Reptileenbu
Did you people see the same film I saw?
ShangLuda
Admirable film.
Lollivan
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
vchimpanzee
I didn't see all of this movie. The listings said it started at 1:30 (and it wasn't this movie that was listed) and that's when the recording started. But there was already a movie going on. I could wait until I see it all, if it airs in the near future, but I might forget the details. So I'll give my evaluation now.I did see enough to know these details. The film takes place in a beach community, and I saw signs that the town was called Venice. One of these signs is an actual sign saying Venice. Another is canals running beside houses. Alex is the boring, responsible and cute sister, and Lily is the adventurous rebel who looks like she works at a truck stop. Both are likable in their own way.Their father Roger is showing early signs of what could be Alzheimer's, but he is also appearing in a community theater production of a play which he may have written. I say may have written because there were a couple of details I missed and these may have been at the beginning of the movie, but from the way he was talking, I think he wrote it. Alex works for an organization that protects the environment. She has interviewed people who have shown her evidence that a marsh is being affected by work already done by Frank's company to develop the area into a resort. Frank argues that the people would rather have jobs and improve their status, but Alex is fighting his efforts, hoping the resort can be built in a different location. . Alex's husband George wasn't happy and he has left. They have a young son Dakota, and George is making every effort to be a good father. Alex isn't quite happy with her life and Lily gives her advice, which is not really the type of advice the fine upstanding citizens should be following. But this is a movie so reckless behavior is acceptable. So will Alex find happiness? Will the marsh be saved? Can Roger get through his play, and how sick is he?This isn't funny enough to be a comedy but there are some laughs.I know Mary Elizabeth Winstead from her role in the quirky comedy "BrainDead" and there are similarities between her character here and the one in that show. I liked her there and, although I didn't see her name until the closing credits and didn't know why she looked familiar, I liked her here. She has several scenes where she is just looking at something, and somehow that's enough. One scene where she is high on drugs is effectively done. The scene really communicates how weird things are, between her wild performance and the lack of audio other than music which appears to be for our benefit, not music they are hearing. And while Winstead does quite well as proper and responsible, she does have to recover from that one crazy night and achieves that. She also has to cry too, which is surprising, but it works.Katie Nehra has her own style and a lot of enthusiasm. I like her too, as she shows Dakota a good time when he's supposed to be in school. I don't know what she does for a living, though that may have been part of what I missed, but I'm guessing it's nothing substantial, or perhaps she goes from job to job. In any case, she's never shown working in the part I saw. And I know how to describe her appearance. I got confused once when I realized there was an environmental problem and wondered if I might be seeing "Erin Brockovich". But she didn't look enough like Julia Roberts, and she never was the one fighting for justice.I liked Skylar Gaertner as Dakota as well.Derek Luke is quite charming as the developer when not being challenged, but he believes he is right and won't back down. I did recognize Don Johnson, but only in the sense that I thought Roger looked like Don Johnson, but not enough like Don Johnson to be Don Johnson. I haven't had a lot of experience with this actor, but I saw him in several movies and in a WB TV series about a flawed lawyer. His best scene is in the play, but he does well elsewhere too., particularly where Roger seems to be losing his mind. And regarding the play, it was just rehearsal, but at first I wasn't sure whether they were performing or the actors were being themselves just talking. That seems like good acting to me. An interesting technique in the courtroom: Alex faces the judge and looks at her opponents. I don't think we ever see the judge.The presence of Dakota shouldn't give anyone the impression kids should be watching. There is sex talk which is a little naughty for TV, but let's face it. Most prime-time shows have gotten this bad. But just in case you see it uncensored, for me the sound went out a lot. It's certainly worth seeing.
Ironically Unimpressed
Simple, human-centred writing, honest depictions of the average Janes and Joes, and a Don Johnson coming out of nowhere to tug at my heart strings.A story into which I could easily place myself, not because of any personal drama of the kind, but simply on account of the next-door familiarity of the characters and their most usual, run- of-the-mill predicaments.This, without once finding it lacking in pace or boring; a true feat given my short attention span and my intolerance to wasting time. All in all, thank you for this unexpected little gem, Mr. Messina.
TxMike
This is a story about a married couple that have started to grow apart. He is a struggling artist and she is a young high-powered lawyer working for a firm. As a result of their paths she mostly works, often long hours and some weekends while he mostly takes care of the house and their son. It is a role-reversal. But one day he realizes that he isn't happy where all this is taking him so he decides he has to leave. For an unspecified time. Their son says he is gone to Santa Fe, where lots of artsy types hang out.This is all complicated by her dad, late 60s or early 70s, living with them and who it seems is developing dementia.Mary Elizabeth Winstead is Alex and her husband is Chris Messina, who also directs, as George. The dad is Don Johnson, actually about 65, as Roger, who gets a part locally in a play but seems to be having trouble remembering his lines.All of these people have issues but they each seem to care about the others, they just don't always know what is a proper way to deal with everything.There is not an "everyone lives happily" resolution here but each character learns something that will surely make the rest of their lives turn out differently.We saw this on Netflix streaming movies.
Nicole of ArchonCinemaReviews.com
Directed by actor Chris Messina, Alex of Venice is highly indie on the scope of indie-ness from the mundane plot to the uneventful conclusion.Alex of Venice is so indie that its plot can be summarized like something out of a fortune cookie "do not resist the progress when your life takes a turn toward a new beginning." Seriously, Archon is not even trying to be cute in that little blurb. Alex of Venice is about a workaholic female attorney with a stay-at-home husband who must adapt when her husband suddenly chooses to leave the marriage. Not only must she acclimate to the added responsibilities of tending to the issues at home, but she must also adapt if she is to survive with her sanity intact.Alex of Venice is not a comedy nor is it quirky in the way that indies typically are, it is just a straightforward drama.There is drama incorporated through Alex's work and legal pursuits, drama with her child, drama with her family, her love life and marriage. All in all, Alex's life is a real mess and is handling it surprisingly well considering.The cast is a medley of producers and writers associated with the film and that translates to a general familial comfort between the cast. None of the characters in Alex of Venice are particularly captivating, and that is with our film critic having a girl crush on the lead in the film Mary Elizabeth Winstead. In a way, Alex of Venice is refreshing because the characters are loud enough to be distinctive but realistic enough to be genuine.Alex of Venice is as much of a good non-event as you can get. It is all very under developed but not necessarily bad and I'm sure those who knew of it will watch it. But it is just not remarkable enough to recommend.Please check out our website for full reviews of all the recent releases.
