The film follows the week and the life of a sculptor living in Portland, Oregon where she works for her mother at the Oregon College of Arts and Craft while is set to have her first major art exhibition while dealing her neighbor who is a competing artist as well as issues with her family and tending to a wounded pigeon that her cat attacked. It is a film that follows a woman who is struggling to work on her sculptors and manage other things in her life yet her apartment doesn’t have hot water as her neighbor isn’t fixing it in favor of her own work with her own exhibition. The film’s screenplay by Kelly Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond largely explores the life that Lizzy (Michelle Williams) has as her father Bill (Judd Hirsch) is a retired artist while she works at the college with her mother Jean (Maryann Plunkett) who is trying to do her work but also have this major exhibition that could be the break she needs as an artist.
Yet, her neighbor Jo (Hong Chau) hasn’t been able to fix Lizzy’s water heater as she is often distracted with other things relating to her own exhibit as well as having to care for a pigeon that Jo found which had been attacked by Lizzy’s cat. It all plays into the many things that are keeping Lizzy from completing her work for the exhibition as well as some family issues as it includes her reclusive brother Sean (John Magaro) who had been estranged from the family. Lizzy is also dealing with the fact that there’s other artists who have been doing exhibits that has been very successful as there is a pressure for her to get some attention as well as get some validity as an artist.
Reichardt’s direction definitely has some style as it is shot on location in Portland as well as places at the Oregon College of Arts and Craft in Portland, Oregon as it is a character in the film. Reichardt would maintain a simplistic presentation as she emphasizes on some long shots and a few static shots in either some medium or wide shots in certain rooms. Yet, the film opens with a shot that lingers for a few minutes as it moves around various sculptures that Lizzy has created. Much of the sculptures that Lizzy creates is mainly created by artist Cynthia Lahti as it has a unique style as a lot of the art work such as the work that Jo has created showcases a vibrant world that emphasizes on craftsmanship through all sorts of means in the world of art. Even as the college that Lizzy and her mother work at is filled with things that are unique where Reichardt maintains a looseness to the world and the many things that occur to ensure someone is always being creative or how sculptures are refined in a kiln. The attention to detail that Reichardt shows in what Lizzy would do to create her sculptures with its close-ups on her hands is a key aspect of the film.
Also serving as the film’s editor, Reichardt would allow shots to linger while deviating into stylish fast cuts in order to play into the drama that includes Lizzy’s family life as she is upset that her father would often surround himself with drifters. Reichardt’s careful framing and sense of looseness in her direction does give the film a tone that feels free where there are moments where nothing is staged. Notably in the film’s climax at Lizzy’s exhibition is where a lot of the characters come in to support her including this pigeon that she has grown fond of while is also trying to resolve issues with Jo. Overall, Reichardt creates a compelling and wondrous film about an artist trying to get her break while dealing with the chaos in both her professional and personal life.
Cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its naturalistic yet low-key approach to the photography as well as giving it a grainy look of sorts for some of its interior scenes as it is a highlight of the film. Production designer Anthony Gasparo, with set decorator Amy Beth Silver and art director Lisa Ward, does amazing work with not just the homes of the characters but also some of the art exhibitions as a lot of it were created by local artists. Costume designer April Napier does nice work with the costumes as it is largely casual and low-key to play into the personality of these characters with some of whom are wearing hippie-inspired clothing.
Visual effects supervisor Chris Connolly does terrific with the film’s minimal visual effects as it is largely based on the pigeon in a few key scenes with a lot of emphasized on animatronics rather than computer effects. Sound editor Daniel Timmons does superb work with the sound to play into the natural elements of the locations as well as how sound is presented from afar or up close. The film’s music by Ethan Rose is wonderful as it is largely a low-key electronic/ambient score with some woodwinds that includes flute performances by Andre Benjamin aka Andre 3000 while music supervisor Dawn Sutter Madell creates a soundtrack that is largely low-key and played on radios with a lot of being indie music.
The casting by Simon Max Hill is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Amanda Plummer and Matt Malloy as a couple of drifters who are crashing at Bill’s home, Lauren Lakis as a colleague in Terri, Denzel Rodriguez as a young administrator in William, James LeGros as an older administrator in Ira, Heather Lawless as an artist in Marlene who just had her own successful exhibit, and Theo Taplitz as a young neighbor of Sean who watches over Sean. Judd Hirsch is fantastic as Lizzy’s father Bill as a former artist who still creates pots yet prefers to enjoy retirement and hang out with drifters which worries Lizzy. John Magaro is superb as Lizzy’s brother Sean as a former artist who has turned into a recluse as he becomes paranoid as it relates to his own mental illness and such as he hasn’t talked to his parents in months.
