White Orchid (2018 film)

Written, edited, and directed by Steve Anderson, White Orchid is the story of a part-time social services investigator who takes on the identity of a dead woman to capture a serial killer who killed the woman. The film is a neo-noir film that has a woman help the police to catch a killer but becomes lost in the identity that she inhabits. Starring Olivia Thirlby, Jennifer Beals, John Carroll Lynch, Janina Gavankar, Raymond J. Barry, Brendan Sexton III, Rachael Taylor and Nichelle Nichols. White Orchid is an intriguing though underwhelming film from Steve Anderson.

Following the death of a woman who was beheaded and found naked on a beach, a part-time social services investigator is asked by local police officials to take part of the case as she would pretend to be the dead woman only to get way over her head. It’s a film with a simple premise as it play into a woman being asked to investigate a murder in a small town near San Francisco yet it is also a film about identity where this shy and reserved part-time social services investigator takes more than she bargains for. Steve Anderson’s screenplay largely revolves on the protagonist of Claire (Olivia Thirlby) who is asked by a district attorney in Vivian (Jennifer Beals) to investigate this case and give out any information to the local authority figure in Sheriff Martin (John Carroll Lynch).

While Claire would learn about this mysterious killer and its victim, she also learns about the latter and her vices where she would wear wigs and such as Claire would inhabit a different identity. The script does succeed in Claire’s fascination for this victim yet it has a lot of tonal issues in what it wants to be as a story while it doesn’t do much to build up the suspense. Even as it prefers to be something low key which doesn’t bring in a lot of surprises as it’s one of the weaker elements of the film.

Anderson’s direction is largely simple in its compositions as it is shot largely on location in the Bay Area in California with a few shots in San Francisco where it is obvious there is a homage to Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo in one notable shot as well as a few references to the film in a few scenes. Yet, it’s among some of the issues the film has where it isn’t sure what it wants to be where it wants to be this suspense-drama but it also wants to be a film about identity. Anderson does know how to create intriguing compositions that include a scene of Claire trying out wigs in a stylish montage created by Anderson, who also serves as its editor, as well as moments that play into elements of eroticism. Despite the many tonal issues the film has, Anderson is able to create scenes that are intriguing that include this climatic meeting between Claire and the person she believes is the killer as it is a battle of wits. Overall, Anderson creates a messy yet worthwhile film about a young investigator trying to solve a murder mystery as she pretends to be its victim.

Cinematographer Patrick Meade Jones does excellent work with the film’s cinematography as it is straightforward with some stylish lighting for a few scenes at night including a club scene. Art director Erin Cochran, with set decorators Abra Brayman and Fernando Valdes, does fantastic work with the look of the home of its victim as well as the small motel room that Claire would stay in for all of the research of her case. Costume designer E.B. Brooks does nice work with the costumes as it has an element of style in the clothes that Claire would wear as the victim that is stylish and sexy as opposed to the more reserved look that she usually sports. Sound mixer David Beebe does terrific work with the sound as it is largely straightforward to play into its locations and in some of the places Claire goes to. The film’s music by Enis Rotthoff is wonderful for its score as it has heavy orchestral themes for its suspenseful moments along with low-key ambient pieces for the quieter moments in the film.

The casting by Rebecca Mangieri and Wendy Weidman is superb as it feature some notable small roles from Michael Rodrick as a famed surgeon Claire sees in San Francisco whom she believes is a suspect, Raymond J. Barry as the neighbor of the victim, Kelsey Sieper as a woman Claire meets as the victim at a bar, Rachael Taylor as a mysterious woman Claire meets late in the film, Brendan Sexton III as a motel owner that Claire knows in James who deals with a break-in, Janina Gavankar as a friend of Claire in the musician Tina that helps her gather the research for the investigation, and Nichelle Nichols in a fantastic performance as an elderly blind woman that the victim used to chat with as Claire would befriend her. Jennifer Beals is terrific in a small role as Claire’s boss in the district attorney Vivian who gives Claire the big case though Beals is severely underused in the film.

John Carroll Lynch is excellent as Sheriff Martin as the local sheriff who helps Claire with the case while he has some concerns knowing its severity and Claire’s inexperience. Finally, there’s Olivia Thirlby in an incredible performance as Claire as a part-time social services investigator who is given a major assignment in a murder mystery where Thirlby displays that confusion and determination in a woman knowing she is dealing with a serious case while trying to understand its victim to find the killer as it is an entrancing and radiant performance from Thirlby.

