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By
DEBORAH NICOL
When the unknown is more
intriguing than the known, death becomes an easy
escape. When a member of the Travis family finds
the key to that escape, the rest of the family
looks for their own way out. Such is the failed
communication and connection of young
writer/director Dan Harris' dysfunctional kin.
The seemingly unstoppable athletic hero Matt
Travis has killed himself. His hard-driving father
(Jeff Daniels) no longer has a son to be proud of
nor his dream to pursue, his mother (Sigourney
Weaver) is attempting to keep a grasp on the other
son, and that other son (Emile Hirsch) is trying
to figure out life without a defined dream that
the world can cheer on. What begins as a tale of
coping quickly deteriorates into a story of faint
connections and shadows of individuals. While
everyone is blaming everyone else for their woes,
no one is looking at their own reflection for the
answers.
Daniels strays away from his usual nice guy
personas to envelop the sort of jerk that can only
see his offspring for the awards they can bring
home. His portrayal is quiet yet piercing – his
character has actually labeled a bottle of
Champaign "For (Olympic) gold or better," and he
sticks by that tunnel vision. Weaver conveys the
toughness of a wife who has long ago given up on
her marriage, who now confides in her son for
companionship. She seeks a reflection of herself
in him, while he is attempting to pursue a
semblance of individuality. Despite the crumbled
marriage, Weaver's character keeps a sense of
humor about her while the rest of the world takes
itself far too seriously. She maintains a squabble
over which she has no justification to be angry,
she allows herself to be flattered over juvenile
come-ons, and she attempts to recapture her youth
in the flick of a joint.
Hirsch ("The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys,"
"Lords of Dogtown") continues to display a
maturity through his acting that surely will
produce more great things to come. His character's
confusion as the brother of a fallen local hero is
not thinly cast. The layers of aggravation in his
life are subtly reflected and carefully revealed
without the gloss of an After School Special.
Hirsch foils his character's brother with rougher
edges and fallibility that are both believable and
understandable.
Though moments are predictable and some interwoven
plot lines are a stretch, the overall tale of a
family in crisis rings true. Life as a whole is
not so unusually bad, but when one becomes fixated
on particular ordeals it easily snowballs into an
avalanche of disaster. Harris has created a
believable and interesting family chronicle,
though with further maturity his story lines will
become more clean and subtle. Life goes on, and
death takes a backseat for once.
Extras on this disc include two commentary tracks,
one with Weaver and the other with director Harris
and Hirsch. There is an interesting
behind-the-scenes featurette, a photo gallery,
deleted scenes with commentary, a soundtrack ad
and previews. |