Andre Benjamin is excellent as Eric as an artist/teacher who watches over the kilns as he is a colleague of both Jo and Lizzy as he does what he can to help the latter while is more interested in the former. Maryann Plunkett is brilliant as Lizzy’s mother Jean as a top administrator at the college who is hoping to keep Lizzy busy while knowing that she has an exhibit to present that she wants to attend with the whole family. Hong Chau is amazing as Jo as this artist who is also Lizzy’s next door neighbor/landlord who is already on the verge of a breakthrough with her own exhibition yet is often distracted to help out Lizzy as it causes some tension and such. Finally, there’s Michelle Williams in a phenomenal performance as Lizzy as this artist who is set to have breakthrough moment as an artist yet is coping with dealing with things in her family life as well as work and other distractions where Williams captures a lot of the struggles and anguish an artist has while also coping with her own family issues as Williams brings a lot of restraint as well as realism to the character as it’s one of her finest performances to date.
Showing Up is an incredible film by Kelly Reichardt that features a great leading performance from Michelle Williams. Along with its supporting cast, realistic visuals, and its study of artists struggling to get a break. It is a film that follows a week in the life of an artist who is trying to get her moment but also deal with the many struggles that artists go through in trying to balance their lives with their art and the people around them. In the end, Showing Up is a sensational film from Kelly Reichardt.
Kelly Reichardt Films: River of Grass - Old Joy - Wendy & Lucy - Meek's Cutoff - Night Moves (2013 film) - Certain Women - First Cow - The Auteurs #72: Kelly Reichardt
© thevoid99 2023
(Winner of the Palm Dog Award to Einstein at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival)
The film follows the lives of a family whose patriarch is a famous sculptor in the twilight years of his life while his fame and modest success has managed to overshadow his three children who all cope with their own disappointment towards themselves and not living up to his fame. It’s a film that takes a simple premise of family dysfunction as three adult siblings cope with their own lives as they all have to tend to their father who is starting to go through health issues but also unruly behavior in the way he reacts toward certain things. Noah Baumbach’s screenplay has a structure that does focus on these three siblings but also one of the sibling’s kids who has just entered college as it showcase not just trying to cope with the family patriarch but also themselves. The eldest in Danny (Adam Sandler) had just split up from his wife as he’s in New York City taking his 18-year old daughter Eliza to Bard where she is planning to study film while Danny is moving in with his father in Harold Meyerowitz (Dustin Hoffman) and hippy stepmother Maureen (Emma Thompson).
Also at the home is his younger sister Jean (Elizabeth Marvel) who is spending time to help out her father following an injury he suffered involving the dog while Maureen often goes away for seminars only to come back drunk. Danny and Jean are upset to learn that Maureen is planning to sell the family home as well as some of Harold’s art work with their younger half-brother Matthew (Ben Stiller) handling all of the finances. The unemployed Danny and Jean agree to create a retrospective at the Bard for Harold following an event for Harold’s old friend L.J. Shapiro (Judd Hirsch) where Danny reunited with his childhood friend in Shapiro’s daughter Loretta (Rebecca Miller). Yet, that event would prompt some issues from Harold who is jealous towards Shaprio’s success claiming that Shapiro is mediocre compared to himself. The section on Matthew who visits New York City from Los Angeles where he is starting his own accounting business deals with the fact that his own success doesn’t really impress his father as it also causes resentment from his half-siblings whom he is convinced are damaged because of their father. When Harold becomes ill due to the injuries he had sustained some time earlier, the siblings and Eliza deal with the possibility of his impending death as the script also showcase dialogue where Baumbach often have characters talking over one another as it play into the dysfunction of themselves and relationship with one another.
Baumbach’s direction does have some style yet much of his compositions are straightforward as much of the film is shot on location in New York City as well as areas upstate with Sarah Lawrence College playing the role of Bard. Baumbach does use wide shots that do play into some of the locations but much of his compositions emphasize on close-ups and medium shots to play into the interaction between the characters in the film. Notably as there are these elements that feel loose such as the first scene of Danny trying to find an open parking spot as he and Eliza are about to meet Harold as Baumbach also play into some of the awkwardness that is happening that includes some of the strange cuisine that Maureen has created. Baumbach’s approach to humor doesn’t play into these sexually-provocative student films that Eliza has created for her film class but also in the way the siblings react to a situation involving their father such as a scene of Matthew trying to go after a man who had mistakenly taken Harold’s coat.
