Welcome to the Rileys

Starring: James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart, Melissa Leo
Directed by: Jake Scott
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
2010

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A grieving father (James Gandolfini) travels to New Orleans, where he befriends a stripper (Kristen Stewart) and tries to help her.

Review:

Tim: Welcome to the Rileys is an interesting little film. It definitely feels like an independent film, and it has a nice authentic quality, partially due to being shot on location in New Orleans. It features some good performances and doesn't pander to audience expectations. There's definitely things to like about this movie. It doesn't surprise me that this is only director Jake Scott's second feature film (and first since 1999)- it feels like a movie that he certainly could have squeezed a lot more emotion out of. Still, it's a fairly decent movie.

The film is about three people. Doug and Lois are played by James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo. Their marriage has shattered due to the untimely death of their 15 year old daughter. Scott does a good job in the early scenes of establishing these two characters. Gandolfini is certainly the character we identify with most, and we learn early on that he's cheating on his wife. It's this kind of unconventional, flawed character drama that really works for the film. Despite his indescretions, we certainly feel bad for him. Gandolfini gives a very good (if occasionally too weird) performance of an ordinary guy from Indiana (or Illinois, or something). I liked him in this film.

I typically don't like Melissa Leo, and I didn't love her here. I thought she was fine, though, and I don't have major complaints. My biggest issue that I can just never really get into her characters. Her Lois is certainly complex, and I admit Leo does some terrific work in a few scenes (the relearning to drive scenes are great). Overall, she's just a bit above average.

Kristen Stewart was an interesting addition to the cast, playing a bit against type as a struggling stripper/prostitute in the Big Easy. She and Gandolfini become friends, and that's where the story takes off. I liked that Stewart's character came across as a real, tragic person. Her profession is never glamorized or exploited. She comes across as a very sad character, and it's interesting to watch her development throughout the film. The main draw of the movie is certainly seeing Gandolfini, Stewart, and Leo working with each other.

The story is fairly powerful, but it wasn't overly exciting. I'm not suggesting we needed drive by shootings and drug overdoses, but the movie needed a little more movement. The middle scenes too often drag, and the 110 minute run time felt about 10 minutes too long. The beginning of the film is good and the ending is fairly strong, but there's just a few too many redundant scenes in the middle. I wanted something more to actually happen. I know that the defeats the purpose of these ultra-realistic, quiet, moody independent films, but my attention certainly strayed a bit through the film.

What I did like is the mature and realistic look at three broken people and how their coming together changed their lives. I loved how the film seemed to push against those Hollywood conventions we've all come to expect. The ending could be considered happy, but it's not the twinkle-your-toes Hollywood-manufactured ending it could have been. I appreciate the resistance to that.

While I certainly enjoyed much of this movie, I didn't really feel any powerful emotional impact. The performances are good and I could somewhat relate to the characters, but I never felt like it went all the way. I wasn't emotionally invested in their story. This movie should have been teeming with emotion, and right or wrong, I blame the relative inexperience of Jake Scott on this. He could have gotten more out of his actors and the material.

Still, Welcome to the Rileys is an interesting little drama. I certainly wouldn't want to come across as too harsh, because it's a decent film that features some strong performances from the cast. While I personally didn't love it, I recognize it certainly has some endearing features, and I'd likely recommend it to others.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6.5



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