Character studies set on Long Island in 2002 are hardly the type of films that are blowing down the box office this time of year. Throw in a super hero, an alien, or maybe even a transforming robot and you may have a different story. Heck, you could even throw in a couple Smurfs for good measure. If I’m paying money to see a film, though, I want something about real people with real problems. I want to be moved.
Even as A Little Help attempts to be all these things, it doesn’t quite hit the mark. It’s not a bad movie by any means, and I get the sense that a lot of people are going to connect with it more than I did, but for me it didn’t reach it’s potential. This is the story of Laura (Jenna Fischer), a young wife and mother with a world of problems. She is an everyman; she drinks a little too much, hides cigarettes, and yells at her handful of a son a little more than she would probably like. She’s utterly human, and that is why it is so easy to like her, even with her flaws.
Also helping is the wonderful portrayal from Jenna Fischer (The Office). I have to say that my respect for Fischer as an actress sky rocketed after seeing this film. I have enjoyed her on The Office, but that show is certainly not a showcase for acting. It was nice to see her in a more serious role, and nicer even to see her knock it out of the park. If this move succeeds at all, it is because of Fischer’s great performance. The anger, frustration, and general exasperation that all that life has thrown at her comes out well, but she also hits the quiet notes with the right touch. Hopefully this movie gets enough attention to land Fischer a few more juicy parts.
The film surrounds Laura with a lot of interesting characters. Family is big in her life, but not always for the right reasons, with those closest to her usually causing more problems than they solve. She has a husband (Chris O’Donnell) who she suspects is cheating, a son (Daniel Yelsky) who has a problem with telling the truth, a jealous sister (Brooke Smith) who has always lived in her shadow, and parents (Lesley Ann Warren and Ron Leibman) who mean well but rarely act it. The only person in the family that she seems to have any real connection to is her brother-in-law Paul (Rob Benedict). The rest of the cast does a nice job as well, particularly Benedict. If anything, this cast deserved a more ambitious script.
If this review seems a little short on plot details, there’s a very specific reason for that: not a tremendous amount happens in the movie. It ‘s not necessarily a bad thing, and I was never bored through the 108 minute run time, but others certainly will be. My main problem with the film is that it just didn’t really go anywhere; it seemed like the writer/director (Michael J. Weithorn) held back a little. There was no great build up of tension, leading to no real big release at the end. While Fischer was great to watch in the movie, she simply wasn’t enough to carry the whole running time. There were some tonal issues as well. Most of the comedic moments came during portions of the film that should have been filmed with drama, making them seem almost inappropriate, while lighter moments weren’t really filled with comedy. It was certainly curious for a dramedy. This is Weithorn’s first feature film, with the majority of his previous work coming on sitcoms. I wouldn’t be surprised if he has a great script in him. This one wasn’t it.
In the end, I wish the best for little movies like this because if a mediocre one like A Little Help does okay, it means that it will be easier for an excellent little slice of life movie to come along and blow my socks off.
Clacked by Bob Degon
on Aug 05, 2011 @ 09:00 EST5EDT