White Orchid is a good yet uneven film from Steve Anderson that features an amazing performance from Olivia Thirlby. While it’s a film that does have some nice moments and intrigue about identity and loss, it does suffer from being inconsistent in its tone as well as wanting to be all sorts of film without finding its center. In the end, White Orchid is an alright film from Steve Anderson.

© thevoid99 2019

The Last Days of Disco

Written and directed by Whit Stillman, The Last Days of Disco is the story about two college graduates who work at a publishing house by day as they go to disco clubs in the early 1980s in its waning days trying to find love and fun. The film is about a period in time where things are changing as two women try to spend as much time in a nightclub soaking in these final days while facing the uncertainty of their future. Starring Chloe Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, Chris Eigeman, Mackenzie Astin, Matt Keeslar, Matt Ross, Tara Subkoff, Jennifer Beals, and Robert Sean Leonard. The Last Days of Disco is an extraordinary comedy-drama from Whit Stillman.

The era of the disco craze was a place where many people get the chance to go to nightclubs, have a few drinks, and dance to some good music. While there were also dangerous elements of cocaine and promiscuous sex involved, it was a period in time that at least got people together to have fun. For two young post-graduates in Alice (Chloe Sevigny) and Charlotte (Kate Beckinsale), they go to a lavish nightclub as regulars just to have a good time as a way to escape the dreariness of everyday life where they work at a publishing house. While the two women aren’t exactly best friends, they do move in together with another woman while dealing with ideas of falling in love, dealing with the future, and the role of being a woman. Through the men they meet, they endure all sorts of challenges about what to expect in a man as the men themselves are also dealing with their own issues. Especially as the age of disco starts to go into a major decline forcing these two women to deal with the changes in their environment and in themselves.

Whit Stillman’s screenplay does play to themes that he’s known for as well as setting them transitional periods of time. While the film is set in the early 80s during disco’s decline, the script is structured to play out this period of decline where the first half is about the good times in the age of disco while its second half is about its inevitable fallout due to drugs, sexual promiscuity, and other big things. Particularly as it revolves on several characters in the film aside from Alice and Charlotte. Notably the men such as one of the club’s managers in Des (Chris Eigeman), an advertising executive in Jimmy (Mackenzie Astin), and an assistant D.A. in Josh (Matt Keeslar) as they are all part of the group that Alice and Charlotte are in. While there’s a few extra people that are part of this group, they all discuss about their roles in life as well as how to advance in life.

While Alice and Charlotte are these young women who have ambition and go to nightclubs, they are very different women as far as personalities are concerned. Charlotte is very outgoing in the way she deals with thing as well as being extremely opinionated as well as the fact that she’s kind of a bitch. Alice is a more soft-spoken individual who has idealism of what she wants in a man but her encounters end up being very troubling. While she finds something in guys like Des, Jimmy, and Josh as well as their flaws, it does have her raise questions about what she wants in a relationship while Charlotte believes she knows more yet she ends up going through the same questions as Alice about what she wants. Things do get more serious in the third act where the men in these women’s lives deal with not just themselves but also what they want just as the nightclub they all hang out is starting to close.

Stillman’s direction is very fascinating for not just the way the whole world of disco is presented but also the way he presents this rise of the world of the yuppies. There is a clash of these two very different cultures that each represents a different period in time yet Stillman is more interested in the people who are living in this transition of time. Stillman’s approach to framing is quite straightforward but still engaging in the way the characters are seen as well as how they conduct their lives. There is still humor that is present in these conversations as well as some of the action that occurs while it is mostly low-key and dramatic. Particularly as it plays to what these men are going through as Jimmy is trying to advance in the advertising world though he is considered to be a pariah at the club. The club manager Des is someone who is going through a sexual identity crisis while trying to help manage a club that is being targeted by the IRS and the NYPD.

The direction is also very playful while playing with the idea of anachronisms where Stillman uses footage of the infamous Disco Demolition Night in Chicago as well as raid in Studio 54. One aspect in playing with the anachronisms that does help with the film’s plot is the fact that there’s characters from Stillman’s previous films that appear who will help impact the fate of a few characters. Still, there is this build-up to the end where it involves lots of authority figures trying to close down this club that causes a lot of conflict for Josh. Even as it plays to some very dramatic moments about how he’s feeling for Alice as well as the fact that he’s kind of a friend for Des. The film’s ending is about the end of disco but is it really an end? There’s a great monologue that Stillman writes about disco’s demise that really plays true to not just about that period of time but also what it meant to people. Overall, Stillman creates a very rich and wonderfully smart comedy-drama about changing times and identity.

