For Two Actors, Being Roommates is a Tough Role to Play: A Retro Review for “The Goodbye Girl”

Richard Dreyfuss and Marsha Mason in
"The Goodbye Girl"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

*With movie theaters closed for the time being, I’m going to take this time to review classics that I have yet to see.  I’m going to try to do these Retro Reviews as often as I can until the theaters reopen.  Hope you enjoy them!

Throughout the later half of the 20th century, Neil Simon proved himself to be one of the entertainment industry’s most prolific playwrights and screenwriters.  After gaining considerable attention for his work in theater, he soon built up an impressive résumé in film, adapting several of his plays for the screen, such as “The Odd Couple,” “The Sunshine Boys,” and “California Suite.” 

Being in the mood for something lighthearted, I remembered director Herbert Ross’ 1977 romantic comedy, “The Goodbye Girl,” which is an original screenplay from Simon.  Having only seen clips of it on television, I decided to watch it in its entirety and have some laughs from the smile-inducing setup.  What results are two hours of a breezy, wayward relationship that forms under unusual circumstances, inviting you into an enjoyable portrait of two people trying to succeed in New York City, all while being forced to tolerate each other.

Broadway dancer Paula McFadden (Marsha Mason) and her 10-year old daughter, Lucy (Quinn Cummings), live in a Manhattan apartment with her boyfriend.  When he leaves them to pursue an acting opportunity, Paula finds out that he subleased the apartment to an aspiring actor from Chicago, Elliot Garfield (Richard Dreyfuss).  When Elliot arrives, he and Paula must figure out how they will get along in their new predicament.

Mason provides an endearing performance as a dedicated, hardworking mother who’s trying to give her daughter the best life possible, despite the disruptions that tend to drop into their lives.  She presents an individual who shows a determination to get through any challenge, both in terms of being a parent and finding a way to support her household, and it’s this strong will that draws us to her character, a strength that presents itself well on both a comedic level and an emotional one.  Mason has us laugh when Paula must have comical confrontations with her new roommate, but also has us feel for her when the emotional part of her character’s arc comes to a head in the third act, and it’s a performance like Mason’s that makes this movie a romantic-comedy that’s much more than its laughs.

Dreyfuss gives an energetic performance as Elliot.  While his whole portrayal is terrific comedic work, his entrance into the movie is pure humorous gold.  As he begins his move into the apartment, Dreyfuss does excellent work in having you stand in Paula’s shoes as you begin to experience the annoyance that she feels of having Elliot barge into your life and impose his lifestyle and quirks on her, creating a scene that acts as a memorable introduction to what you can expect from this character. 

While Mason and Dreyfuss have unbreakable comedic chemistry, some of the best parts of the movie is when we see the dramatic side to their relationship.  This comes out quite a bit when certain things don’t go their way in their own endeavors, and they soon come to realize that they need each other more than they thought.  This helps to create another dimension to their bond as Paula and Elliot start to become close with each other.

Cummings, whose performance in this film marks her big-screen debut, presents a wise-beyond-her-years character who’s a significant help to her mom.  She often acts as her mom’s voice of reason, having a great sense of delivery, like when she’s discussing her mom’s type of men, speaking lines like, “Your type never hangs around long enough to stay your type.”  We’re also given an idea of the type of person that Lucy right at the beginning of the film, when her mom describes her as being born 26.  This is a perfect description of her character, with Cummings showing someone who has an uncommonly deep perception of the issues that her mother faces and helps her mother make sense of her current situation.

Simon’s screenplay takes a page of out of his stage play and screenplay, “The Odd Couple,” and gives it some intriguing and fun alterations.  While “The Odd Couple” dealt with two characters with conflicting lifestyles, “The Goodbye Girl” give us two characters who basically have the same high-strung personality and career goals, but can’t seem to stand each other nevertheless.  This keeps us invested to see how they will attempt to get along and work towards their common goals.  What’s important is not to let the sitcom setup fool you because none of the interactions between Paula and Elliot are overdone as a way to evoke maximum laughs; but instead, the setup has faith in itself to offer you a greta time while still keeping everything grounded.  In the middle of all of this is a relatable story of how, even when you’re an adult, it’s never too late to grow up and learn from your mistakes.