Baumbach also plays into these moments of tension as it relates to Matthew’s absentee presence as it showcases a man who is still dealing with the fact that he has issues with his dad while his mother Julia (Candice Bergen) who was Harold’s third wife feels guilty over the way she treated Danny and Jean. The scenes in the second half as it relates to Harold being hospitalized and the idea of him dying does come into play where Jean does reveal a harrowing story of what happened to her as a teenager in relation to a friend of Harold a long time ago. It is followed by a moment of comical bonding for Danny and Matthew yet it would be followed by the two going to their father’s retrospective with Jean and Eliza as it showcases the pain that their father caused towards them. The film’s chapters emphasize on Danny, Matthew, Harold’s health, Jean’s story, and a final chapter on Harold’s fate but also the future that is Eliza. Yet, its ending is about these three siblings as they try to cope with their father’s shadow and how they would break out of it. Overall, Baumbach crafts a funny yet somber film about a family coping with the disappointments of their lives and the emotional chaos laid upon them from their father.
Cinematographer Robbie Ryan does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography to capture the autumn-like season of New York City and areas upstate including Massachusetts for the scenes at the hospital while maintaining some low-key lights for some of the interior scenes at night. Editor Jennifer Lame does excellent work with the editing as its usage of jump-cuts help play into some of the film’s emotionally-intense scenes along with some stylish cuts for Eliza’s student films. Production designer Gerald Sullivan, with set decorator Kris Moran and art director Nicolas Locke, does fantastic work with the look of the home that Harold and Maureen have in the city as well as Maureen’s country home upstate as it is filled with all sorts of things including the former’s art work. Costume designer Joseph G. Aulisi does amazing work with the costumes from some of the clothes that Eliza wears to the strange and hippie clothing of Maureen.
Special effects supervisor Jeff Brink and visual effects supervisor Andrew Lim do terrific work on some of the film’s minimal effects that mainly is featured in some of Eliza’s student films. Sound editor Paul Hsu does superb work with the sound in some of the sound effects that are created for Eliza’s student films but also in being straightforward of the way a gathering sounds like or how things sound in a location such as Matthew talking to his son on the phone while at a gas station. The film’s music by Randy Newman is wonderful with its low-key yet piano-based score that plays into some of the film’s melancholia with some string-based pieces in some of the dramatic moments while Britta Phillips and Dean Wareham provide some offbeat music pieces for Eliza’s student films. Music supervisor George Drakoulias creates a fun soundtrack that features music from Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam with Full Force, Cameo, Prefab Sprouts, and a few classical pieces and some original songs written by Adam Sandler and Noah Baumbach.
The casting by Douglas Aibel and Francine Maisler is incredible as it feature some notable small roles and appearances from Sigourney Weaver as herself at Shapiro’s retrospective, Josh Hamilton as a friend of Loretta at the Shapiro retrospective, Danny Flaherty as Eliza’s boyfriend Marcus, Sakina Jeffrey as Dr. Malina Soni who watches over Harold, Gayle Rankin as the nurse Pam that also watches over Harold, Jerry Matz as an old friend of Harold in Paul whom Jean dislikes, Mickey Sumner as an attendee of Harold’s retrospective at Bard that Matthew becomes attracted to, Matthew Shear as Matthew’s colleague Gabe who tries to help out in handling Harold’s financial situations, and Adam Driver in a terrific one-scene performance as a client of Matthew’s in Randy who trying to get his dream apartment made despite the lack of finances he has. Candice Bergen is fantastic in her one-scene appearance as Matthew’s mother and Harold’s third wife Julia who hadn’t seen Harold in years while laments over the way she treated Danny and Jean feeling she only made things worse for them.
Judd Hirsch is excellent as L.J. Shapiro who is an old friend of Harold who is the embodiment of what Harold could’ve been if he wasn’t much of a prick yet Hirsch is someone who often praises Harold and his work feeling that Harold should’ve gotten more recognition. Rebecca Miller is brilliant as Shapiro’s daughter Loretta who is also an old childhood friend of Danny as the two reminisce about their childhood and being the children of artists as it prompts Danny into wanting to renew a relationship with her. Emma Thompson is amazing as Harold’s fourth wife Maureen as an alcoholic artist who often wears hippie-like clothing and cooks strange feasts as she is someone who believes she has a lot in handling Harold’s financial and health situations despite the fact that she’s kind of a flake though she does mean well.
