Aside from the warmer temps and the arrival of the big Summer blockbuster flix, the waning days of Spring also bring the conclusion of the school year for many students from public schools and colleges (yes, they often operate with limited classes in Summer). So, how about a fairly somber film set in the world of academia? And to get more specific, perhaps a slice of life set in an art school, a place filled with folks working on projects for display from paint on canvas to hanging bits of string and fabric would “fit the bill”. Yes, that’s the setting for this character study about an artist that learns that much of the hard work of her creative life is focus, determination, and simply SHOWING UP.
The artist in question is Lizzy (Michelle Williams), who spends most of her time in the workshop space she’s set up in the garage of the house she’s renting. Well, she’s really living in half of the house owned by another artist named Jo (Hong Chau). Lizzy is furiously working on clay sculptures that will be on display soon at a gallery show of her creations. Not helping her progress is the lack of hot water, which landlord Jo is not attending to (instead she’s also prepping for a show and making a tire swing for the big backyard tree). They both are on the staff of an art college outside of Portland run by Lizzy’s frazzled mother Jean (Maryann Plunkett). The rest of the eccentric teachers are helpful and supportive, especially Eric (Andre Benjamin) who runs the kiln (essential to Lizzy). The tension ramps up when Lizzy’s cat mangles a pigeon that swooped inside her place. She releases the injured bird into the wild, but Jo retrieves it and asks her to look after it as it heals (and Jo sets up her own art display). Then Lizzy must visit her pottery artist father, Bill (Judd Hirsch), and personally invite him to her show, He has his hands full with visiting houseguests (Amanda Plummer and Matt Malloy) who are content to mooch food and take over his living room. Luckily Bill can give Lizzy info on her socially awkward brother Sean (John Magero) who hasn’t responded to any of her invitation attempts. Between her family, the injured bird, and her slow-moving landlord, will Lizzy get everything together before the “big show” opening day reception arrives?
Williams cements her “rep” as one of our most versatile screen stars with her take on an everywoman who almost blends into the background, in many sequences. Her Lizzy is there to react and “roll with the punches” when dealing with other personalities and unexpected situations. It’s not to say that she “coasts along” as her domestic chaos finally “lights her fuse” (“Who’s in my parking spot?!”). Williams shows how Lizzy’s almost at “the brink” as she pushes herself toward her artistic “finish line”. For much of the story’s runtime, her adversary is Chau’s Jo who seems indifferent to Lizzy’s concerns as she doesn’t let her own art shows overwhelm her while seeming to ignore her tenant’s pleas. Perhaps Lizzy is envious of Jo’s blase attitude toward her work and life. Benjamin is the campus”mellow fellow”, quick with a smile who is “diggin’ the groove” in his work and social life. Plunkett is prickly and distracted as Jean who flits about the school’s offices as though she has a dozen plates spinning with her animosity toward her ex-husband finally earning her intense focus. Hirsch is an affable charmer, the “godfather of clay” who delights in the blossoming talents of his kids but is content to be a distant mentor. Magaro conveys a real sense of slowly simmering volatile chaos as the unpredictable, flighty Sean, whose main concern is his lack of access to his TV shows (“I’m being blocked.”). Plummer and Malloy supply some quirky comic relief as the guests that linger well past the “welcome stage”.
This film is the fourth collaboration between Williams and filmmaker Kelly Reichardt who directed from the screenplay she co-wrote with Jonathan Raymond. And of the four it may be the least compelling. Being a former art college student I appreciated the attention to detail, getting the atmosphere of languid creativity just right, much like the comedy/mystery ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL from 2006. Like that weird graphic novel adaptation I was almost experiencing sensory flashbacks (“sniff” is that turpentine or epoxy) and feeling as though the camera was right behind me in those hectic days of deadlines and endless “drying times” as artists worked on too-long strips of canvas on the hallway floors. But the mood’s not enough to make the story interesting as little subplots drop in and out with little resolution, from the wounded bird to the somewhat unhinged brother. At the tale’s heart is the odd passive-aggressive bond between Lizzy and Jo which feels dramatically shallow. The sense of “art drudgery” is there, but the build-up to the big gallery show doesn’t puck a real thematic “punch”. It’s great to see Williams paired again with the always-engaging Hirsch, and she is a strong scene partner for Chau, but they can’t overcome the meandering pace. The details are spot on, but it’s not enough to spark interest in the non-art school crowd who the studio hopes will be SHOWING UP at the cinemas.
1.5 Out of 4
SHOWING UP is now playing in select theatres
