On Friday night, after working on the set at school for a few hours, M went out to rent a flick for the rest of the evening. She chose "Welcome to the Rileys" starring James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart, and Melissa Leo. Well I like Gandolfini's work and the choices he makes (except for that uber-intense US General part) and, although I've never seen the Twilight schlock, I've liked Kristen Stewart in things like Adventureland and Into The Wild. So I was hopeful, despite the lame sounding title. But you shouldn't judge ...Anyway this is story of brokenness and the tragedy that descends from the hubris of parents. Mid-life hits Doug and Lois Riley hard as they have to deal with losing their daughter in a car accident about four years ago. Since then Lois has become a cold, angst-paralyzed, agoraphobe, never leaving the house. Doug continues his life as a successful widget seller who plays poker with the boys, but to compensate for Lois's decline he has a four year affair with Vivian, a waitress at a local pancake shop, where she knows him as "the waffle man."
When Vivian suddenly dies of a heart attack he struggles mightily not to fall into full-on despair. He attends a widget-selling conference in New Orleans and, after glad-handing more than he can manage he heads for Bourbon St. There he ducks into a strip joint for a drink. He's lonely. He wants comfort. That doesn't mean he's interested in the strippers. However when a 16 year old girl makes it her business to interest him in something, or at least take as much of his money as she can, collides with the sudden entrance of the loud bunch of fellow widget-conferencers he's been trying to avoid, he takes her offer for a private room. Once there he pulls a Holden and insists that he just wants to talk. He pays $100 for the talk, which goes badly, and he gets his $100 back.
Later that evening in a coffee-shop, Mallory, the stripper, enters and he apologizes and pays for her sandwich. It becomes obvious she's alone and not in control of herself. He offers a ride home. She asks for the $100 anyway. He gives it to her. When they get to her place they laugh and smoke a joint, and Mallory remains incredulous that he wants nothing sexual from her. All he can see is his own daughter.
Doug decides to stay in New Orleans to help Mallory. He phones Lois to tell her. Lois is shocked, and roused by this. She packs her bags, gets into Doug's Caddy, smacks it around a little and eventually makes it down to the Big Easy herself. Along the way some 50-something guy hits on her in a highway truck stop and she, in her new, tousled, un-uptight look begins to come alive again, though she doesn't take him up on the offer.
Well, after that Doug and Lois become the Rileys again. They try to parent Mallory and do help in some ways, but this endeavour is doomed, and they know it. Though it's a bit sentimental to say it, they come together over this new failure, and are able to face up to the failure of four years earlier.
The story is redemptive - for this couple, for the young girl, and for New Orleans. Sure the city is portrayed honestly, but the food and romance of the place is obvious. It revived my curiousity to visit it (I missed my chance when I broke my kneecap a few years back and had to miss an education convention I was booked to attend).
The reviews of this film are split. It's either seen as over-sentimental, or as a showcase for great acting by Gandolfini, Stewart, and Leo. Well there are times when sentimental works. And it's usually with family. You can't get around it. Family stories that go from bad to worse to better but not perfect are going to get you all soft in the middle. And I think that family stories ought to do that. And I think you ought to watch at least two of these kinds of movies a year, together with that someone that you love most of the time, but occasionally you wish was someone else.
What made this film work for me that none - none - none of the difficult questions were answered with anything other than, it's better to care for someone than not. And if you care for someone you let them make their own decisions, even when you think they're being stupid. There's nothing at all wrong with the conventional social construct called "family." Some reviewers seem to wretch and puke at the sight of it; they need to grow up and experience dependent and interdependent relationships that you don't choose. Because that's what family is - caring when you don't want to choose to. It's hard. But it's what humans should be able to do.
Then on Saturday night I watched Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith. Really??? What a piece of total bum-banging crap! Geez! I watched so that I could say that I did. And I mourn the time lost. For a review that I will totally agree with, go here.
Friday ride report:
in: -7'C wind SW 15 ks
out: -2'C wind NW 20 ks
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