Ross, who directed Simon’s adaptations of “The Sunshine Boys” and “California Suite,” delivers both the wit and the heart that you would expect from the type of relationship that’s depicted.  He doesn’t resort to any over-the-top comedic antics to make the scenario of the film work, but rather allows for the natural chemistry between Mason, Dreyfuss, and Cummings to blend well with the genuineness of the screenplay to help construct a story that isn’t anything short of entertaining.

With its glowing and comical narrative of falling in love unexpectedly, “The Goodbye Girl” will have you greeting it with an enthusiastic “hello.”

Grade: A

Tormented by His Past, a Man Falls into a Deadly Encounter: A Retro Review for "Marathon Man"

Dustin Hoffman in "Marathon Man"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

*With movie theaters closed for the time being, I’m going to take this time to review classics that I have yet to see.  I’m going to try to do these “Retro Reviews” as often as I can until the theaters reopen.  Hope you enjoy them!

Director John Schlesinger made one of the boldest cinematic accomplishments of the ‘60s with his 1969 groundbreaking drama, “Midnight Cowboy,” which tackled several taboo subjects that made the movie experience considerable controversy upon its release.  In the film, he used these topics to present New York City in a sort of light that audiences hadn’t seen before, using a familiar setting for a story that was anything but.

Schlesinger returned to NYC seven years later to explore more of the mysterious corners of NYC with his thriller, “Marathon Man.”  While you have to wait a while for the story to pick up, the movie is nevertheless bolstered by its lead performances and tension.

Thomas Levy (Dustin Hoffman) is a history Ph.D student and runner who’s still haunted by his father’s suicide from when he was a child.  He soon becomes involved in the dealings of a Nazi war criminal named Christian Szell (Laurence Olivier), who sets out to retrieve stolen diamonds that were owned by his deceased brother.

Hoffman, who collaborated with Schlesinger for “Midnight Cowboy,” provides a performance that displays his character always being chased by his troubled past and how much it still weighs on him all of these years later.  He perfectly exhibits the panic-stricken paranoia that plagues Thomas as the movie goes on, and the wide-eyed, out-of-breath individual that we see when the film’s tension ramps up makes experience the feeling of being thrown into a conspiracy that unravels your life.  The exhaustion of being pursued that Hoffman shows is enough to make you feel that same exhaustion as the life-threatening scenario consumes him more and more, and you’ll find yourself breathing heavily along with Thomas as the events of the film reach their startling conclusion.

Olivier’s menacing portrayal of a former Nazi gives you an abundance of chills whenever he appears.  What makes his performance so unsettling is how Olivier gives Christian a constant sense of calm as he does the horrible acts that he sets out to commit, all while showing someone who intends on being unstoppable and ruthless in the pursuit of the diamonds.  The sense of threat that he brings to the role will make you quiver, particularly in a scene with an interrogation in a dentist chair that’s guaranteed to make you cringe several times, making him a memorable villain who will surely make you recoil in fear.

The screenplay by William Goldman, which is based on his 1974 novel of the same name, takes some time to pick up the pace, as it has quite a bit to set up.  However, once we approach the second half and the paths of Thomas and Christian begin to converge, we have a web of intrigue that propels the onslaught of danger in which Thomas finds himself.  Within this entanglement, we get deeper into themes of memory, persecution, and vengeance, and these themes, as well as how they have a thematic connection to Thomas, are what help elevate the movie as a whole.

Despite the movie feeling a bit slow during the first half, Schlesinger is still able to invest us in the characters.  Similar to how he depicted the emotional relationship between Hoffman and Jon Voight in “Midnight Cowboy,” Schlesinger does the same with Thomas and his brother, Henry (Roy Scheider), adding a poignant angle to the story as we find out more about them.
Other than this, Schlesinger shows an accomplished hand when dealing with a thriller, of which this is his first.  While the opening scene and a car-and-foot chase later on are memorable in their own right, Schlesinger displays an ability to thrill us even with more small-scale scenes, such as an anxiety-inducing sequence where two of Christian’s henchmen sneak into Thomas’ apartment while he’s in the bathroom and must hide.  With the use of shadows, whispers, and a confined setting, Schlesinger delivers a pulse-pounding turning point in the film that leads to a high volume of apprehension.