Cinematographer John Thomas does excellent work with the cinematography from the lighting presentation for many of the nightclub scenes to the more straightforward exterior look of New York City. Editors Andrew Hafitz and Jay Pires do fantastic work with the editing by utilizing rhythmic cuts to capture the tone of the conversations as well as some of the scenes in the clubs. Production designer Ginger Tougas does brilliant work with the look of the club many of the characters hang out at as well as the apartment that Alice and Charlotte live in. Costume designer Sarah Edwards does amazing work with the costumes from the more casual, yuppie-like clothes many of the characters wear in the day to the more stylish dresses the women wear at the club.

Sound editor Paul Soucek does wonderful work with the sound to capture atmosphere of the nightclubs as well as the more quieter moments in the work place and at the apartment. The film’s music by Mark Suozzo is terrific as it‘s mostly a low-key orchestral score to play out some of the dramatic scenes or scenes in the office. Music supervisor Peter Afterman does a superb job in compiling a soundtrack filled with some amazing disco classics from artists like Chic, Diana Ross, the O’Jays, Andrea True Connection, Alicia Bridges, Blondie, Sister Sledge, and many others as well as some reggae in the mix and late 60s soul music.

The casting by Billy Hopkins, Suzanne Smith, and Kerry Barden is incredible as it features some appearances from Jaid Barrymore as a club-goer known as Tiger Lady, George Plimpton and Anthony Haden-Guest as a couple of famous club-goers, Mark McKinney as a bar waiter, Michael Weatherly as a client of Jimmy’s who gets into the club, David Thornton as the club owner, Edoardo Ballerini as a club manager, and Burr Steers as the club doorman Van. Other notable small roles features some very funny appearances from Stillman’s previous films such as Carolyn Farina, Taylor Nichols, Bryan Leder, and Dylan Hundley replaying their roles from Metropolitan while Nichols also plays the character he played in Barcelona that includes Debbon Ayer as that protagonist’s future ex-girlfriend. Jennifer Beals is wonderful as a lover of Des who feels slighted by him while Robert Sean Leonard is excellent as a one-night stand Alice was with who later treats her like dirt.

Matt Ross is terrific as Alice and Charlotte’s co-worker Dan who hangs out with them while creating some fascinating observations about the disco world. Tara Subkoff is very good as Alice and Charlotte’s roommate Holly who is a very nice girl that Dan later dates though she is someone who admittedly makes questionable dating choices. Mackenzie Astin is superb as the advertising executive Jimmy who is trying to get into the club to help his career while making some discoveries about the club’s business. Matt Keeslar is great as the assistant D.A. Josh who goes to the club to discover the world of disco while some of his discoveries put him into conflict over what he should do as well as his feelings for Alice.

Chris Eigeman is marvelous as the club manager Des who tries to keep the club in order while dealing with his own sexual identity as he ponders about whether he’s really into women or not as it’s a very witty performance from the Stillman regular. Kate Beckinsale is remarkable as the very outspoken Charlotte as a woman who is very lively and opinionated while often saying the wrong things at times as it is a very delightfully charming performance from Beckinsale. Finally, there’s Chloe Sevigny in a brilliant performance as Alice as a young woman who is unsure about what she wants while dealing with some of the pratfalls about love as well with a discovery that could make or break her career.

The Last Days of Disco is an outstanding film from Whit Stillman that features top-notch performances from Chloe Sevigny, Kate Beckinsale, and Chris Eigeman. Along with a very fun music soundtrack, the film is definitely an intriguing piece into the world of identity and changing times as well as a look into the last days of the disco culture. The film is also very accessible in the way it deals with people discussing big themes in a setting where a lot is happening where these people are eager to escape from that craziness. In the end, The Last Days of Disco is a fabulous film from Whit Stillman.

