Tag: john benjamin hickey

SUBLET (2020) – Review

June, when it’s not “bustin’ out all over” is vacation time, so break out of your rut and fly away to exotic places. Or maybe just watch someone else do that at the ole’ multiplex (yeah, not quite ready for the “far away vacay'”, myself). Yes, that “someone”, the story’s main character, truly needs to “shake things up”. He’s a middle-aged American writer who’s dealing with a “rough patch’ in his relationship. And since he writes travel articles, what better excuse for a “change of scenery”. Could he be bound for a pacific island, sipping one of those umbrella drinks as the sand squishes between his toes?. Or even south of the border, at a swanky resort. You’re not even close. His preferred sand is over in Israel. And rather than indulging in a fancy five-star hotel, he’s brokered a sweet deal on a SUBLET.

We first meet fifty-something writer Michael (John Benjamin Hickey) as his New York to Tel Aviv jet reaches its destination. A friendly cab driver zips him through the crowded city streets and deposits him at the front of a walk-up apartment in one of the “trendiest” neighborhoods. His arrival surprises the owner of the apartment that Michael has sublet for the next five days. Twenty-something aspiring filmmaker Tomer (Niv Nissim) has mixed up his dates and hurriedly tries to “straighten up” and gather a few things in order to “crash” at a friend’s place. Later Michael has a strained video chat with his partner back in the states, David (Peter Spears) before a restless night (seems he’s got to take several of the medications in his daily “pill organizer”). When Tomer returns for a few items, Michael suggests that he just stay and sleep on the couch. Over the next few days, Tomer becomes Michael’s guide to the city, exploring the bars and the beach. The elder tourist is taken aback by the young man’s strong opinions and free-wheeling lifestyle. He rejects “labels” though “sexually fluid” could apply to his nighttime proclivities. He can work up a sweat at the disco with his “movie muse”, interpretive dancer Daria (Lihi Kornowski) before sharing his bed with her. And the next night, Michael is stunned when Tomer “orders in” a hunky stud for the evening’s entertainment. Although their “generation gap” sparks many heated discussions, the two slowly begin to bond, especially after a special Israeli dinner fixed by Tomer’s mother Maika (Miki Kam) at her home in the Kibbutz. Somehow these men are forming a friendship, but could it develop into something much deeper?

Stage and screen vet Hickey brings the right amount of weary gravitas and sense of longing to his lead role as Michael. Though he could easily drift into listless melancholy he brings a real dignity to this scribe who has seen (and had) better days. Hickey seems more revitalized as the story progresses, showing us how these new locations and influences are pulling Michael out of his emotional quagmire. By the final act, he’s more participant than a remorseful observer. He’s a good contrast to the energetic “shot out of a cannon” Nissim as the swaggering hedonistic Tomer. At first caustic and abrasive, Nissim reveals his character’s growing empathy, as Michael’s kindness erodes his bravado. He’s learning to care about others, especially those who have been around a lot longer than himself. Kornowski projects an ethereal vibe as the whirling dervish dancing queen. Spears, though confined to his computer screen, draws us in as the lover who just can’t pull his partner out of the fog. And Kam offers a spirited take on her “Earth mother’ role as the welcoming matriarch.

Director Eytan Fox, working from the screenplay he co-wrote with Itay Segal, has crafted an interesting take on a subset of the romantic travel movie genre. We’ve seen countless versions of the repressed heroine acquiring a voracious appetite for life as she finds a new love (often a younger suitor) while exploring unfamiliar locales. In the golden age, it was NOW VOYAGER, SUMMERTIME, and THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS. STONE to the more recent HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK and EAT PRAY LOVE. But when it’s a male lead, the tale is mainly told for laughs as in BLAME IT ON RIO, LOVE IN THE AFTERNOON, and 10. The dramatic intent works for much of the film, but the final act revelations and emotional climax feel a bit forced and rushed. A sequence involving some painful whimsical improved “puppetry” is jarringly clunky. Plus Tomer’s taunting attitude never quite elevates his role beyond the fantasy, passionate exotic “object of forbidden desire”.The Tel Aviv locations are lovingly photographed by Daniel Miller, making it an often interesting travelogue. Unfortunately, none of the city’s vibrant color seeps into the perplexing bond between the two main characters. SUBLET isn’t subpar, but it’s not as engaging as it should be.

2 Out of 4

SUBLET opens in select theatres everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas beginning Friday, June 11, 2021.

FOREVER MY GIRL – Review

 

Though the day of cupid’s arrow is still a month away, that doesn’t stop the studios from trying to heat up these frigid Winter nights (and matinees). And, for at least this February 14, the holiday is claimed by Christian Gray and company (add joke about restraining cherubs). As foretold by its PG rating, this romance is pretty gentle, though it’s also based on a literary “heart-tugger”. Plus it’s got a “mighty strong” country kick with its locale and music (soundtrack and setting). so Hollywood’s hoping for a “long term relationship” rather than a one night (or single viewing) stand with FOREVER MY GIRL.