Once “Marathon Man” finds its stride, you will be carried along on its high-speed intensity as it advances from a jog to a full-on sprint.

Grade: A-

Against the Wishes of Others, Two Star-Crossed Lovers Connect: A Retro Review for "West Side Story"

Richard Beymer and Natalie Wood in
"West Side Story"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

*With movie theaters closed for the time being, I’m going to take this time to review classics that I have yet to see.  I’m going to try to do these “Retro Reviews” as often as I can until the theaters reopen.  Hope you enjoy them!

The opening of directors Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins’ sweeping musical drama, “West Side Story,” opens with a series of aerial shots that gaze down at the expanse of New York City, showing a place that’s full of stories, but will soon just focus on one.  However, that story will find a way to relate to any viewer, just as how it continues to impact audiences who watch it for the first time and experience its exuberance, just as it has recently done for me.

In the summer of 1957, in the West Side’s Lincoln Square region of Manhattan, there’s a rift between the Jets, a white American gang, and the Sharks, a Puerto Rican gang.  When a young Puerto Rican woman named Maria (Natalie Wood) and Tony (Richard Beymer), a former Jet, fall in love, the adversity between the two gangs will reach a breaking point as they try to keep Maria and Tony apart.

There’s a reason why the bond between Maria and Tony is one of the greatest screen romances, and that’s because the chemistry between Wood and Beymer exhibit the power of a love that transcends the boundaries that are imposed between them.  Between Wood’s performance of “I Feel Pretty,” Beymer’s performance of “Maria,” and their duet for “Somewhere,” the affection that they have for each other couldn’t feel more magical as they commit themselves to their relationship and vow to defend the other.  Wood and Beymer have a strength in their characters that has them show how much they love one another, even when they’re separated, showing a longing for each other that’s seen in their eyes and expressed in their voices, immersing us in a romance with a heart that’s bigger than the city in which in unfolds.

Rita Moreno, who plays Maria’s best friend, Anita, brings a spirited performance as the voice of both reason and support for Wood’s character.  Moreno expresses Anita’s difficulties in being happy for Maria finding someone who she loves, while also trying to keep her from running into any mistakes that may come from Maria and Tony’s relationship.  This back-and-forth in Moreno’s character is encapsulated in the moving rendition of her duet with Maria, “A Boy Like That/I Have a Love,” creating an emotional look into Anita’s views towards her friend.  While this is the most intriguing aspect of Moreno’s character, we can never neglect to mention her iconic scene where she performs “America” with various cast members, providing a joyous sequence that will garner one of the biggest smiles that you’ll have while watching this movie.

George Chakiris portrays Bernardo, Maria’s suave, abrasive, and overprotective older brother and leader of the Sharks.  Chakiris shows the toughness and street smarts that come from his character’s knowledge of roaming the streets, thereby helping us understand that he’s trying to protect his sister from the danger that he knows all too well, but also making us oppose his unwillingness to let Maria break free to make her own choices.  The core of Chakiris’ performance is his ability to have us both sympathize with and disapprove of Bernardo’s overprotectiveness, and the passion and quiet furiousness within his work adds considerable tension to the film.

The screenplay by Ernest Lehman, which is based on the 1957 Broadway musical of the same name by Jerome Robbins, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sodheim, and Arthur Laurents, which itself is inspired by William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet,” creates a narrative that invites us into the humorous, poignant, and volatile world of the Jets and Sharks.  Between the musical sequences and the dialogue-driven scenes, Lehman delivers fleshed-out characters and situations that not only present a heart-tugging romance, but also a look into the racial tensions between the Jets and Sharks that continue to escalate and place the characters under threats of violence that could damage them forever.

The dance numbers, which are choreographed by Robbins, are a superb expression of the animosity between the Jets and Sharks, such as in the prologue, a balletic battle as the rival gangs confront each other in a nearly wordless 10-minute sequence that brings us through the streets of their neighborhood and introduces us to the feud that propels the story.  Between the prologue, the famous scene with the dance at the gym, the “America” sequence, and others, we’re presented with these musical numbers through full-scale views, thanks to the cinematography by Daniel L. Fapp.  Through his camerawork, he brings us images that allow us to see the scenery in their entirety, showing the many details of the settings and delivering an epic sense to the story.  The large scope of the cinematography also lets us see and appreciate the intricacies of the dances as they come to life with a limitless energy that has us marvel at what Wise, Robbins, and their performers are able to accomplish.