Whit Stillman Films: Metropolitan - Barcelona - Damsels in Distress - Love & Friendship - The Auteurs #21: Whit Stillman

© thevoid99 2013

Four Rooms

Four Rooms is an anthology comedy film about a bellboy who works on his first day during New Year’s Eve where he would encounter all sorts of strange things in four different rooms. With segments written and directed by Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino, the film explores a crazy day in the life of a new bellhop named Ted that is played by Tim Roth. Also starring Antonio Banderas, Madonna, Valeria Golino, Jennifer Beals, Ione Skye, Lili Taylor, Alicia Witt, Tamlyn Tomita, Paul Calderon, Sammi Davis, Marisa Tomei, and Bruce Willis. Four Rooms is a whimsical yet chaotic anthology-comedy from Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez, and Quentin Tarantino.

It’s New Year’s Eve as a bellhop named Ted is working in his first day at the Hotel Mon Signor. For his first assignment in The Missing Ingredient (Allison Anders), a coven of witches take the honeymoon suite to create a potion in hopes of freeing a woman (Amanda deCadenet) who had been a statue for 40 years. When one of the young witches in Eva (Ione Skye) is unable to get one special ingredient, Ted is called upon to help Eva get the ingredient. Later that night, Ted is asked to bring ice to a room where a party’s going on. In The Wrong Man (Alexandre Rockwell), Ted enters a room where a man (David Proval) holds his wife Angela (Jennifer Beals) hostage to confront her about a possible affair where Ted is mistaken to be Angela’s lover.

Following that troubled encounter, Ted is then called to do his next job in The Misbehaviors (Robert Rodriguez) where he’s asked by a man (Antonio Banderas) to watch for his kids (Danny Verduzco and Lana McKissack) for the night as the man and his wife (Tamlyn Tomita) go to a New Year’s party. Ted is getting calls from the kids about strange demands while the kids later complain about a strange smell in the room where they discover the source of the smell. Following that incident, Ted tries to reach his boss Betty (Kathy Griffin) about the things he’s been dealing with as he has to finish one more assignment for the night. In The Man from Hollywood (Quentin Tarantino), Ted brings some things to filmmaker Chester Rush (Quentin Tarantino) for a party that includes Angela, a friend named Norman (Paul Calderon), and Leo (Bruce Willis) about a bet based on a episode from The Alfred Hitchcock Hour that involves Chester’s car and Norman’s pinky where Ted has to play a key role in the bet.

The film is essentially a collection of stories about a crazy first day for a bellhop who encounters four very strange events as they all become more out of control as time goes on. All of it is largely told from the perspective of this young bellhop who has no idea what’s in store for him in the course of a crazy day. Particularly as it’s on New Year’s Eve where everybody is partying and there’s brief inserts that help sets up each story. There, this young man named Ted would be involved crazy events involving a coven of witches, a fighting couple, misbehaving kids, and a filmmaker with a crazy proposition all of which would tempt Ted with money.

In the first segment by Allison Anders, Ted plays to the service of a group of very strange yet eccentric witches who are creating a potion to revive someone yet there’s a lot trouble ensues. Anders’ direction is very playful as she also employs some fun editing schemes by Margaret Goodspeed and Rodrigo Garcia’s bright and colorful cinematography. It’s a segment that doesn’t take itself seriously as it opens the film in a nice start. The weakest segment belongs to Alexandre Rockwell where it has an interesting premise but ends up dragging the film where it involves a lot of strange moments and hijinks that don’t work such as a scene where Ted is stuck between a bathroom window. With editing by Elena Maganini and photography by Phil Parmet, it’s the one segment that doesn’t really get the chance to stand out due to its weak script and lackluster direction.

Robert Rodriguez’s segment is clearly the best one due to the shenanigans of the children where they smoke, drink, and watch all sorts of things where Rodriguez really captures the energy of kids misbehaving. With Rodriguez serving as his own editor and Guillermo Navarro providing some amazing camera work, it’s a segment that really captures the antics of children in all of its insanity that is followed by a very funny insert involving a stoned woman (Marisa Tomei) and a sleepy hotel owner. This would then lead to the final segment from Quentin Tarantino that is the most stylistic segment of the film. Largely due to the few long-takes Tarantino uses for the scene along with some amazing compositions courtesy of cinematographer Andrzej Sekula along with the methodical editing of Sally Menke. Tarantino’s segment ends the film on a high note as the overall work is a very funny and off-the-wall anthology comedy.

