Landline

I was rather surprised by Landline. For one thing it's about two sisters and neither had an infectious disease neither was a serial killer, prostitute or wearing spandex in the Marvel Universe.

Just some real drama and although spotty here and there script wise there was some really very telling moments about the sisters here. The big deal in the film is that dear old dad is something of a 'man whore' I suppose you'd say. Played rather carelessly by fine actor John Turturro. The guy is honestly a bit of a slump.

More interestingly is the affair of the older sister Dana, played very nicely by actress Jenny Slate, she and her younger sister Ali, Abby Quinn are sterling as sisters, really sympatico.

The ending felt right as well with dad slumping in, I mean I don't see Harvey Weinstein catching a break!

Still, sisters rarely get to be shown on the big screen and here I liked the tough but knowing interplay between them. I'd of liked to see more of them if this were a series instead of a movie.

There is some drag however, a sort of malaise to the action that draws on too long. The film could have used a more savvy Editor, I hate to get tech with you here, I mean this isn't AFI... but the Editor is very, very important! Especially one who isn't swayed by a Director who is often a tad too close to the material.

Lastly is the time 1995, wow, I'd forgotten how cool it could be back then. It was great to see this decade again. Which is surprising to say the least!

See Landline, some of you may really hate it but I think many of you might like it too.

In 2017's mediocre New York family drama "Landline" Jenny Slate cheats on decent fiancée Jay Duplass (with Finn Wittrock) while her younger sister Abby Quinn (best performance here) continues rebelling against their parents: uptight careerist Edie Falco; & laid-back academic John Turturro (who may or may not be cheating himself). Co-writer (with Elisabeth Holm) / director Gillian Robespierre does an ok (though not best in class) job evoking the 1995 setting and balancing the story lines & tones (though it coulda been snappier with more humour woven into the drama). It's watchable enough fare (especially for the ladies) but sure won't pull up any trees.

A school of thought says that monogamy is enhanced by infidelity, a counter-intuitive theory that writer/director Gillian Robespierre and writer Elisabeth Holm appear to support in their engaging comedy, Landline. The family of two girls, Dana (Jenny Slate) and Ali (Abby Quinn), Mom (Edie Falco) and Dad (John Turturro) are in constant dysfunctional mode with two major infidelities and a few drugs.

It's really a dramady because the resolutions of conflicts rest in some serious soul searching while the writers have kept enough light tone to lift spirits when gloom seems to be the order of the day. Laughs are more an expression of agreement that life is messy. The antidote is humor and love.

Easy enough when dad cries out that his infidelity is borne of never being what his wife wanted him to be. Then Dana embarks on an affair to neutralize her fears of marriage. Both indiscretions seem to be rooted in insecurity.

This bright indie respects the humanity of its characters so that it makes no judgment but rather celebrates their weaknesses and emphasizes their strengths and also believes that in 1995 the world is ready for an easy bridge from tape to floppies to digital, from eyebrow rings to tattoos.

The film's good will extends to minor characters like Dana's lover,Nate (Finn Whitrock), a pleasant former school chum with a resemblance to John Davidson, in other words wholesome with a cute smile. The film allows that such a romance is not outlandish, just morally questionable so as to endanger her engagement. Equally so dad's affair, although we never get to know his paramour.

Mostly Landline is about people who stay connected, not by current restrictive social media but by talking. This retro way of communicating might be the film's subtle prescription for long-term happiness.

"Whatever happened do Jenny Slate?" (It would be understandable to ask that question – before 2016-2017.) "Isn't she the girl who accidentally dropped the f-bomb in her first appearance on Saturday Night Live and then got fired at the end of the season?" (Yes and yes.) "Has she even done anything since?" (Yes!) Slate was a stand-up comedian when she started appearing on TV shows in 2005. After her productive but ill-fated season on SNL (2009-2010), she really… came out of her shell. Slate and film director and editor Dean Fleischer- Camp (to whom she was married from 2012 to 2016) created the "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On" books and short films, with Slate voicing the title character. She then appeared in several TV shows (some at the same time), including "House of Lies", "Parks and Recreation", "Kroll Show" and "Married". She then voiced more animated characters in "Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked" (2011) and "The Lorax" (2012). Slate started really showing her talent as a feature film actress in 2014's "Obvious Child" and then… 2016-2017 happened. In 2016-17, she voiced major characters in the high-profile animated features "Zootopia", "The Secret Life of Pets" and "The LEGO Batman Movie". Later in 2017, she continued staking her claim to a prestigious film career in movies like "Gifted" and, the subject of this review, the comedy-drama "Landline" (R, 1:37).