While Robbins excels in bringing us memorable choreography, Wise is able to deliver the superb drama in between those sequences.  The work that he’s able to evoke from his cast does wonders in displaying the emotion of the story through their dialogue, so that by the time the songs and dances come around, those musical numbers are able to act as an effective continuation of the thoughts that the characters have expressed with spoken words, and this is because how beautifully the non-musical sequences are directed and acted, capturing the fullness of the stakes that keep us enthralled in the hopefulness of the central romance.

In the sequence where Tony sings “Something’s Coming,” some of the lyrics go, “Could it be?/Yes it could!/Something’s coming/Something good.”  Right from the opening shots of “West Side Story,” you’ll feel the same way.

Grade: A

Trapped in Domestic Boredom, a Housewife Develops a Strange Obsession

Haley Bennett in "Swallow"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

In his filmmaking debut, writer-director Carlo Mirabella-Davis begins his psychological-thriller, “Swallow,” with the main character, Hunter (Haley Bennett), gazing out into the distance on her luxury home’s expansive balcony.  Going into this movie, we know what she’s thinking in this moment, but that doesn’t make it any less of an effective opening to a film that is sure to shock you and make you cringe.

Hunter is a housewife who spends her days making her home presentable for her neglectful husband, Richie (Austin Stowell).  Prompted to add some unexpectedness to her life, Hunter develops a compulsion to consume unsafe objects.  When her dangerous obsession is discovered, Hunter is soon encouraged to find the root of her problem.

Bennett, who played a similar character on Tate Taylor’s 2016 thriller, “The Girl on the Train,” finds success once again in portraying someone who has a sense of mystery behind her and wants to break out of the monotony of her life.  However, this time around, the circumstances are much stranger, with Bennett displaying the uncertainty and excitement about what she’s doing, going between the two as she keeps the viewer squirming on the edge of their seat as they wait to see if she will go through with her next unsettling ingestion.  Other than this, Bennett shows us the sense of entrapment that she experiences every day as she feels stuck in the house, showing the emptiness that overpowers Hunter as she tries to find something to occupy her time and give her a sense of control over something.  Although the situation that Hunter gets herself into is life-threatening, you still can’t help but feel sympathetic towards her as Bennett expresses her character’s emptiness in being stuck in a rut, and you also feel a thrill as she takes matters into her own hands in the second half as she tries find out how this obsession came to be.

The screenplay by Mirabella-Davis may have a premise that we’ve seen before, but it’s difficult to resist the draw of wanting to see how this familiar narrative will unfold with its unsettling angle.  He writes many instances of tension, whether it be the scenes of Hunter deciding what to ingest; trying to hide her secret from her family; going through the danger of having this obsession potentially take over her life; and confronting the darkness of her past. 

As a director, Mirabella-Davis encapsulates the feeling of us seeing the next great director for thrillers.  He knows how to keep his viewers in a grip of apprehension as he plays out scenes where Hunter takes part in her obsession, making sure to get as many cringes and bouts of tension out of these sequences and having us wonder how far Hunter is going to take her addiction.

With cinematography by Katelin Arizmendi, Mirabella-Davis is able to emphasize Hunter’s sense of entrapment, with a lot of the movie taking place in a big house.  The spaciousness of the interior from which Hunter wishes to escape almost teases her about the wider expanse of the outside world, an aspect that’s made even more prominent when she stands outside and stares into the horizon, viewing the gorgeous scenery and the vibrancy that’s missing from her life.

He also provides terrific details in terms of presenting Hunter as a sort-of ‘50s housewife who lives in a world of people who don’t feel entrapped like she does.  While this is done throughout the movie, one such sequence where this is most notable is during a scene at a house party where all of the women have appearances that are more modern, unlike Hunter, all of which shows her potential lack of knowledge of what people are like outside of her home, which further emphasizes Hunter’s isolation from others.  These are the sort of subtitles of which Mirabella-Davis has an impressive command, making what could very well become one of the most memorable filmmaking debuts of 2020, and as Hunter begins filling her stomach with harmful objects, you’re sure to feel a knot in yours, one that won’t pass until the film ends.