Production designer Gary Frutkoff, along with set decorator Sara Andrews and art director Mayne Berke, does superb work with the set pieces to give each room a distinctive look and feel for each segment. Costume designers Susan L. Bertram and Mary Claire Hannan do excellent work in the costumes from the dresses the witches wear to the party clothes the other characters wear along with Ted‘s uniform. Sound designer Lance Brown, along with sound editors Bruce Fortune and Victor Iorillo, does terrific work with the sound to capture the craziness that goes on in each room. The music by Combustible Edison is wonderful for its playful score that adds to the humor of the film as the rest of the soundtrack features a couple of stuff by Esquivel that plays to some of the craziness of the film.

The casting by Russell Gray is brilliant for the ensemble that is created for this anthology film. For The Missing Ingredient, there’s fantastic performances from Madonna, Valeria Golino, Sammi Davis, and Lili Taylor as the four eccentric and experienced witches along with a quirky one from Alicia Witt as the daughter of one of the witches. Amanda deCadenet is terrific in her appearance as the goddess Diana while Ione Skye is superb as the young witch Eva. From The Wrong Man, there’s a funny appearance from producer Lawrence Bender as a drunk yuppie along with Paul Skemp in a small role as a partygoer. David Proval is pretty good as the angry husband Siegfried while Jennifer Beals is excellent as Siegfried’s wife Angela who also appears in The Man from Hollywood.

From The Misbehaviors, there’s an appearance from Salma Hayek as the dancing woman on the TV while Tamlyn Tomita is very good as the wife. Antonio Banderas is amazing as the very intimidating husband while Danny Verduzco and Lana McKissack are wonderful as the two troublesome kids. From the insert between the last two segments, Marisa Tomei is hilarious as the stoned partygoer while Kathy Griffin is pretty good as Ted’s boss Betty. From The Man from Hollywood, Quentin Tarantino is very funny as the talkative Chester Rush while Paul Calderon is solid in a small role as Norman. Bruce Willis is also very funny in an un-credited performance as Chester’s friend Leo. Finally, there’s Tim Roth in a marvelous performance as Ted the bellhop where Roth gets to show a lot of wit and physicality into his role as a bellhop working on his first day on the job where Roth really gets the chance to be funny.

While it is a flawed film, Four Rooms is still a very entertaining anthology comedy from Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Allison Anders, and Alexandre Rockwell. While the film features some great segments from Tarantino and Rodriguez along with a good one from Anders. Only the Rockwell segment is the one that drags the film as a whole though things do pick up after that segment. In the end, Four Rooms is a stellar anthology comedy that features a crazy story in the day of a young bellhop.

© thevoid99 2012

Roger Dodger

Written and directed by Dylan Kidd, Roger Dodger is the story of a womanizing businessman who takes his visiting 16-year old nephew on a night on the town to meet women. There, the man tries to teach his nephew the ways to get laid and be a ladies man. Starring Campbell Scott, Jesse Eisenberg, Elizabeth Berkley, Jennifer Beals, and Isabella Rossellini. Roger Dodger is a witty yet engrossing comedy from Dylan Kidd.

Roger Swanson is a cynical and chauvinistic advertising copywriter who had just been dumped by his own boss Joyce (Isabella Rossellini). Needing to hang around in bars to tell women all of the things they’re doing with the wrong men, Roger is looking to score. Then on a workday where Joyce is having a party as he is uninvited, Roger’s 16-year old nephew Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) makes an unexpected visit as he arrived for an interview with Columbia University. The two chat as Roger decides to take the socially-awkward Nick on a night on the town to show the way to win the heart of a woman and score. After a few pointers, the two arrive at a bar where they meet two beautiful women in Andrea (Elizabeth Berkley) and Sophie (Jennifer Beals). Though Roger tries to help Nick score with the two ladies, Nick’s shy persona manages to win them over despite Roger’s aggressive behavior.

Later that night, Roger decides to crash Joyce’s party to give Nick another shot to score. There, Nick meets Joyce’s drunk secretary Donna (Mina Badie) while Roger hopes to get some revenge on Joyce after learning that is friend Donovan (Ben Shenkman) is going out with her. Though Nick takes a chance to score with Donna, he couldn’t leaving Roger upset over the night as Nick desperate pleads for one more shot. What would happen have Roger question about what he’s doing for his young nephew.