Slate plays Dana Jacobs, a young NYC woman who finds herself at a crossroads. She's newly engaged to a kind, but milquetoast guy named Ben (Jay Duplass), but she reconnects with Nate (Finn Wittrock), an old flame from college, and she feels like she needs some time to figure out what she really wants. She leaves the apartment that she shares with Ben and moves back home, using the excuse that her younger sister, Ali (Abby Quinn), needs her. Ali is trying hard to be a hip chick and deciding where she's going to go to college, but what concerns her the most at the moment is her parents. She has come across some indication that her playwright father (John Turturro) is cheating on her mother (Edie Falco). As the two sisters try to get to the bottom of what their father is up to, they begin bonding as never before and Ali is able to help her older sister decide how to move forward in her life. Since this story takes place in 1995, a lot of the conversations take place over telephones mounted on walls, hence the film's title.

"Landline" is a heartfelt and humorous examination of life choices within the context of one family. (It is, however not to be confused with another 2017 movie with the same title and starring Matthew Aaron, Khalid Abour and Tom Arnold.) The later (and more widely distributed) "Landline" is well-written by Elizabeth Holm and well- directed by Gillian Robespierre (both of whom also did the same jobs and collaborated with Slate on "Obvious Child"). They give us a story that is well-paced, relatable, engaging and funny at just the right moments. The acting is excellent, especially by Slate who has maintained her excellent comic timing while emerging as a fine actress. Although the plot seems slight at times, it's strong on insight into issues of romance and family relations and makes for quality entertainment. "B+"

1995 was a far simpler time for interpersonal communication, right? Well, at the very least, Gillian Robespierre's "Landline" would have played out much differently set in the smartphone era. The "Obvious Child" filmmaker re-teams with co-writer Elisabeth Holm and star Jenny Slate to tell the story of a Manhattan family that appears to be falling apart when the teenage daughter discovers evidence that her father's having an affair.

As with "Obvious Child," no topic is off limits for Robespierre, especially not sex, drugs and other poor choices. Teenager Ali (Abby Quinn) is a rebel child who sneaks off to clubs and dabbles in hard drugs; working professional Dana (Slate) becomes disenchanted with her fiancé (Jay Duplass) and starts falling for a high school ex and there's no shortage of outspoken marital discord between the father (John Turturro) and mother (Edie Falco).

Robespierre handles each of the film's serious issues in earnest, but there's a comedic whimsy that floats through every scene, especially when Slate is involved. Robespierre and Holm's voice as a writing duo is unfiltered - both mature and immature at the same time. Slate does her best work in that gray area and continues to be an underutilized talent. Turturro and Falco are no slouches (in a year with some great movie parents) and they also recognize the dual tones of the film, even if they don't get to hold the narrative for much of the runtime.

Moments of human connection are the touchstones of this story, especially under humorous pretenses. Not all that much about these moments is profound, but they're honest and relatable - nothing is fake or manipulated for comedy to an extent that feels aimed at laughter more than truth. And even though the '90s setting feels mostly about fun throwback references, it works to the film's advantage in creating a greater contrast between scenes of in-person connection and moments when characters distance themselves from each other. In today's world, there is no separation.

"Landline" would have made more of a splash if in the end it wasn't simply a film about owning up to and accepting flaws. It arrives there on its own thoughtful path - an agreeable path that's true to its characters - but the themes are just a little obvious. For the right viewer at the right time, however, they will strike home in a deep way.

A good example of the really positive direction independent coming-of-age films have taken in the 2010s, "Landline" shows that Robespierre has a deep understanding of what kind of storytelling is resonating with young adults. Namely, she understands formula and situation and anything remotely glossy doesn't cut it. Her film exudes the authenticity, specifically the desire to dig into the questioning and unflattering sides of ourselves, that more mainstream films sorely lack.

~Steven C

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