Grade: A-

A Young Woman Finds Love for Others, and for Herself

Anya Taylor-Joy and Johnny Flynn in "Emma"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Like some of Jane Austen’s other novels, her 1815 novel, “Emma,” has been adapted numerous times, both through television and movies, with one of those films being the hit 1995 high-school comedy, “Clueless.”  With all of these adaptations, “Emma” has been reinvigorated throughout the decades as a treat those who have read the book and to bring in new fans.

The latest example of this is director Autumn de Wilde’s “Emma,” which transports us to all of the wit and elegance for which this story calls and brings us a wonderful lead performance in the process.

Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy) is a young, rich British woman who has a love for matchmaking.  Soon, she becomes acquainted with several men, and the events that follow have them and several others embroiled in an increasingly complicated web of reciprocated and unreciprocated love.

Following her impressive performances in films like “The Witch,” “Split,” and “Thoroughbreds,” Taylor-Joy continues to impress with her array of memorable characters.  As Emma, Taylor-Joy becomes immersed in her character, being in full command of the screen and her character’s environment, displaying an unwavering confidence in portraying a well-known literary figure.  Taylor-Joy does superb work in displaying Emma’s outgoingness and mischievousness in the first half of the movie, and then moves on to remorse and confusion in the second half as Emma faces the negative outcomes of her actions.  The way in which Taylor-Joy uses her character’s facial expressions to grant you access into the plans that Emma is crafting in her mind is one of the aspects that makes her character so much fun, and Taylor-Joy’s approach to portraying Emma will win you over right from the first scene.

The film has a terrific supporting cast, which includes Johnny Flynn as George Knightley, a landowner and Emma’s eventual love interest; Bill Nighy as Mr. Woodhouse, Emma’s dryly humorous father; and Miranda Hart as the eccentric and always-talking family friend, Miss Bates.  However, the two standouts are Mia Goth as Emma’s friend, Harriet Smith, and Josh O’Connor as Mr. Elton, a local clergyman.  Goth is perfect as a young woman who exemplifies the shyness and giddiness of someone falling in love, as well as the hurt and betrayal when certain events happen later on that make her relationships become more complicated.  O’Connor is hilarious as Mr. Elton, always exhibiting a hint of creepiness and awkwardness in his smile physical movements, and you can’t help but think that you would love to see him play a villain in a movie or television show at some point in the future.

The screenplay by Eleanor Catton juggles all of its delightful characters as it brings them through many romantic mishaps.  Although the story might become a little repetitive with everyone becoming involved with the wrong people and having to fix, it’s still a fun outing.  I’ve never read the book, so I’m not sure if goes a little deeper than the movie or not, but if you haven’t read the book, there’s still much to enjoy as the story explores the intricacies that sprout from the many misunderstandings that the characters experience in their attempts to win over the person for whom they have an affection.  Other than the movie’s main character, the story dedicates enough time to the supporting characters who find themselves in their amorous situations and dives into the consequences that they face, be they humorous or emotional.

With production design by Kave Quinn, art direction by Alice Sutton, set decoration by Stella Fox, and costumes by Alexandra Byrne, you’re instantly swept away by the upscale lifestyle of Emma and her family.  All of this is beautifully captured by Christopher Blauvelt’s cinematography.  Blauvelt, who makes a smooth transition from the small-frame intimacy of Kelly Reichardt’s drama, “First Cow,” from earlier this month to the wider views of the English countryside and its stately architecture, captures all of the grandeur of Emma’s home as we travel through the decadence of the hallways, living areas, and dining rooms.  You feel yourself absorbed in all of the gorgeous details of this time period, details that cordially invite you to a two-hour getaway of romantic mishaps.

In her feature film directorial debut, de Wilde provides the movie with an abundance of energy as we’re introduced to all of the characters and quickly become caught up in the whirlwind of who has feelings for who.  This is kept up throughout the first half of the movie, but de Wilde knows when to slow the movie down when Emma must fix the mistakes that she has made from of her attempts to be a matchmaker. 

