28 August 2017

The Fun in Dysfunction


THE GLASS CASTLE (A-minus) - Best Hallmark Channel movie ever.

Destin Daniel Cretton follows up his previous gem, 2013's "Short Term 12," with another touching, deeply human tale of broken people. Brie Larson returns (more of a star now after "Room"), this time as Jeannette Walls, the fictionalized version of the author of the best-selling memoir, who grew up in, to put it mildly, a seriously dysfunctional, nomadic family.

Her father, Rex (Woody Harrelson), was a drunken blowhard who talked a big game about defying The Man (and building his little girl a fantastic glass castle) but who was little more than a criminally irresponsible dad. Her mother, Rose Mary (Naomi Watts, plain), was his enabler, seemingly delusional and likely mentally ill. (He enables her by resolutely touting her outsider art, which is, by any measure, merely amateurish.) They moved the kids from shack to shack, always one step ahead of the creditors, the utilities or victims of Rex's various hustles. Rex's violent method of teaching Jeannette to swim (or sink) is yet another form of child abuse.

Jeannette and her brother and sisters also suffered at the hands of Rex's mother, just as Rex almost certainly did as a child in West Virginia, to a degree only gruffly hinted at (and elegantly half-revealed). Young Jeannette (two fine little actresses, Ella Anderson and Chandler Head) was the victim of her parents' negligence, setting her clothes on fire while cooking her own hot dogs on a cheap stove while standing on a chair. She is left scarred on her torso, almost certainly exacerbated by her father's insistence on stealing her from the hospital prematurely so as to save on medical costs.

As an adult, Jeannette shuns her parents and settles into an alternative universe -- engaged to a yuppie financial adviser, David (Max Greenfield from "Hello, My Name Is Doris," the only weak link in the cast). That's the worst nightmare for her parents, who are now squatting and dumpster-diving in Manhattan. Jeannette hones her skills as a writer for New York magazine and tries to blot out those childhood memories.

All of this could have gotten embarrassingly sticky sweet in the wrong hands. But Cretton has a special touch. We rewatched "Short Term 12" after viewing "Glass Castle," and the two films share a genuinely humanistic DNA. Part of that is Larson, alternately steely and vulnerable, speaking volumes through her doe eyes. Cretton also reins in Harrelson away from his hammy "Hunger Games"/'The Messenger" tendencies, while providing an umbilical cord for Watts to explore the nuances of a conflicted woman who just isn't cut out for motherhood. Cretton and his casting director do a fantastic job of picking young actors to play various stages of the siblings, so that it's never a distraction.

There are heartfelt interactions between father and the daughter he playfully calls Mountain Goat throughout the film, including during a climactic reconciliation, as well as among siblings, each sharply drawn with attention to character detail. You'll laugh and cry in ways that echo the reaction to last year's similar tale of an outlaw dad and his precocious kids, "Captain Fantastic." You'll likely forget about that horrific scar on Jeannette's body by the time it springs up at just the right time, in the perfect situation, serving the story in multiple ways at once -- brought home by Larson, still able to pull off playing a rebellious teen.

This is natural, tactile filmmaking that ably translates a beloved book while retaining a wholesome and honest tone. It is entertainment for all ages and lifestyles. There's no denying that Cretton, who wrote this with newcomer Andrew Lanham, is in tune with what we call the hum of human existence. And he knows just how to tug your heart without making you roll your eyes.

BONUS TRACK
The soundtrack is top-notch, too, mixing oldies from Waylon Jennings and Kitty Wells, with original music from Joel P. West. Here's a two-fer featuring the Lumineers ("Sleep on the Floor") and Reuben and the Dark ("Black Water"):



And Darla Hawn with the trusty standard, "Don't Fence Me In":


 
  

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