien reunion.
John Carroll Lynch, a terrific character actor himself, turns out to be a fantastic filmmaker as well. Making his directorial debut (from a screenplay by Logan Sparks and Drago Sumonja), he certainly knows how to compose a beautiful shot. But he’s also smart enough to keep it simple since the cast is his strongest weapon.
The not-so-good: Some viewers might consider the film slight or even boring, if they’re not looking beneath the deceptively simple plot. However, my biggest fear is that a movie this wonderful will fall through the cracks since it’s playing in such limited release. Try to seek Lucky out - it’s one of my favorites of 2017.
Grade: A-
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| Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics |
(Rated PG-13 for some language. Now playing at Landmark Midtown Art in Atlanta.)
The cast: Liam Neeson, Diane Lane, Martin Csokas, Tony Goldwin, Ike Barinholtz, Josh Lucas, Michael C. Hall and Tom Sizemore.
What it’s about: One of America’s most famous whistleblowers, Mark Felt (Neeson) is better known as “Deep Throat,” the anonymous source who helped Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein expose President Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate scandal. Felt’s duty to country was constantly in conflict with the directives of his superiors, so he put himself at great risk to make sure vital information was communicated to the American people. The film, written and directed by Peter Landesman, focuses on the toll this period took on Felt’s professional and personal lives.
The good: The best element of Mark Felt – by far – is Neeson, who delivers a tense, complex performance as a conflicted protagonist facing a host of impossible crises and decisions. I think many viewers have gotten used to seeing the actor in action hero mode, so his work here is a welcome reminder of how powerful he can be.
The rest of the cast is decent as well, but they don’t get much of an opportunity to develop their characters. It doesn’t help that many of them are also buried under bad wigs and layers of unfortunate makeup.
The not-so-good: Sadly, pretty much everything else, including that godawful title. If you’ve seen a biopic before, nothing here will surprise you. Mark Felt is strangely clinical, with almost no emotional weight. It’s as if Landesman decided to use Wikipedia entries as the screenplay, rather than spending time fleshing out characters and giving them dialogue that sounds natural. (This is one of those movies where people who’ve worked together for decades call each other by their full names so viewers will know who they are.)
Although the film has been in development for quite a while, it’s also apparent that Landesman is hoping the story’s sudden timeliness (presidential scandals are in again!) will be enough to maintain audience interest. In my case, that wasn’t enough to keep me invested. I came dangerously close to nodding off a couple of times, which almost never happens to me.
Grade: C
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)
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| Courtesy of Netflix |
(Rated TV-MA, contains strong language, thematic elements and brief nudity. Now streaming on Netflix.)
The cast: Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Elizabeth Marvel and Grace Van Patten.
What it’s about: Structured as interconnected short stories, writer-director Noah Baumbach focuses on an estranged family that is forced together as they struggle with their patriarch’s failing health. Harold Meyerowitz (Hoffman) is an artist and retired professor who has three children from different marriages. Danny (Sandler) is a musician struggling to maintain a close relationship with his daughter (Van Patten) when she heads to college. Jean (Marvel) is the introvert who mostly stays silent in a futile effort to avoid drama. Finally, the successful Matthew (Stiller) is Harold’s obvious favorite. As you might imagine, things get tense when everyone is in the same room for the first time in years.
The good: Not even kidding when I say Sandler and Stiller deliver the best performances of their careers. They’re both worthy of Best Supporting Actor nominations, and that’s coming from someone who’s not a huge fan of either. After years of coasting and playing it safe, the two actors are both compelling and sympathetic, alternating between heartbreaking and hilarious.
Sandler’s scenes with Van Patten are especially endearing, as his usual man-child persona melts away to show a vulnerable guy terrified of losing the person he cares about most. Stiller, who frequently comes off as superior and aloof, turns his negatives into positives; those unlikable traits are clearly a suit of armor Matthew uses to hide his own fears and insecurities.
Hoffman anchors the whole film with a performance that is much more complicated than it seems at first glance. His character is frequently unlikable, but the talented actor somehow finds the humanity at the heart of Harold. While Sandler and Stiller might cancel each other out (unless one of them competes as a lead), I wouldn’t be at all surprised to hear Hoffman’s name called on the morning of Oscar nominations.
The not-so-good: Some might dismiss this as another pretentious indie movie about whiny rich people. Honestly, they wouldn’t be entirely wrong. However, Baumbach finds a way to make each character relatable in some way – even if most of us don’t know what it’s like to live in a cushy New York City apartment or attend a prestigious private school.
The film also goes on one scene too long. If it had faded to the credits only a minute or two before, I would’ve given it a standing ovation from my living room.
Grade: A-
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