De Wilde has made a film that places equal emphasis on characters, story, and visual splendor, which is something that an adaptation of a work from Austen deserves.  All of this makes “Emma” a cheerful and heartwarming movie that explores what it means to be guided and misguided by matters of the heart.

Grade: A-

At Rock Bottom, a Man is Given Another Chance to Aim High

Ben Affleck in "The Way Back"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

One of director Gavin O’Connor’s talents is taking a movie that could falter from its clichés, but manages to make them into emotional dramas that keep us invested.  He accomplished this with his sports films, 2004’s “Miracle” and 2011’s “Warrior,” where he brought us characters whose desire for greatness and redemption helped elevate their stories above the more-familiar aspects.

O’Connor accomplishes this once again with his sports drama, “The Way Back,” a movie that rises above a well-known premise to deliver a powerfully acted story of recovery that’s led by a hard-hitting performance from its star.

Jack Cunningham (Ben Affleck) is a construction worker who suffers from alcoholism.  One day, he’s approached by his former high school to be a replacement for their basketball coach.  Having been a star player as a student, he takes on the position and does what he can to improve the team.  While doing so, Jack will also come to face to face with the demons that have taken over his life.

Affleck, who was the lead in O’Connor’s 2016 thriller, “The Accountant,” has been open about his alcohol addiction, and knowing this part of his history offers a whole other dimension to his performance.  With this background information, we understand from where the rawness of Affleck’s portrayal comes.  This is a role in which Affleck bares his soul, using this as a way to reveal to the audience an idea of what it was like to go through his real-life hardships.  He offers a superb ability to alternate between moments of calmness and moments of emotional aggression, showing the turbulence that’s always wearing him down.  When his character coaches the team, Affleck exhibits the sense of passion that Jack once had for the sport, becoming enthusiastic about the different plays.  As this occurs, Jack instills a sense of responsibility on the players, displaying how much he cares for them and wants them to succeed, thereby showing the new sense of responsibility that’s been placed upon him, making us hope that he will continue on this path.  Despite Jack being a character that we’ve seen several times before, Affleck instills so much strength into his role that he imbues this archetype with a deep-rooted invigoration that makes his character’s journey towards a recovery so compelling.

Working alongside Affleck is a superb supporting cast that includes Al Madrigal as Jack’s assistant coach, Dan; Michaela Watkins as Jack’s sister, Beth; and Janina Gavankar as his ex-wife, Angela, all of whom deliver impactful performances that show how much their characters are concerned for Jack’s well-being.  The care that they show towards Jack make their work all the more poignant because of how they seem like they have to tread carefully around him, but still want him to find the help that he needs.

The cast members who portray the basketball players are all relative unknowns, but the bond that’s shared between them has a great deal of naturalism, and the way in which they’re able to act with confidence around an established actor like Affleck helps to make the player-coach relationship very convincing.  Among the players, the one who’s given the most screen time is Brandon Wilson, who’s given some one-on-one scenes with Affleck that allow us to learn about his character and the parallels that he shares with Jack, and Wilson’s reserved performance allows us to understand the complications of his personal life that he reveals to Jack.

The screenplay by Brad Ingelsby has a noticeable use of the clichés from this type of story throughout the first 15 minutes.  However, the rest of the movie finds these tropes to be fairly understated and goes for honest emotion for every scene.  This movie is every bit a story about Jack trying to turn his basketball team into winners as it is a heartrending look into Jack’s life as he tries to amend his mistakes.  The narrative spends enough time with both of these aspects, with Jack’s interactions with his family and ex-wife providing a detailed view into his past, while his time spent with the basketball team shows the possibility for an improved future.

Just as O’Connor managed with “Miracle” and “Warrior,” he constructs exciting sports sequences that get you caught up in how badly Jack and his team want to win.  We feel the tension during every game, whether the scores for the home and visiting teams are far apart or neck-and-neck, and O’Connor succeeds in keeping us emotionally invested in each game.

