In this edition of the Film Round-Up, three movies that do not suck. And one directed by Rob Reiner. These reviews previously appeared in ICON and are reprinted with permission.
Paul Williams: Still Alive (Dir: Stephen Kessler).
Growing up in the 1970s, Kessler felt a kinship with songwriter Williams
("Evergreen," "The Rainbow Connection"), who appeared in
dozens of TV shows and movies. Decades later, Kessler discovered that Williams
was alive and sought to reconnect "with my friend from the
television." Kessler soon follows Williams everywhere—a show in Las Vegas,
a quickie tour through the Philippines—growing from sketchy fan to camera-carrying
nuisance to friend. Some may find Kessler's on-camera presence and incessant
narration gimmicky, but he cuts through the celebrity gloss and 70s kitsch,
capturing the real person. The depth of this good-natured documentary surprises
you. Williams suffered from alcohol and drug problems, but his quest for fame
may have been his ultimate undoing. "I felt like I belonged in the
world," says Williams, who appeared in everything from The Tonight Show
(50 times) to Circus of the Stars. That Williams now happily plays
small venues and lives in a modest California home defines the film's poignant
sweetness. Finally, in his early seventies, he has found peace. "The last
couple of years have fucked up your movie," Williams says. "And I
love that." Me too. [PG-13] ****
The Magic of Belle Isle (Dir: Rob Reiner). Starring:
Morgan Freeman, Virginia Madsen, Emma Fuhrmann, Fred Willard, Kenan Thompson,
Kevin Pollak, Ash Christian. Widowed and paralyzed, irritable and self-pitying,
creatively dormant novelist Monte Wildhorn (Freeman) spends his days filling
the holes in his life with booze. His concerned nephew (Thompson) finds Monte a
summer home in a charming lakeside town, where Monte continues his
self-destructive ways until he meets his neighbor (Madsen), an attractive,
intelligent single mother with three young girls. Monte bonds with the middle
child, a precocious tomboy (Fuhrmann) who wants to know "where stories
come from." Pretty soon Monte is on a path toward redemption. The sheer
volume of supporting characters and storylines keep Freeman, Madsen, and
Fuhrmann's characters—easily the best in the ensemble—from evolving beyond
neon-lit signs of redemption or innocence. Maybe if the screenplay, co-written
by Reiner, weren't so concerned with showcasing Freeman's godly,
integrity-infused pipes (e.g., teaching a dog to play catch, confronting an
obnoxious birthday party clown), The Magic of Belle Isle wouldn't feel
so shallow. Also available on demand. [PG] **
Your Sister's Sister (Dir: Lynn Shelton). Starring:
Emily Blunt, Mark Duplass, Rosemarie DeWitt. A year after his brother's desk,
Jack (Duplass) is rudderless to the point of self-destruction. Jack's concerned
friend, Iris (Blunt), also his brother's ex, offers the use of her father's
secluded cabin so he can "stare at the water and think about your
life." When he finally arrives, Iris's lesbian sister, Hannah (DeWitt), is
already there, recovering from a break-up with her longtime partner. A late
night drinking session later, Jack and Hannah sleep together. That boozy
hook-up turns into a life-altering event when Iris arrives unannounced, leading
to a series of revelations among the houseguests. Like her terrific previous
effort, Humpday, Shelton takes an outlandish premise and uses it to
showcase the emotional fragility of adults in transition. There's nothing
forced or phony in this tale of people forced to find themselves during a brief
period of tumult. Terrific performances by everyone, especially DeWitt (Rachel
Getting Married) as the simultaneously assured and panicked Hannah and
Duplass (starting to rival Mark Ruffalo in the aw-shucks charm department) as
the man-child forced to become an adult. Heavily improvised, making the
assuredness of the final product all the more remarkable. [R] ***1/2
Moonrise Kingdom (Dir: Wes Anderson). Starring: Jared
Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Bill
Murray, Tilda Swinton, Jason Schwartzman, Bob Balaban, Harvey Keitel.
Gorgeously presented, sweetly told story takes place in a fictitious New
England island during the summer of 1965. Perpetual orphan and unpopular Khaki
Scout Sam Shakusky (Gilman) escapes camp to marry pen pal and bookish
troublemaker Suzy Bishop (Hayward). The kids' innocent elopement soon takes on
epic proportions, raising the concern of her parents (McDormand and Murray),
Sam's earnest Scout Master (Norton), and the island's patient police chief
(Willis). Works beautifully as an adolescent adventure—Gilman and Hayward stand
out among the accomplished, star-studded ensemble—but adults will savor how
Anderson and co-writer Roman Coppola frame the story as an ode to the
bewilderment of our pre- early teenage years: how the adult world reveals
itself in bits and pieces, how everything is imbued with consequence now that
we're older. Anderson's recent efforts have felt more like an
accumulation of lushly colored, quirky details than complete films. In Moonrise
Kingdom, those artistic tendencies provide a sweeping storybook quality to
a timeless film about the raw, open-ended adventure that is childhood. [PG-13]
****1/2
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