Lymelife Review

Lymelife is a family affair. Not only does the film concern the happenstances of a pair of families in 1970s Long Island, but it was written and directed by a pair of brothers, also stars another pair of brothers and its cast boasts representatives of some of the foremost families in American acting.

In his first feature film – executively produced by none other than Martin Scorsese – Derick Martini directs Rory Culkin, who plays Scott Bartlett, a teen living with his mother, Brenda (Hennessy), father Mickey (Baldwin) and recently returned from boot camp brother, Jimmy (Kieran Culkin). Between being beaten up at school and putting up with his parent’s marital strife, Scott pines after girl next door Adrianna Bragg (Emma ‘niece of Julia’ Roberts), who lives with her own mother (Nixon) and father (Hutton), who is suffering from the unpleasant symptoms of Lyme disease. The two families’ lives intertwine over the course of the film in dramatic, poignant and amusing ways.

The cast are uniformly excellent; Timothy Hutton (youngest ever recipient of the Academy Award for an actor in a supporting role, fact fans!) in particular is outstanding, portraying a pathetic yet unbroken man whose life is collapsing around him. The Culkin brothers are a warm screen presence and Rory is a quietly charismatic leading man. His on screen chemistry with Emma Roberts is almost tangible and the film excels when they are together, which thankfully is frequently.

The film is something of a grower: I was initially unimpressed by the obviously semi-autobiographical, nostalgia tinged, domestic drama with its twee soundtrack and off-beat style. The strength of the characters won me over though, and found myself enjoying it relentlessly. The film was shot cheaply and it shows in the photography, but this serves to create a better sense of time, place and mood: the melancholia of the Bartletts and Braggs practically bleeds onto the frame. It’s not all pathos though. The script boasts more than its fair share of giggles while also retaining its – perhaps only slightly skewed – sense of realism. The jokes sound like things people might actually say, rather than forced one-liners.

Lymelife doesn’t feel wholly fresh; there are hints of American Beauty style suburban nightmare, chunks of Almost Famous coming-of-age tale and flavours of the evergreen story of the quest for the unattainable girl, another recent example being Youth in Revolt. Despite the somewhat over familiarity of tone and plot, the film rises above the sum of its constituent parts and the end result is a subtly marvellous picture that provides the Martini brothers with a top notch calling card – made all the more impressive by the fact that the film is Derick’s directorial debut.

Suffice to say, I cannot recommend Lymelife enough. It takes a little while to settle in and find its feet, but once it does, you’ll be swept away in the trials and tribulations of the two families, especially in Scott and Adrianna’s would-be romance, surely one of the best on-screen couples in years.

http://www.blogomatic3000.com/2010/05/06/lymelife-review/