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"We All Need a
Reason to Stay..." |
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Directed by Matt Mulhern
- Written by Matt
Mulhern
Starring David
Schwimmer, Janeane
Garofalo, Judah
Friedlander, Susan Lynch
Distributed by IFC -
2005 - 85m - Rated PG13 |
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"Daddy... Let me go." |
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There is a certain
freedom when you lose everything you ever cared about in life. It
sounds insane, I know. But it simplifies the process of life. It means
you can start from scratch... A clean slate if you will.
"Duane Hopwood" (David Schwimmer) first loses his sobriety, then his
wife and two daughters, then his job, then his hope and comes
dangerously close to losing his will to live. At the custody hearing,
he tells the judge that he "needs a reason to stay".
The only thing Duane doesn't lose is the unconditional love of his
daughters and the loyalty of a very quirky group of friends.
What is so skilful about this film is the way in which it balances our
sympathy for Duane's tragic situation with our understanding that
Duane is the cause of his own problems and the only one who can remedy
them.
The pivot, around which the film's emotional power revolves, is the
quite magnificent transformation of David Schwimmer from the almost
unshakable familiarity of his role as Ross on NBC's 'Friends' to this
ever so sad and bedraggled ex-husband and father who is desperate to
stop the sand slipping through his fingers. This is absolutely a
career transforming role that, surprisingly to me, certifies that he
has a very promising film career as a dramatic actor in front of him.
If enough people see this film, he will be reaping the rewards with
great parts for years to come.
Janeane Garofalo also delivers in an atypical role. As Duane's
estranged wife, she delicately balances the cold-hearted reality of
wanting to move on with her life and the sympathetic understanding of
someone who knows him better than anyone else. Her role could so
easily have drifted into cynical and clichéd 'mean ex-wife'
territory... but this film is too smart to go down that path.
There are some truly fine performances from the supporting cast
members. Judah Friedlander & Susan Lynch are both very good as Duane's
new support system. Friedlander plays Anthony, an aspiring comedian
who becomes Duane's roommate. Lynch is Duane's first girlfriend since
getting divorced. Each of them change the pace of the film nicely and
add depth and nuance to an already powerful story.
I also want to point out the girls who play Duane's kids. So often I
complain that bad performances from kids can ruin the believability of
a film... However, Ramya Pratt & Rachel Covey are both splendid here.
This film feels like a cross between "The Family Man" and "Leaving Las
Vegas"... an odd combination indeed. But it works on so many levels. I
laughed during this film. I shed tears in the final act. I cared about
each and every character. It is a tremendously well written
screenplay, and it is acted with precision.
This is a small independent feature that really deserves a wide
audience. Unfortunately, it will have trouble finding one because it
doesn't have a huge publicity campaign behind it or 75 copies lining
the shelves of DVD stores. I can only hope that word of mouth and
positive reviews like mine will convince a few people to seek this
film out. If they do, they will find a diamond in the rough and will
be telling all their friends about it too. |
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© Written by TC Candler -
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