Janet Planet

A smallish drama from last year starring Julianne Nicholson & newcomer Zoe Ziegler, playing a mother/daughter navigating the lazy days of summer during the early 90's. Living in a cozy cabin in the woods, the pair while away the days waiting for the new school year to start while also taking care of their romantic needs; mom seems to be unlucky in love as her conveyor belt of lovers (which include Will Patton & Elias Koteas) has left her unsatisfied while Ziegler, seemingly wise beyond the years, does things her own way w/her mom's begrudging acceptance. Not much monumentally happens in this slow burn slice of life as it just exists & we, the audience, just wallow in it which charms in tiny doses in writer/director Annie Baker's effort making this feel like a documentary then something scripted.

Janet Planet encourages the viewer to bask in the hazy summer afternoon feel of lounging and allowing observation to be a better tool than explanation. The writing is conversational and also sparse in terms of plotting, where you watch the characters lives unfold like a poem. There are few twists and turns but more contemplation and quiet celebration of independence, motherhood, and adolescence. There was a lot of wisdom in the casual observations, something that added to the realism of dialogue. Conversations you could have with a mother or a friend. Janet Planet has no big climactic moment, in fact I would call the ending it's climax and leaves you pretty clear on what the message was. It is a satisfying film if you are patient with it.

I have really enjoyed Annie Baker's plays & was looking forward to seeing her feature film debut with JANET PLANET. And while I always admire Julianne Nicholson's work (she is incredible in everything from I, TONYA to MARE OF EASTTOWN) this film & Baker's script just moves along with no structure or no drive. I have no problem with films that take their time, or move slowly as long as there is some kind of emotional or cerebral pay off but sadly, I did not think this film had one. There are small nice, very real moments between some of the characters and I liked Sophie Okenedo's scenes but overall the story is not compelling and yes, the character's keep others at arms length but the viewer wishes they could get a bit closer to the characters and their thoughts and emotions. Overall, a rather lackluster summer coming of "age" from a very talented playwright.

I am pretty baffled by the critical response to this movie, as I usually see pretty eye to eye with them. This thing was so dry and boring that I could hardly believe it. There is hardly any moment that breathed any kind of life or spark, apart from an admittedly sweet and nostalgic JC Penny's sequence - which felt more like it benefitted from just being a trip down memory lane than anything else.

There is hardly any story movement, and what few lines of dialogue can be heard are almost completely useless. Half of them are just the little girl asking basic questions which don't get answered. And lines like "I'm going to kill myself if you don't come pick me up" and "It's funny, every moment of my life is a living hell" are just obnoxious in this day and age.

Now granted, the AC was broken in our theater so that may have also had something to do with our discomfort. But we still walked out of the theater after 40 minutes. The filmmaker is talented I'm sure, but this one just wasn't for me at all.

11 year old Lacy is exceedingly close with her single mother Janet (Julianne Nicholson). It's 1991. She threatens suicide to get out of summer camp to be home with her mother.

This is not for everyone and I'm not sure that it is for me. This movie is slow. The scenes are long and extended. Some of it is like watching paint dry. You do get to live inside this world and with this family. There are some fun ideas like the cult. The men are mostly forgettable. In the end, this is just too slow for the general public. It takes a specific audience and I can't give this a generalized recommendation.