As directed by Derick Martini (Smiling Fish and Goat on Fire), Lymelife is a sharply observed portrait of suburban Long Island life, circa 1979. Although we’ve seen this kind of film before, Lymelife is a classic example of how meticulously detailed direction of actors, and those actors’ superb character delineations can raise just about any storyline’s artistic level.
The Bartletts and the Braggs are the two families involved, and they interact in manifold ways. Mickey Bartlett (Alec Baldwin) is playing around with Bragg mére (Cynthia Nixon), and is having the usual battles with his teenage sons, played marvelously by the two younger Culkin brothers, Kieran and Rory. As always, Baldwin is a wonder – is there anything he can’t do as an actor? He’s never simply mean, or supercilious, or snide, or hulking, or sharp – these are always only outward facets of his performances. What he excels at is showing us the kernel of the causative – but with such subtlety, that we come to see it over the entire character arc. Meanwhile, to account for the film’s title, Charlie Bragg (Timothy Hutton) is likely suffering from Lyme’s disease. He also becomes aware of the shenanigans going on between his wife and Mickey; and his comely daughter (Emma Roberts) is proving to be a handful (and is lusted after by the younger Bartlett son).
Not to be lost in the mix is the terrific performance of Hutton. Since the early success of Ordinary People, he hasn’t seen many peaks among the valleys, but this one is an eye-opener. He conveys a strange sense of world-weary confusion and ennui, certainly brought on by more than just a probable case of Lyme disease. His many silent scenes are quite powerful, but the barroom scene with Baldwin is unforgettable. – [DVD]
Comedy/Drama
Rated R
DVD Release Date: 9/22/09
[...] LYMELIFE [...]