Milwaukee, Minnesota

Albert is a mentally challenged young man: or is he? Whatever the case, he definitely has a gift for catching fish through the ice. The movie is set in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (not a small town); which is definitely not the ice fishing capital of the U. S. Minnesota has that title all locked up; but Albert's mom is so possessive that she will not let him go to Minnesota (or anyplace else where he might be tempted to try a few things on his own) to enter the big-buck contests, so he fishes in Wisconsin. (A reviewer praises the film makers for avoiding "You betcha" Minnesota stereotypes. Perhaps that is because there is only one scene, the last, in Minnesota. It shows a large ice-covered lake and a few fishermen, none of whom gets a chance to say, "Okey, dokey".) Anyway, it is his awareness that he is not where the big tourneys are that led me to question how mentally challenged he really is. If he were truly as challenged as some would have us believe, he would probably settle for the $23,000 prizes he wins in the Milwaukee area and never question his mother's wisdom. However, he clearly wishes to go to the bigger fishing tournaments in spite of his mother's opposition. It appears that what seems to be lack of mental competence may actually be more a sign of his great loyalty to his mom whom he loves dearly in spite of her suffocating control.

After mom's death, in a hit-run auto collision, Albert is forced to take more control of his life as the scam artists, Quaid (as Jerry), Folland (as Tuey), and perhaps Dern's character, Sean, make their moves to gain control of the $300,000 or so he has accumulated.

I thought the first half of the movie was far too slow. Mainly, it introduced us to the characters. It did not take that long to get the take on Mom, Stan, Tuey, and Sean. Jerry (Randy Quaid) makes his appearance a little later.

The second half is much better as reality grabs Albert by the throat and forces him to take charge. How he does that gives the clues to his real capabilities.

I think people who compare "Milwaukee, Minnesota" with "Fargo" are just looking at the snow. The similarities between the two movies (other than the snow) are pretty minor.

Fargo it is not. A nice movie with some very complex characters (but not story) it is. Garity is excellent. Quaid and Dern, whom I suspect received far less pay than usual, gave them their money's worth.

It made for a pleasant afternoon in the movies on a cold spring day in Minnesota.

I was fortunate enough to view this film at the Slamdance (not Sundance) festival in Park City, UT. In spite of hard wood chairs and a stuffy packed room environment, one could not think of anything else but the events in the movie. Randy Quaid is wonderful as a slimy con artist and Troy is brilliant as always in his idiom. The direction and feel is cruelly realistic to the bite. If you see this film, don't forget your stocking caps, because its COLD out there!

Allan Mindell, making his film debut, takes us to a part of the country that seem to be in a permanent winter state. The screen play by Richard Murphy places the story in Milwaukee.

We are introduced to Albert, an autistic young man and his over protective mother, Edna. Albert is a champion ice fisher who seems to have a knack for winning tournaments that pay a lot of money. As it's the case with autistic persons, they might appear to be helpless in some areas, but they can be brilliant in others.

Albert has a problem: there are a few people who would love to steal his money! We first meet Tuey and her brother, white trash people from the South, who see a good scam whenever they find one. Tuey passes herself as a reporter interested in interviewing Albert. She is pathetic interviewer, but the young man is too gullible to see it.

Edna is killed in a hit and run accident that leaves Albert alone to fend for himself. In addition to Tuey, another low life character appears in the picture, Jerry, who claims he is Albert's real father. There is also a kind man, Sean McNally, who owns a store. Albert likes to make copies of 20 dollar bills in Sean's Xerox machine.

Tuey, at the end is the only decent person of the whole lot as she realizes the kindness of Albert in trying to help her brother Stan. Jerry, on the other hand is the one that actually seems to be the successful one in getting rich. In an ironic twist at the end, we see how Albert, the mentally challenged young man, gets the last laugh!

The director gets good performances of this multi talented cast. Best of all is Alison Folland as Tuey, who redeems herself at the end. Tom Garity also is charming as Albert who seems to inhabit his own world. Randy Quaid is perfect as the oily Jerry. Debra Monk and Bruce Dern are seen briefly as Edan and Sean.

Mr. Mindell will probably do well in the future as he shows he has a good understanding in what make these characters unique.

Although I have some difficulty with aspects of reviews of this film that I have read (where they posit that Albert has essentially turned the tables fully on all of his tormentors), I cannot disagree with what seems to be the consensus: that this is a film that has been put together with admirable care and dedication (witness the long gestation period from first buying of script to beginning shooting to ending shooting), with great results. Troy Garrity is great as the lead, and Bruce Dern was terrific as mr McNally, and with so little screen time at his disposal. Randy Quaid is good, but has the easiest job, I think. being slimy, with that tan, that jacket and that 'tache, was never going to be too hard. What is best about this film is that the cast is mostly unknown, (or in some cases forgotten about) at least in the UK, which allows you to concentrate on the narrative and the emotions of the piece. This is a natural bonus of being a small, indie film. But it also allows things like the closing shot of the fishermen walking across the snow, which lasts for such a long time. How would you get away with that in the mainstream ? The story is of a small-time con, set in a small town, generally a call for two or three big stars to act as trailer trash and show their comedic skills. Such movies always come off as fake and slightly condescending. None of the same is true here. This film feels honest and tender. Congratulations to all involved and to the NFT for bringing it to these shores.

A mentally deficient man ,who has a knack for winning money at fish catching competitions, is left to fend for himself after his mother is run down and murdered. Fragile, innocent and alone he is targeted by crooks hell bent on taking some of his money.

A very well shot and acted film, I was surprised at how accomplished the main lead actor(Troy Garrity)was in portraying the character of Albert. The other actors played their parts well and the technical aspects were done well with the cinematography exceptionally good. However,at times the movie was very slow and caused me to lose my attention and become a bit dis-interested. Nevertheless a watchable effort that takes you away from the world outside for a while.