Grace Van Patten is incredible as Eliza Meyerowitz as Danny’s daughter who is about to go to Bard to study film as she creates these sexually-provocative student films while lamenting over the idea of she can make it as an artist like her grandfather. Elizabeth Marvel is remarkable as Jean Meyerowitz as a woman who works for Xerox as she never showed any ambition while spending much of her time taking care of her father while eventually sharing a secret when she was a teenager that would shock her brothers and becoming a muse for Eliza. Dustin Hoffman is marvelous as Harold Meyerowitz as moderately-successful artist who laments over his lack of major success but also has this attitude where he thinks he’s better than many yet he is a fucking prick when it comes to his kids where he does make them feel terrible as it is one of Hoffman’s great performances.
Ben Stiller is great as Matthew Meyerowitz as the youngest of Harold’s three kids and half-sibling to Jean and Danny as someone who has found success through business and accounting while dealing with the fact that his success doesn’t mean much to his father and often brings a lot of insecurities towards his siblings whom he felt never had the chance to connect with. Finally, there’s Adam Sandler in a phenomenal performance as Danny Meyerowitz as the eldest of the three siblings as an unemployed man that was once a gifted musician but quit due to his insecurities as he copes with an unresolved limp and trying to take of his father as well as the lack of connection he has with his siblings as it is a somber yet charming performance from Sandler.
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) is a sensational film from Noah Baumbach. Featuring a great ensemble cast with standout performances from Adam Sandler, Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Elizabeth Marvel, Grace Van Patten, and Emma Thompson, insightful and witty observation on family dysfunction and art, gorgeous visuals, and a terrific music score from Randy Newman. It is a rich and compelling film that explores family dysfunction as well as the idea of a family who are dealing with man’s legacy who is filled with complications and their own shortcomings but also themselves as they try to find ways to be together. In the end, The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) is a spectacular film from Noah Baumbach.
Noah Baumbach Films: Kicking and Screaming (1995 film) - Highball - Mr. Jealousy - The Squid & the Whale - Margot at the Wedding - Greenberg - Frances Ha - While We're Young - Mistress America - De Palma - Marriage Story - (White Noise (2022 film)) - The Auteurs #41: Noah Baumbach
© thevoid99 2021
Based on the novel by Judith Guest, Ordinary People is the story of a upper-middle class family who copes with the loss of their son while his younger brother deals with survivor’s guilt as he returns home from the hospital. Directed by Robert Redford and screenplay by Alvin Sargent, the film is an exploration of a family dealing with loss as well as a young man wondering about his own role in his family and his relationship with his own parents. Starring Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Timothy Hutton, Elizabeth McGovern, and Judd Hirsch. Ordinary People is a somber yet engaging film from Robert Redford.
The film is the story of a family reeling from the aftermath of the death of a son as well as the suicide attempt of another as they try to move on as if nothing is happening yet the surviving son still copes with survivor’s guilt. It’s a film that explores a family that slowly unravels as they’re forced to see things and reflect on aspects of their life. The film’s screenplay by Alvin Sargent is quite straightforward as it largely takes place during the autumn season in an upper-middle class suburbia near Chicago where its 18-year old son Conrad Jarrett (Timothy Hutton) has just got out of the hospital for a month as he returns to school trying to get back to his normal routine before his brother’s death and suicide attempt. Yet, he’s become withdrawn and unable to do what he’s done in the past while he’s having a harder time trying to express himself emotionally with his mother Beth (Mary Tyler Moore). For his father Calvin (Donald Sutherland), he is concerned for Conrad’s well-being as well as try to keep everything calm.
Conrad would turn to a psychiatrist in Dr. Berger (Judd Hirsch) for answers but finds himself not only dealing with memories of the boating accident that killed his brother Buck (Scott Doebler). He also copes with the fact that he’s still alive which hasn’t made him deal with things as easy as he wants to be. The script is really noted for its development as Conrad is just someone that is trying to make sense of everything he’s feeling as he would quit the swim team and befriend a young classmate in Jeannine (Elizabeth McGovern) who would give him a bit of hope. Yet, it’s at home where things become difficult where his mother remains cold and distant as she’s trying to maintain some sense of normalcy around family and friends. For Calvin, he tries to understand what his son is feeling and why his wife has been reacting at things where he eventually comes to realize that something is wrong as he becomes aware that not everything is alright. Even as Beth would snap him for talking about Conrad and their situation to family and friends as it show cracks starting to emerge.
Robert Redford’s direction is actually quite simple in terms of the compositions he creates as he doesn’t really go for any kind of flashy visuals in favor of just doing something that is direct and to the point. Shot on location in Lake Forest, Illinois and parts of Chicago, the film does play into the world of suburbia where everything looks nice and everyone is perfect which is really a façade. There are some wide shots that Redford uses yet his approach to medium shots and close-up add a lot to the drama from the sessions that Conrad would have with Dr. Berger or the moments involving the family. There are also flashbacks that would appear every now and then such as the boating accident but also time of the family before Buck’s death and Conrad’s suicide attempt. Those are the few moments in the film where Redford would show some aspect of style as it has a mixture of fantasy but also terror as it relates to the tragedy the Jarrett family is dealing with. Some of these flashbacks play into happier times where both Conrad and Calvin reflect on as if it feels like a fantasy.
