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TFF 2015 Daily Recap: April 17th – We Are Movie Geeks

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TFF 2015 Daily Recap: April 17th

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“Live from New York, it’s the Tribeca Film Festival.”

I’m sure that is how some people’s coverage of this year’s TFF started off. It makes sense considering the opening night film was a documentary about Saturday Night Live! Plus, some writers can’t help but resort to puns and cheap gimmicks to appear witty. Hell, I used it and haven’t even seen the film yet. But my TriBeCa experience didn’t start off with belly laughs. Instead it began with a double feature of films about shitty parents.

THE ADDERALL DIARIES stars James Franco as an author struggling with writer’s block, which could be the inspiration for my deconstruction of an opening to this recap. The film is based on the memoir of the same title by Stephen Elliott. Franco’s version of Elliott deals with drug addiction (mostly Adderall), a BDSM fetish that could ruin a burgeoning relationship, and a haunting past retold through fractured memories. The acting is solid but the story is just too disjointed to truly feel invested in any of these characters.

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Throughout the film we are consistently told (mostly by Stephen himself) that he has struggled his whole life. From our perspective it seems everything is simply handed to him. When we first meet Stephen he gets an amazing book deal, the idea for his next novel falls into his lap, and shortly after so does Amber Heard. It is Stephen’s self-destructive tendencies that mess it all up but we are unsympathetic because we don’t really know who he is. We are given a superficial glimpse but it is revealed early on that Stephen is an unreliable narrator.

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Regardless of its shortcoming, there are still some great moments in the film, mostly those that involve Stephen’s best friend Roger (Jim Parrack). He adds some levity to the film but also acts as a realistic wake up call for Stephen. Regardless of which flashbacks actually are true, we see that Stephen and Roger came from the same place but their lives diverged on two very different paths. The always fantastic Ed Harris also gives another great performance as Stephen’s father, who may or may not be the monster he initially appears. The editing of the film also deserves credit for making the narrative much more interesting to watch than the story should allow.

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Out of a curiosity, I read an article about the memoir while waiting for my second screening. This definitely appears to be a case where the source material is far better than what it inspired. I would recommend fans of Stephen Elliott check out the film since they will likely be able to connect more of the pieces than someone unfamiliar with the book. For everyone else, the film feels like a less intelligent and far more Americanized version of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. The film is enjoyable in its own way but it is frustrating to think how much better it could have been…

GRANDMA

Paul Weitz will always have a special place in my heart for his hugely influential directorial debut, American Pie. While he does not sport a spotless filmography, he does impress with films like About A Boy and the highly underrated In Good Company. (I’d also like to make a special mention to the even more underrated TV show Off Centre, which I couldn’t help but mention during an interview with Sean Maguire a few years back.) While GRANDMA doesn’t stack quite as high as those other films in my book, it is definitely close. This may be Weitz’s most intimate film to date but that also lends itself to an annoying problem. While the characters are vibrant and it is easy to invest in the story, at times the film can feel too small for its own good.

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A pregnant teenage girl and her eccentric grandmother drive around town trying to scrounge up $630 to pay for her abortion appointment later in the day. There are many scenes that are funny, moving and at times both. While the premise is fine, there really is no sense of urgency motivating the picture. The grandmother is cash poor but explains that she has checks coming in the following week that would cover the procedure. Why not wait? Because morning sickness is starting to kick in. That is the sole reasoning behind the events that unfold. There are other examples of weak motivations and unexplored routes that held me back from really loving the film.

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Getting past nitpicks, GRANDMA really does have a lot going for it. Namely, Lily Tomlin. Her name is sure to come up during Awards season this year and not just because Sony has already made it clear they plan a big push. This really is her film and she shines throughout. Tomlin owns the role expertly pulling off the hip granny routine without ever feeling like a shtick. That is actually her car they spend much of the runtime driving around in which speaks volumes for how much she put into this film. While it likely will not end up as one of my favorites of the festival, GRANDMA is definitely one to check out when it gets a wider release.

Born with a camera in hand, Jerry Cavallaro was destined to be a great filmmaker. Legend has it that he even filmed his own birth. He later went on to film the indie rom-com STUCK LIKE CHUCK, which is now available to watch for free on Amazon. Jerry brings his passion for movies, both behind the camera and in front of the screen, to every piece he writes for this site.