Ithaca

Starring: Alex Neustaedter, Sam Shepard, Meg Ryan, Hamish Linklater, Tom Hanks, Jack Quaid, Gabriel Basso, Spencer Howell
Directed by: Meg Ryan
Rating: PG
Genre: Drama
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: In 1942, A boy (Alex Neustaedter) begins working as a telegram messenger after his brother (Jack Quaid) leaves for the war.

Review:

Tim: Ithaca, Meg Ryan's directorial debut, feels like a very small movie to me. It's not especially ambitious, it has no scope, it's just this tiny little film about a few characters. And yet, what it lacks in ambition, it makes up for in heart. I got pulled into this story with these characters. Their world was interesting to me and I found myself engaged with Homer and the other characters. This is a safe, small movie, but that doesn't prevent it from being a worthwhile one.

The movie works because it focuses intently on just a few things. The movie is really about Homer, his family, his friends, coworkers, and a few acquaintances. It helps that the characters are interesting and the actors playing them do a good job. Alex Neustaedter does a good job as Homer. He has enough everyman, relatable qualities that you easily connect with him. Sam Shepard is so strong in a small supporting role. He gives the performance of the film and every scene with him is better. He's warm, wise, and flawed. It's an interesting character and one that pulls you into the story every time he's on screen. Meg Ryan surprised me by not giving herself much to do. She's a presence in the film, but her impact in front of the camera is minimal. I loved seeing Tom Hanks here, although his role was more of a favor to Ryan than anything else. I loved seeing Ryan and Hanks together again, even if Hanks is barely in the film. His presence was still enjoyable. Hamish Linklater surprised me by delivering a surprisingly strong performance with little screen time. I really loved his character and his portrayal of him. This movie was immensely helped by this small supporting performances (like Linklater's) that weren't just actors showing up and delivering their lines, but making their characters and their screen time truly count. Shepard and Linklater especially elevated this film beyond what we would have expected.

There is a small part of me that rolled my eyes when I found out this film was about the 1940s and World War II. It's just that we have had so many movies about this time period, did we really need another one? I understand and respect that generation and what they sacrificed for the good of the world, but there's so many other periods that haven't had the same love as the 40s. That being said, this movie was really focused mainly on the people left behind from the war and what their experience was like. A major point of this movie is the delivering of telegrams that shattered the recipients' lives. That was interesting to me and shows up less in movies (other than a scene or two). It was instrumental to this film, dealing with the emotional fallout from something like that. I enjoyed the focus of the film.

Ithaca probably could never have been a great movie (which is an interesting worldview question I'll have to consider later). Meg Ryan has no experience directing. It's a small character study devoid of much ambition. Maybe a truly great director could have turned this into a masterpiece, but I think it was destined to be only a good movie. Ryan certainly has more experience now and she made it through her first film successfully. She understands movies and while may not have the experience, she does have some talent as a director. This was an enjoyable movie that pulled me in and kept me engaged from start to finish. I'd definitely recommend Ithaca.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Saving Private Ryan, October Sky, I.Q.