EDDINGTON – Review

With last weekend’s “super” domination at the multiplex by one big blockbuster, some filmgoers may be looking for a break from the usual escapist Summer cinematic offerings. Well, that “indie upstart” A24 is always ready to provide a diversion that’s truly “off the beaten path”. And the setting for this flick is “way off” that trail, as an acclaimed, somewhat eccentric filmmaker guides us into a dusty desert town that’s fraught with old feuds and frustrations. Plus, the early 2020 “climate” not only brings everyone there to a “boiling point”, but it may provide the ‘spark” that could ignite the “tinderbox town” of EDDINGTON.

The village that has “seen better days” is in a remote part of New Mexico. The timeline of the tale is May 2020. In the opening scene, the town’s longtime sheriff Joe Cross (Joaquin Phoenix) gets into a “dust-up” with two patrolmen from a nearby jurisdiction over his refusal to don a face mask. Yes, we’re in the midst of the COVID pandemic. Joe is called back to Eddington to deal with an angry unmasked derelict who tries to enter the pub owned and managed by the incumbent mayor, Ted Garcia (Pedro Pascal). After the situation is “handled,” the two men exchange words. Joe has a “beef” with Ted since he was a former “flame” of Joe’s emotionally fragile wife, Louise (Emma Stone). Due to the lockdown, her abrasive mother, Dawn (Deidre O’Connell) lives with them. The ladies spend their days clicking on conspiracy websites while Louise crafts her strange dolls. The next day, Joe and Ted “get into it “again at the local grocery store (yes, over masks). Joe makes an impulsive decision. He posts a cell phone video announcing that he’ll challenge Ted in the upcoming election. He enlists the help of his deputies, the dim “hothead” Guy (Luke Grimes) and the more laid-back, ambitious Michael (Micheal Ward). But a news event soon takes time away from the campaign. A small group of young people block off the dusty main street to protest the killing of George Floyd. Will these conflicts derail the plans for a huge data processing plant that will be built just a few miles away (which could energize the flagging economy)? And how will several “shadowy forces” influence the election and make the debates take a deadly turn?

For once, the marketing clues us into who is the real lead character of this film is. Despite the “star-studded” cast, the real focus is Phoenix as the surly, obstinate sheriff turned politico. He snarls and grumbles through most of his scenes, though Phoenix plays him as an angry teen with almost no impulse control. He doesn’t really know what kind of trouble he’s put himself in as Phoenix furrows his brow as Joe flails like a non-swimmer suddenly in the “deep end”. Still, he has great tenderness with his “Rabbit” AKA wife Louise, played with a jittery twitch by the compelling Stone. Louise appears to be in a fog that seems to dissolve as she plunges into the world of internet mysteries. It’s not until the campaign heats up that we see her speak out against becoming a pawn in the big battle to run the town. This all stems from her past history with Garcia, who is given a real “average Joe” likability by the engaging Pascal. He “plays for the people,” although he isn’t afraid to confront Joe by “getting in his face”. Pascal is also quite effective in the father/son dynamic with the snarky Matt Gomez Hidaka as his only child, Eric. O’Connell is quite a ‘force of nature’ as the domineering Mama Dawn, doing a more focused and less ruthless riff on her excellent work as the Penguin’s matriarch on the streaming smash. Grimes is a flighty lunkhead as Guy, while Ward simmers as the conflicted deputy Mike, who is often the only voice of sanity in the chaotic station house. Though he’s prominent in the poster, Austin Butler only has an extended cameo role (just a scene or two) as cult leader/ motivational speaker VJ Peak, whose “rap” bewilders Joe. Also of note are the main protest “rep” Sarah played by Amelie Hoeferle and Cameron Mann as the off-kilter Brian, who appears to have a sinister agenda that he’s slowly putting into motion.

Now the filmmakerr I mentioned in the opening is the quirky (to say the least) writer/director Ari Aster, who veers away from his comfort zone of disturbing horror cult faves like HERDITARY, MIDSOMMAR, and BEAU IS AFRAID to try his hand at an (somewhat) modern Western (Joe’s almost always in his white stetson). I would counter that label by floating that he’s crafted a dark, almost pitch black, social satire. But I’m reminded of a phrase from the world of stand-up comedy, when a joke about a tragedy falls flat: “Too soon?”. I’m not sure if five years is enough distance from the pandemic and the Floyd BLM protests, along with raving internet paranoia, and a “sidebar” about the taking of the land of indigenous peoples. Rather than evoking laughter, it brings up the memories of such a divisive time, becoming truly “squirmy” “cringe” humor. Perhaps if it were only about a small-town election, the satirical scalpel would be sharper to make a cleaner cut. Instead, Aster has an overstuffed “bag of topics” that help account for his 144-minute runtime. Part of the pacing problem may be the extended finale of mayhem that mixes elements of the Roadrunner cartoons and Russ Myers’ bloody excess, with a touch of Coen Brothers chaos of RAISING ARIZONA. It’s all too obvious and exhausting, although several current political jabs do hit the mark. But it’s drowned out by the explosions and caricatured carnage. All these desperate themes make a trek to EDDINGTON a most overwhelming and tiresome getaway. And strictly for fans of the star and director…

2 Out of 4

EDDINGTON is now playing in select theatres