Redford also create moments that play into the family unit cracking with such subtlety such as a dinner party that Calvin and Beth attend where the former is talking with someone who asked about Conrad where Calvin was being honest but gracious as Beth overhears him. She would later scold him for talking about something that is private and again late in the film during a holiday vacation with Beth’s brother and wife as it play into many things Calvin starts to see. Even as he would eventually go to Dr. Berger for one session as it opens up into things he never thought about or had been in his mind for so long. The third act isn’t just about Conrad dealing with the pain over the loss of his brother but also Calvin having a revelation about his wife and what had been lost since the death of their eldest son. Overall, Redford crafts a somber yet evocative film about a family coming to terms with loss but also the realization that nothing can be the same ever again.
Cinematographer John Bailey does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with emphasis on low-key lights and textures for some of the daytime exterior and interior scenes with the usage of lights for the scenes at night including a nighttime session Conrad has with Dr. Berger. Editor Jeff Kanew does brilliant work with the editing as it feature some jump-cuts and stylish flashback montages to play into the drama. Art directors J. Michael Riva and Brook Simons, with set decorators William B. Fosser and Jerry Wunderlich, do fantastic work with the look of the Jarrett home as well as the pool in Conrad‘s high school and Dr. Berger‘s office with its more quaint appliances.
Costume designer Bernie Pollack does nice work with the costumes as it is largely straightforward in terms of the casual look of Conrad as well as the more clean-cut and refined look of Calvin and Beth. Sound editor Kay Rose is terrific for the scenes involving swim meets and parties but also in the quieter moments at home as it play into the tension at home. The film’s music by Marvin Hamlisch is amazing as it is very a low-key orchestral score with some piano that play into the drama as the soundtrack also include a few classical pieces with Johann Pachelbel’s Canon and Gigue in D as the opening and closing music piece of the film.
The casting by Penny Perry is great as it feature some notable small roles from Meg Mundy and Richard Whiting as Conrad’s grandparents, Scott Doebler as Conrad’s late older brother Buck, James B. Sikking as Calvin’s business colleague/friend Ray, Adam Baldwin as a teammate of Conrad in Kevin Stillman whom Conrad doesn’t really like, Fredric Lehne as Conrad’s best friend Joe who is trying to talk to him as he also misses Buck, and M. Emmet Walsh as Conrad’s swim coach Salan as someone who is wondering where Conrad’s head is at for the meets. Dinah Manoff is wonderful as Karen as someone Conrad met at the hospital as they meet to talk about their issues where she claims that she is doing great. Elizabeth McGovern is fantastic as Jeannine as a schoolmate of Conrad who befriends him as she provides some hope and kindness to Conrad. Judd Hirsch is excellent as Dr. Berger as a psychiatrist who is a very sympathetic figure that is trying to understand Conrad as well as not bullshit him about the ways of the world and things that Conrad needs to figure out.
Timothy Hutton is phenomenal as Conrad Jarrett as a young man dealing with survivor’s guilt and a suicide attempt as he tries to return to the world yet he is anguished and lost where Hutton show that sense of despair and loneliness as it is truly a breakthrough performance for the actor in his debut film role. Donald Sutherland is remarkable as Calvin Jarrett as a man trying to understand his son’s withdrawn behavior as well as dealing with the fact that he has some issues to face including his wife’s refusal to talk about some serious issues. Finally, there’s Mary Tyler Moore in a radiant performance as Beth Jarrett as a woman who is either in denial or refusing to face the things around her family in an attempt to try and move on as if nothing had happened as it’s a very eerie performance from Moore who plays a character that is very unlikable but also just as fragile as someone that isn’t ready to face the truth about herself.
Ordinary People is an incredible film from Robert Redford. Featuring a great cast and an entrancing portrait on grief, loss, and denial, it’s a film that explores a family dealing with life after loss and how those can’t face the truth about themselves and what was lost. In the end, Ordinary People is a tremendous film from Robert Redford.
Robert Redford Films: (The Milagro Beanfield War) - (A River Runs Through It) - (Quiz Show) - The Horse Whisperer - (The Legend of Bagger Vance) - (Lions for Lambs) - (The Conspirator) - (The Company You Keep)
© thevoid99 2017
