This review is about our coverage in 2021 New York Film Festival.
The Pitch: Every five years or so, Mike Mills – not the one from REM, though, confusingly, he was a music video director and graphic designer for some of their contemporaries – releases a sensitive, heartfelt drama about in dangerous but deceptively strong family relationships. C’mon C’mon the 2021 model, starred Joaquin Phoenix as a documentary that must have unexpectedly spent several weeks caring for his nine-year-old nephew.
I’ll Think About It: “No one knew what they were doing. You just have to keep it going. ”That’s the advice given later C’mon C’mon by Viv (Gaby Hoffman) to her brother Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) as she struggles to figure out how to replace the parent of her nine-year-old son Jesse (Woody Norman). Viv is called in to help Jesse’s father (Scoot McNairy-always adopted, even if temporarily seen here), who has moved because of his bipolar disorder, and is having difficulty making repairs to his new home in Oakland.
Johnny hadn’t seen Jesse in almost a year; shown that she was retiring from Viv after they were both helping care for their dying mother, as seen in the flashbacks. It all works C’mon C’mon sounds like a novelistic family saga. But even as writer-director Mills deftly weaves insights into recent past characters, it’s actually more of an introductory introduction to the complications of parenting, based on the challenges. which is both immediate and constant. (That’s another way of saying that a good part of it happens in the course of multiple phone calls.)
Jesse is not a more difficult kid by most standards; he was intelligent, funny, kind, and inquisitive. He can also be crazy, because most kids can be that at any time or other, behind his mood swings is the often unspoken constant concern: Will he inherit the struggles of his amahan? The film is wise about the day-to-day nature of these problems; an obedient “I’ll know it” became an unintentional mantra that both Viv and Johnny chanted over and over again.
C’mon C’mon (A24)
Fear of the Future: Unknown parenting difficulties (and life in general) are attributed, perhaps often, to Johnny’s work project, which involves talking to different children and teenagers about what they think, in most, in their future: Whether they are scared, optimistic, or something else. The conversations, some of which even play the final credits at the end, sound real, lending the film some verisimilitude and also a touch of reflection.
Sometimes, Mills ’film is seen as as beautiful and open -hearted as the child himself – who can avoid obvious dramatic turning points like avoidance – even if it’s in line with the film’s themes.
Here’s the thing: Mills works with his usual grace and sensitivity, and with the beautiful, gray tones of black-and-white cinematography (first for him). But the material itself isn’t much different from any number of formula jokes where someone with no experience in raising a child is suddenly faced with a horrible, ridiculous responsibility. I mean, yes, it’s a class A24 to get Great Dad.
Not Joker: On the other hand, there is a welcoming energy in Phoenix, last seen emanating from itself through the pain of the tragi-comedy of Joker and Oscar-awarded for his trouble, playing a role similar to the one occupied by Adam Sandler. This is the small part of the showcase as a comic-book film, only here to get Phoenix to make someone as real, rather than a set of Scorsese-inspired, origins themselves. It’s a congratulatory reminder of what a warm and, yes, presence he is with a presence.
Most of his big scenes were done by the opposite young Woody Norman, and they were amazing together; even if the film stays good in Johnny’s eyes, Mills clearly communicates the different experiences Johnny and Jesse have had. (And how their memories change this time together.) For her part, Gaby Hoffman does a good job of acting on an observation the film gives of her character: that the parents can give of themselves to their children completely, emotionally speaking, while still leaving hidden aspects of their lives.
Sometimes the movie says it out loud, instead of looking for or hinting at it, but, you know, a lot of parents want to hear it. (Of course I do.)
C’mon C’mon (A24)
The Judgment: Although C’mon C’mon while feeling like a navel-sight, it is very open-hearted and generous to the spirit to let go.
Where Is It Playing? C’mon C’mon hits the New York Film Festival on Oct. 4 and will also play on Oct. 6. It will open in theaters with a limited release on Nov. 19.
Trailer: