Review by Doug Cooper
Stars Rory Culkin, Alec Baldwin, Jill Hennessy, Kieran Culkin, Emma Roberts, Cynthia Nixon, Timothy Hutton, Logan Huffman, Brandon Thane Wilson
Written by Derick & Steven Martini
Certification UK 15 | US R
Runtime 94 minutes
Directed by Derick Martini
This '70s set family drama has top performances by the entire cast but its small indie sensibility might have difficulty in reaching a wide audience. That would be a great shame as its uniformly well written with astutely judged direction, giving the cast enough space to fully inhabit their characters and breathe convincing life into them.
It's inspired by a true story. Many of the events depicted actually occurred to the Martini brothers, director Derick and co-writer Steven, I do the hope the boys turned out OK. They've certainly done a good job with this movie. It centres around shy adolescent Scott (Rory Culkin), who lives with his dysfunctional parents in suburban Long Island. His God loving mother (Hennessy) is fearful of Lyme's disease which can be contracted via deer from the local forest. She and her boorish husband Baldwin are undergoing grave marriage difficulties, and haven't had sex in a year, while he is having an affair with his employee Dixon, who is herself unable to communicate with her hubby Hutton. He's unemployed and pretends to be busy going into town for job interviews, but spends most of his time either out hunting or downstairs in their den sketching or getting stoned.
Roberts plays their pretty daughter who attends the same school as Culkin, and he is experiencing first love pangs over her. Kieran Culkin is conveniently cast as his older brother who visits the family. He plays a radio operator for the army on leave and violently defends his younger sibling from a nasty school bully. These domestic dramas are played out with considerable skill and there's nothing overwrought or manipulative about them. The characters' machinations are believably developed and one is constantly engaged with their dilemmas. Sure, the lead's coming of age storyline has been told countless times but here it's sweetly unforced with real bite to it. Culkin gives an excellent performance as the troubled boy, unable to deal with his parents break-up, and is very effective at showing the character's inarticulation when trying to express his torment.
But then all the players are terrific. Baldwin and Hutton, both first rate actors who are great to watch now that their features are so weatherbeaten and they don't mind displaying the unattractive signs of late middle age, are wonderful as the irresponsible fathers. The scene where Hutton is in a bar and beckons Baldwin over to have a drink with him, casually implying that he might have syphilis to the man who is sleeping with his wife, is beautifully acted. Hennessy and Dixon admirably resist the temptation to go over the top as the respective mothers, credibly masking the pain they feel over their marriages and always making their scenes count. Kieran Culkin is likeable as the elder brother who isn't quite the brave soldier his family think him to be, while Roberts is lovely as the sweet and confident girl who draws the younger lad out of his shell.
While there's nothing overly original about the scenario, Lymelife is still a refreshing family drama that patiently achieves its affects with a certain panache and care. Consistently entertaining, it deserves recognition and is well worth seeking out