The Trouble with Dee Dee

I had an unexpected opportunity to view this movie at the Savannah (GA) Film Festival in November 2006. I was in town for the weekend (the fest was a bonus) and had no advance information about the film, no preconceptions. It was great!! Rare are the films that produce genuine, spontaneous laughter and evoke delighted surprise. The film's characters were engaging; the story carried one through the ups and downs of predictable relationships and unexpected responses. I'm actually amazed, as I write this, that so many of the scenes come (happily) to mind--it made that kind of impression. The cinematic qualities were excellent (all the framing, angles, light, settings, etc., which are most obvious when done poorly and transparent when done well). I do so hope this film will be released.

A must see comedy that will have you shocked and laughing all at once. Lisa Ann Walter as Dee Dee Rutherford is absolutely outrageous and audacious. She takes us through the restrictive obstacles of modern living e.g. driving within the speed limits-and her responses are an imaginative spin on normal acceptable behavior. Things get a bit tough on Dee Dee when her father retires and decides it is mano a womano with his daughter. Her father, like old King Lear, strips his only daughter of everything, food, money, shelter until she decides to live according to daddy's rules. Dee Dee cannot and will not be tamed. with hardly a shrug she says okay, fine. I don't need it anyway. And she doesn't. a rollicking and tender hearted ending ensues wherein DeeDee reunites everyone by giving them a bit of what they want from her. Ms Walter deedeelightfully carries the day in this feature.

Why can't all comedies be this good? I loved this film. Lisa Ann Walter gives an amazing performance -- her "Dee Dee" is completely charismatic: brash, blissfully un-self-conscious, irrepressible, warm-hearted, stubborn, sassy and hilarious. Kurtwood Smith as her father is the perfect foil for her: the two of them are like oil and water. It is obvious from the beginning that neither character truly "gets" the other--and isn't that true of most parent/child relationships? Through all of the film's kooky twists and turns, Mike Meiners' deft hand at the camera and his right-on-the-money script carry us along with Dee Dee and her father as they develop a real understanding of themselves and of each other. By the end of the film, after laughs galore and several very poignant scenes too, father and daughter have forged a connection they never had before. The film yields up so many comedic gems: the director's own turn as the persistent cop who is increasingly frustrated by Dee Dee is one of my favorites of these -- as is J.P. Manoux's hilarious turn as Dee Dee's ever-faithful "help," Yugo, and Mason Gamble as Dee Dee's gay son Christopher, who does "get" his mother and in a great bit of role-reversal often finds himself having to act as the parent figure in their relationship. The soundtrack is wonderful -- quirky and evocative without being intrusive. Mike Meiners displays a profound understanding of the misunderstandings that can plague parents and their children and tells his story with humor and with heart. For a first full-length feature film, this work is impressive indeed. I look forward to Meiners' next project!

It isn't very often that I laugh this hard at a movie. Lisa Ann Walter had me in stitches. J P Manoux's performance was awesome as well. His lines were minimal but his facial expressions said volumes. Kurtwood Smith gave another great performance as expected. For those of you that are used to seeing his hardnose characters such as his role in Dead Poets Society, you know what I'm talking about. The films pacing was good with a fairly fast comedic clock which is not easy for a film to maintain. Even though this film reports a budget of 750 grand it comes off like a Hollywood production with a much higher budget. The few things that I would point out that only perhaps a filmmaker might notice as weekpoints would be one; the music. The score was great and quirky when it needed to be but lacked some emotional punch when it really needed it. There were two scenes in particular (which I won't mention) that should have had you crying your eyes out but with no fault of the acting failed to deliver. Second, the cinematography while pretty good at times found itself confused. I recall during the film being annoyed by the camera not being able to find the right position. It would jump the line and irratically go from a tight shot to a wide shot to a medium shot to an over the shoulder to a...if you uderstand this stuff you know what I'm talking about. Apparently, from watching the way the majority of the film was cut this was no fault of Mike Meiners who made a fantastic film in all other respects. If you have a chance to see this film by all means do it. You won't be disappointed. By the way, did I mention that The Chicago International Film Festival is a great place to see a premiere film?

The Trouble With DeeDee in so many words is that she'd like to be Auntie Mame for the 21st century. But Rosalind Russell did not have a father looking over her shoulder. And in fact Mame Dennis did spend herself into bankruptcy, had her nephew taken from her custody, and was lucky enough to marry wealthy again and inherit it when she became a widow. All that does not happen in The Trouble With DeeDee.

What does happen is Kurtwood Smith as her father is about to lose what little remaining hair he has over the behavior of his irrepressible daughter Lisa Ann Walter. He's looking to retire and wants his daughter and one and only child to straighten out and start assuming the responsibility of the Rutherford Foundation where she will be the only blood Rutherford on the board if that ever happens.

So after a few warnings which Smith eventually throws out DeeDee and her entourage which include her son Mason Gamble who is gay and her factotum J.P. Manoux. Gamble would also like his mother to grow up, he's growing up faster than she, but he does support her eccentricities up to a point and she despite some misgivings supports him and his sexual orientation.

What happens in this film is that Smith and Walter meet each other halfway so to speak. Maybe even more for Smith who realizes his daughter though flaky is a person of a good heart.

Script and story are the bedrock of any film and I did like the characters that were created and brought to life by the players here. In fact Lisa Ann Walter ought to consider touring in Mame.