The film is essentially the tale of a man teaching his young nephew how to score with women only to get a few lessons about what kind of man he really is. It’s a plot that is quite simple as writer/director Dylan Kidd explores a man who is essentially a scorned prick that has very cynical views about women and the way he treats them. When he’s dumped by his much older yet more experienced woman who treats Roger the same way he treats women. This would lead him to find a way to exact revenge while helping out his young nephew in the ways of winning this woman over. Though there’s a lot about Roger that is un-likeable, he is still an interesting character who is trying to navigate the world of winning a woman over while telling them that they should go for a guy like him instead of the usual sleaze balls that are all over New York City.

With his nephew on board, Roger would show him how to win a girl over through confidence and a coolness though it is a bit much to the more awkward Nick. What happens is that Nick’s awkwardness and honesty manages to win over some older ladies while he also does something that his uncle is able to do. He acts like a gentleman in the most surprising way much to his uncle’s chagrin although it’s all about trying to get laid. Kidd’s screenplay is very loose in its storytelling as it’s driven by lots of dialogue that is quite engaging about the way men try to win over a woman. He also creates character that are very unique and flawed while finding a way for Roger to show that he isn’t a total prick late in the film. After all, he is an uncle who realizes he is responsible for this young kid that is way over his head in his quest to get laid.

Kidd’s direction is very engaging in its cinema verite style as he always has the camera on something. Shot on location in New York City and with a hand-held camera, Kidd goes for a style that is entrancing where he is often shooting from afar for a few scenes. Some of it is to create the kind of atmosphere that is New York City as a man takes this young teen to a world where it’s go-go-go. With these entrancing shots and amazing close-ups, Kidd definitely creates a film that is very smart but also engrossing for its compelling story of a man teaching a teen how to score.

Cinematographer Joaquin Baca-Asay does excellent work with the wonderful look of the NYC nightlife for its gorgeous exterior settings to more low-key yet atmospheric touches for the interior scenes. Editor Andy Keir does a fantastic job with the editing to play up the swift rhythm of the conversations at the bar to the methodical pacing for Roger to help teach Nick in the ways to woo a woman. Production designer Stephanie Beatrice, along with set decorator Brenna Griffin and art director Dina Varano, does nice work with the set pieces created such as Joyce‘s lavish apartment and its lobby to the more simple look of Roger in his home apartment.

Costume designer Amy Wescott does very good work with the costumes from the stylish dresses the women wear to the more casual look of Nick. Sound recordist Theresa Radka does terrific work with the sound to capture the raucous world of the NYC nightlife in its parties, bars, and some of exterior parts of the city. The film’s score by Craig Wedren is superb for its low-key electronic-jazz score that features pieces co-written with former Nine Inch Nails keyboardist Lee Mars to play up the energy of the NYC nightlife.

The casting by Laylee Olfat and Marcia Turner is brilliant for the array of actors that is cast for this film. Among the small but notable appearances for the film, there’s Morena Baccarin as a woman in the bar Roger tries to warn, Courtney Simon as Nick’s mother, Chris Stack as a co-worker of Roger‘s, Mina Badie as Joyce’s secretary whom Nick meets at a party, and Ben Shenkman as a friend of Roger who would end up being Joyce’s new boyfriend. Isabella Rossellini is wonderful as Roger’s boss/ex-girlfriend Joyce who treats Roger in a similar way in the way he treats women only to torment him with her wisdom. Elizabeth Berkley and Jennifer Beals are great in their respective roles as Andrea and Sophie who are wowed by Nick’s awkwardness as well as his honesty.

Campbell Scott is amazing as the smarmy Roger who tries to score with women with his thoughts on life and everything else while teaching his young nephew in how to win a woman. It’s a very charismatic and broad performance from Scott as he definitely rises up to the challenge and more for this part. Finally, there’s Jesse Eisenberg in a true breakthrough performance as Nick. Bringing a real sense of low-key humor to his awkward character, there’s an innocence to Eisenberg’s performance as this young kid who has no clue on how to woo a woman while doing things in the most surprising manner. It is definitely one of the great performance for any newcomer as it’s definitely the start of a tremendous career for Eisenberg.

Roger Dodger is an extraordinary comedy from Dylan Kidd that features top-notch performances from Campbell Scott and Jesse Eisenberg. Along with a wonderful supporting female cast that features Elizabeth Berkley, Jennifer Beals, and Isabella Rossellini. It’s a film that allows audience to see how a man tries to navigate his nephew into scoring with them. In the end, Roger Dodger is a smart and entertaining film from Dylan Kidd.

© thevoid99 2012