SAVAGE CINEMA'S SHORT TAKES #2: MORE CUSACK, MORE BAUMBACH

Now that the reviews for "Hot Tub Time Machine" and "Greenberg" have been completed and posted for your reading pleasure, I have decided to make this edition of "Short Takes" devoted to smaller, earlier reviews of past works from John Cusack and Noah Baumbach.


"MARTIAN CHILD" Directed by Menno Meyjes (2007)
*** (three stars)
On a recent episode of Bravo's "Actor's Studio" program, John Cusack remarked to the audience that there was once a time in Hollywood when if one wanted to know something about an actor, all one had to do was to look at the work. If there is any truth to that statement, what can be gained from Cusack, starring in his second of three 2007 roles as a grieving father?

Speculation aside, the quickly dismissed "Martian Child" stars Cusack as a widowed science fiction writer who adopts an emotional traumatized boy, who believes he is an alien from Mars (the wispy voiced Bobby Coleman). The bulk of this film rests on the palpable charm built by the relationship between Cusack and Coleman. Watching them "taste the colors" of M&Ms, playing baseball and performing a strange "Martian dance" together works very well with effortless likability.

While the film often veers close to the edge of "Lifetime movie" cliches, their relationship and the goodwill of the entire cast bring it back from the brink. There is nothing groundbreaking here but after a year of often brilliant and extremely dark fare, it is refreshing to see a film without villains; just a collective of decent people all trying to do right by a child. It is a sensitive, sentimental film without a hint of ironic distance and that makes it an easy target. But the bond between Cusack and Coleman--and their bond to us--makes for a sweet film told with unapologetic sweetness.

Originally written February 15, 2008

"GRACE IS GONE" Written and Directed by James C. Strouse (2007)
***1/2 (three and a half stars)
At last!! After its barely seen theatrical release (it never made it to Madison, WI), I finally saw this film last night on DVD and it was definitely worth the wait. John Cusack has carved out another richly layered and seemingly effortless performance as Stanley Phillips; husband, devoted father, manager of a Home Depot styled establishment and Republican patriot who is crippled with grief upon hearing the news of his wife's death while serving in Iraq. Equally crippling is his ability to inform his two daughters of this personal tragedy so he takes them on a road trip to an amusement park, all the while stalling the inevitable discussion he must have with his children.

While this film is essentially a meditation on grief and loss, it is not maudlin. It is filled with restraint and dignity and it is surprisingly not without humor. Cusack's chemistry with the two young actresses drives this film with Shelan O'Keefe being most impressive as the highly intuitive older daughter whose deep stares at Cusack simultaneously plead, challenge and encourage him to tell her the truth. Strong praise must also be given to Clint Eastwood, who contributes a gorgeously mournful score that binds all passages of this film together.

Again, the highest praise must be given to John Cusack for bringing this film to life. Clearly a "passion project," Cusack, through the sure-handed writing and direction of James C. Strouse, has fashioned a non-partisan story about the human cost of any war and how the tragedies of the battlefields resonate so deep, far and wide. It is a shame this film was so underseen but hopefully DVD will give it a second chance. Now, onto Cusack's other Iraq inspired film"War, Inc."--also probably fated to a life on DVD.

Originally written June 6, 2009

"MARGOT AT THE WEDDING" Written and Directed by Noah Baumbach (2007)
*1/2 (one and a half stars)
Writer-Director Noah Baumbach carved out brilliantly devastating new territory for himself with the microscopically astute divorce story, "The Squid and the Whale." His latest film is just as sharply written and observed but it is meaner, harsher, colder and finally, pointless. It feels like an endless one-act play with a variety of sequences hurled around simply for us to spectate at how awful these people are in full view of impressionable children. It is well acted--all three leads (Nicole Kidman, Jack Black and Jennifer Jason Leigh) give it everything they've got and the young actor who plays Kidman's older son seems to be another strong "Baumbach alter-ego." But, when it is all finally and mercifully over, just what is the use of one more dysfunctional family film if you have nothing new to say about it?

Originally written July 16, 2009