:
Brett Davern,
Brett Davern,
Rita Wilson,
more...
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Chad Lowe,
Chad Lowe
see all cast/crew...
: Not Rated
: Ifc
: Drama, Dysfunctional Families
: 90 min.
: English
: English, Spanish
see additional details...
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Longtime actor Chad Lowe makes his feature directorial debut with this quiet family drama focusing on two young brothers as it explores the elaborate family dynamics and rapidly-evolving social attitudes during the dawn of the 1970s. Simon (William Hurt) and Judith Messerman (Rita Wilson) are progressive parents who want nothing but the best for their two boys Clive (David Call) and William (Brett Davern). A highly-intelligent math prodigy whose seems set to claim the top prize at the upcoming mathmatics competition, troubled Clive frequently disconnects from his doting parents by speaking in a made-up language that nobody but himself can understand. William, on the other hand, is just trying to get by as he struggles to work his way out from under the formidable shadow cast by his older sibling. When Clive's provocative girlfriend Sandra (Michelle Trachtenberg enters into the equation harboring a decidedly sensitive secret, the tempestuous relationship between the two brothers will soon put to the ultimate test. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
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| has moments... but uneven and stilted
by jonalexdeval
March 28, 2009 - 10:42 PM PDT
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1 out of 1 members found this review helpful
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| It's at its best while portraying the smaller moments between the younger son and mother or father. Unfortunately, the whole movie plays like a sequence of flat scenes strung together without much in the way of overall narrative structure. The dialogue has small glimmers of hope but remains marred by awkward quotations from Einstein and Chopin apparently thrown in for some kind of effect. Rita Wilson has the best performance. Actually, the problem isn't even the lack of a dramatic narrative arrow. Some films lack a grand narrative point but still deliver in the poignancy of their details. The problem here is that the details lack a convincing sense of truth. Instead of taking its time to develop concrete moments between family members, the film barrages us with repetitions of facts, sayings... not even cliches so much as disordered miscellany. It would be nice if the miscellany came across as genuine idiosyncrasy... I like idiosyncrasy... but here it just seems like factual staccato. |
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 5.14)
7 Votes
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