The little town of St. Augustine, Louisiana is all abuzz on this sunny warm afternoon. Home town boy Liam Page’s first CD is climbing the charts (everyone’s heard his hit song on the radio). And today he’s marrying his high school sweetheart Josie (Jessica Rothe). But as she adjusts her veil, the best man pays a visit to the bridal prep station. Seems that Liam has left word that he’ll not attend. Of course, Josie is devastated. Flash forward eight years to the present day, and Liam (Alex Roe) is a superstar, selling out huge concert venues. He’s a music sensation, and a handful for his manager Sam (Peter Cambor). Late the next morning Liam finally rises from his booze and groupie-fueled stupor. In his limo ride, the TV news report informs him of the car crash death of his hometown “best bud’ (and almost best man). Braking from his “handlers”, Liam bribes his driver to take him back to his little birth home. He arrives mid funeral service, much to the chagrin of his widowed father, Pastor Brian (John Benjamin Hickey) and shocks Josie. Crashing at his old home, Liam has Sam overnight his charge cards (and send a rental car). While he “gets his head together”, Liam tracks down the very angry Josie. Still single, she has taken over a local flower shop. On a visit there, Liam is surprised to meet Josie’s seven year-old daughter Billy (Abby Ryder Fortson), named after Liam’s late mom. Could she be his offspring? While Sam and Liam’s publicist Doris (Gillian Vigman) fret about Liam’s musical commitments, he leaves the fast lane to spent time with Billy and perhaps mend fences with her mama. But is it too late? Can the over-indulgent pampered singer finally become a responsible adult, let alone a daddy?

 

Despite his absence from the opening flashback sequence (he’s a runaway groom), Roe’s Liam is the film’s main focus, though he seems to be more at ease as the hard-partyin’ “honky-tonker” in his first scenes. But he does, as they say, “clean up nice”, when he returns to his roots (all the stage “sweat” is overdone, reminding us of the “on air” Albert Brooks in BROADCAST NEWS), though his discomfort never fully erodes away. Perhaps this stems from the huge hurdle he must clear in order to get us on his side, the hurdle being his big bail eight years previous. The victim of the incredibly selfish act, Josie immediately gains our sympathies, thanks to the work of rising star Rothe (one of the roomies in LA LA LAND, who also delighted us last year with her energetic lead role in HAPPY DEATH DAY). Upon his return, Rothe gives Roe a look that would destroy him a thousand times over (I imagined the eye beams from X-MEN’s Cyclops reducing him to ashes). Luckily her character warms, and Rothe shows us soaring joy as her heart finally heals. Here’s wishing her more opportunities that showcase her talents in more worthy material. Fortson is, of course, unstoppably adorable as lil’ Billy (hey, she’s the daughter of ANT-MAN, so maybe that’s a super-power), even as she’s burdened with all too mature, precious bits of dialogue (this seven year-old talks like a thirty year-old sitcom writer). Hickey is humble and sincere as the preacher papa, projecting a quiet dignity and strength, while Cambor is full of exasperation and perspiration as Liam’s show-biz daddy (rather than the cliché “woman on the phone” we’ve got the male counterpart).

 

Director Bethany Ashton Wolf also wrote the screenplay adaptation of Heidi McLaughlin’s best seller, keeping a tight rein on the movie’s narrative. Not having read the original novel, I’m wondering if the story meanders as much as this retelling. There are long lingering shots of the gorgeous Louisiana countryside (the tourism board must be delighted) that help establish the mood, as the plot clumsily attempts to hit the dramatic beats as it marches toward its inevitable “life is grand” final clinch. It appears that the marketing folks are going after the audience that somehow still flock to the Nicholas Sparks-inspired schlock. Unfortunately GIRL has none of the camp excesses of those flicks. I mean, there’s no real villain, no outside force scheming to keep the lovers apart, other than Josie’s too protective older brother who delivers a stern lecture to Liam. Plus there’s no big dramatic bit of action that puts the duo in jeopardy. A chaotic cook-out can’t compete with gale force wind and rain. I’m also wondering if the characters were simplified for the screen, as Josie seems far too quick to forgive and forget, even indulging in a showy “50 Shades”-style date (no chains, just a big helicopter getaway) And, as mentioned earlier, Billy’s “beyond her years” speech patterns and references (invoking RAIN MAN and JERRY MAGUIRE’s Jonathan Lipnicki) don’t work. The whole things plays out like a sub par basic cable movie, its PG rating ensuring that it won’t offend or shock. Thanks to that, FOREVER MY GIRL certainly feels like an eternity.

1 Out of 5