★ 5 / 10
Familial relations can be a dual-edged sword for
Brent Marchant
Familial relations can be a dual-edged sword for many of us, often filled with all manner of seemingly contradictory love/hate dynamics. This can be…
Familial relations can be a dual-edged sword for many of us, often filled with all manner of seemingly contradictory love/hate dynamics. This can be particularly true for parents, who frequently find themselves simultaneously loving and becoming frustrated with their kids, even when their onetime youngsters grow into adulthood. Such conditions can be truly exasperating; we can feel for them and desperately want to help them, but, at the same time, we must also allow them the freedom to find their own way out of their challenges, painful though that might be to watch. These are the circumstances confronting Bill and Venida Brass (David Strathairn, Celia Weston), a senior couple and the parents two adult children, David (Will Pullen) and Patti (Anna Camp), both of whom have their share of issues to contend with. Mom and Dad try to offer support and advice, but it often falls on deaf ears, causing them considerable anguish and frustration. Fortunately, they have support of their own to help them through their ordeals, thanks to their cheerful, compassionate, caring daughter-in-law, Tammy (Jane Levy), who quietly struggles with trouble in her marriage to David. Tammy feels more like the child that Bill and Venida wish was their own, which makes it easy for them to return the love and support that she so freely gives to them, despite the life of quiet desperation that she leads on her own. As this family character study plays out, it becomes apparent how challenging these circumstances can be for them, especially Bill and Tammy, who shoulder much of the burden that’s been thrust upon them. Based on that, this might sound like a touching, heart-tugging domestic tale, but, regrettably, it never quite lives up to its potential. That’s unfortunate, too, given the many strengths this offering has going for it, such as its emotive background score, beautiful cinematography, and strong performances of its superb ensemble, particularly Strathairn, Weston, Camp and Independent Spirit Award nominee Levy. The primary shortcoming here, ironically, rests with the ISA-nominated writing, which never reaches the depth of feeling it’s striving for. By no means is this meant to trivialize the issues the characters face, but they aren’t exactly facing horrific, insurmountable, life-threatening challenges, either, thereby diluting the emotional impact of the narrative. Prospective viewers should also be aware that the somewhat-misleading trailer for this release makes it look like a comedy-drama, but the humor in the film overall is indeed sparser than how it’s depicted in the preview. This latest effort from writer-director Angus MacLachlan, unfortunately, plays like a filmed version of the first draft of a screenplay in need of several more rounds of revisions. Had the picture gone through that process, it might have turned out better. But, as it stands now, not even a little prayer could improve upon how the finished product has turned out.
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★ 7 / 10
Brilliantly Acted but Stolen Story and Screenplay
Kenn-15
I'll watch David Strathairn in anything. I'll watch him read the phone book. And in the scenes with Celia Weston, it's like watching a master class in acting.…
I'll watch David Strathairn in anything. I'll watch him read the phone book. And in the scenes with Celia Weston, it's like watching a master class in acting. Jane Levy is radiant-and I think headed for stardom, just as Amy Adams was in Junebug, MacLachlin's other film. The problem is that, just as Jane Levy was radiant, so was Setsuko Hara in master filmmaker Mikio Naruse's masterpiece, Sound of the Mountain, which (with no acknowledgment in the current film, and no mention in any of the reviews of A Little Prayer-which was astonishing) was the SAME FILM, start to finish, with very minor variations. MacLachlin's Americanization of the story, moving it from Tokyo to the American south was, I think very adroitly done. 1954 Japan was a very different culture, where the actions of Setsuko Hara's character would have been SO anathema; since MacLachlin's film is current-day, he smartly uses religion in place of 1950s Japanese culture to make Jane Levy's character's same action equally anathema (avoiding spoilers here).So I hope David Strathairn, Celia Weston and Jane Levy continue to be recognized for their luminous performances, I would be really upset if MacLachlin's screenplay is recognized as a Best "Original" screenplay. It's not.Sound of the Mountain was a brilliant film, incredibly touching, and I believe one of Naruse's favorite of his films. A Little Prayer is equally moving and wonderful. But, hey, MacLachlin-give credit where credit is due. And mainstream reviewers, wake up! For no one to have mentioned this seems like a terrible oversight.
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