When it comes to the sequences that dive into Jack’s life outside of his coaching job, the drama that’s exhibited unfolds with total genuineness because, after the opening, the movie doesn't use clichés as a crutch to garner easy emotions, but instead has the movie use Affleck’s previous real-life troubles to give this movie its heartrending impact.  O’Connor allows the cast to dig into their roles and blends their acting talents with his directing abilities to create an inspiring portrait of a man who realizes that life has much more to give him after seeming to have taken everything away, making “The Way Back” an engaging story of what it means to move forward.

Grade: A-

Out in the West, a New Friendship Sparks the Pursuit of a Dream

Orion Lee and John Magaro in "First Cow"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

Kelly Reichardt is a filmmaker whose movies have told the stories of rural communities and the working-class individuals who inhabit those areas.  One such movie she accomplished this with is her 2008 movie, “Wendy and Lucy,” which told the story of a young woman (Michelle Williams) who loses her dog and tries to find her.  Although this is the only movie of Reichardt’s that I’ve seen (before her latest film), it’s clear just from this film that she has a talent for getting the fullest emotional impacts from these modest stories.

She shows that her ability for such storytelling is as strong as ever with her newest movie, “First Cow,” a humorous and tender old-west story that finds its heart within the terrific pairing of its two leads.

In the 19th-century, Cookie Figowitz (John Magaro) travels with a group of fur trappers towards the Oregon Territory.  He soon forms a friendship with a Chinese immigrant, King Lu (Orion Lee), and they decide to go into business for themselves and sell baked goods, which requires them to secretly milk a cow that belongs to Chief Factor (Toby Jones), a wealthy landowner.

The chemistry between Magaro and Lee compliments the small-scale nature of the film because the film is basically an intimate story about a friendship that grows out of their shared dreams for success.  The bond that the two of them share exudes a sense of warmth as they get to know each other and strive towards the same goals.  You feel every bit of the deep connection that they form, and Magaro and Lee imbue their interactions with a genuineness that sweeps you into their geniality.  Even through everyday conversations, we see the emotional attachment that forms between Magaro and Lee’s characters, an attachment that leaves us engaged in how much they care for each other.

The cinematography by Christopher Blauvelt, who provided the camerawork for Reichardt’s films “Meek’s Cutoff,” “Night Moves,” and “Certain Women,” provides the film with a square frame, yet is still able to capture the beauty of the Northwest as Cookie and King travel the lands.  There’s a lushness to the landscapes as we’re brought through the greenery of the woods and down the creeks, placing us right in the middle of nature’s peacefulness and absorbing us within the beauty of these settings. 

Between the smallness of the frame and the extensive use of closeups, the camerawork heightens the sense of camaraderie between Cookie and King.  All of this gives us a sense of how strong their friendship is and exemplifies their commitment to each other as they provide one another with encouragement and protection as their business ventures soon place them in a threatening situation.

The screenplay by Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond, who has written or co-written the screenplays for several of Reichardt’s films, is based on his novel, “The Half Life.”  You can’t let the straightforward nature of the story fool you because at the heart of this narrative is a friendship that’s richly explored in what starts out as a risky, yet simple venture that soon turns into something that’s a little more dangerous.  We see how their bond evolves throughout the events of the movie, showing us how strong their connection has become because of how they stick with each other, no matter the trouble in which they may find themselves.

Reichardt provides a tremendous amount of detail when it comes to bringing the film’s time period to life.  Between the costumes, set design, and the smaller, everyday touches in the lives of the characters, we’re absorbed into this era as we witness the main characters try to make it through day by day and earn a living.  Given how well-researched this depiction of 19th-century Oregon is, Reichardt and her team show their resourcefulness in making sure that she’s as accurate as possible.

There are also moments where Reichardt produces some superb moments of tension.  However, she’s able to avoid jarring tonal shifts between these moments and the warmer sequences by keeping the suspenseful segments low-key and not compromising the understated approach of the rest of the movie.

“First Cow” accomplishes a lot, but its main success is showing how Reichardt continues to be a filmmaker who champions economic techniques, exhibiting a confidence of not requiring much to tell a memorable story.  Instead, Reichardt works hard to get everything that she can out of what she has; and with the main characters being in a similar situation, this couldn’t be a more perfect fit of a director and her movie.

Grade: A