Dee Dee, una donna controcorrente

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.

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.

Thank you all for your comments both positive and negative. This industry thrives on people talking about our movies. I'd just like to address a comment from an otherwise spot-on remark from "dedmouse." Thank you for defending me but the editing that so bothered you is ENTIRELY my "fault." I do not believe in "the line" that most filmmakers find it taboo to cross. I believe today's audiences have seen enough filmed entertainment and behind-the-scenes documentaries to understand they're not watching a play but looking through a camera that can be moved and are no longer prone to becoming disoriented when the camera captures something from the other side of a scene. I may be wrong. It does certainly seem to be disorienting to filmmakers. Also, in terms of the shots going from CU to master to over-the- shoulder in a slipshod way, you may be right. My priority was the actors' performances. Whatever brought out the best verbal timing, best reaction, facial expression, tone, etc. won out over issues of visual pacing and was placed in the movie. It was simply my priority. I was heavily involved with the editing and was the final word on editing decisions. It's entirely possible that these were lousy decisions - I just thought it would be in the spirit of these comment pages to let you know that they were on purpose and that they were my call. --Mike Meiners, Director

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!