20th Century Women (B or 3/4 stars)
'20th Century Women' (written & directed by Mike Mills, Beginners) is a coming-of-age film that deals with such weighty topics as parenting, adolescence, divorce, sex, relationships & intimacy. Set in 1979, Mills weaves a scattershot tale about Dorothea Fields (Annette Bening), a chain-smoking, single mom who enlists the help of both family & friends in nurturing her increasingly rebellious 15 yr. old son, Jamie (newcomer Lucas Jade Zumann), as he struggles to find his identity during adolescence. They live in a large, old Victorian house in picturesque Santa Barbara, California, with a couple of interesting boarders: punk photographer Abby (Greta Gerwig), a free-spirited feminist recovering from cervical cancer, and William (Billy Crudup, solid), an earthy handyman who's barters repair work for rent; helping Dorothea renovate her sprawling, ramshackle home.
Skateboarding Jamie is also influenced by his promiscuous best friend, 17 yr. old Julie (Elle Fanning, lovely), who insists on maintaining a platonic relationship, despite her habit of sneaking in his window to sleep in his bed at night. Unconventional Dorothea & impressionable Jamie have always been super-close. I enjoyed a moment where Dorothea informs her inquisitive son that "Wondering if you're happy is just a shortcut to being depressed" -- haha, great observation. BUT, when Jamie starts engaging in deeper questions -- agitating her for answers about his long-gone father and, more importantly, about his mother's lonely, middle-aged existence -- they hit the skids, a bit. But Dorothea's plan of asking the people in her life to monitor Jamie (when she's not around) just might backfire.
I quite liked '20th Century Women' without being completely enamored by it. This indie is much more interested in characters & slice-of-life happenstance than it is about 'plot'. That's fine. Many a good movie doesn't require a great plot. But I did find this film a touch too meandering, at times. That said, this movie contains great character observations/observations of life, is enjoyably quirky, & offers us a wonderful look at the late-‘70s California milieu. It's engaging to watch & learn about these characters. The bond btwn. mother & son is given stellar treatment, here; pretty insightful. I also liked how music (in this time of social & cultural upheaval) plays a big part in the tapestry of the characters' lives. While Dorothea (born in 1924) prefers diddies like As Time Goes By, she gives the music of the youth a crack too (The Talking heads, Black Flag, etc.).
Annette Bening is wonderful as the maternal, 'stuck in life' Dorothea. She senses her beloved son slipping away from her and, the varying emotions that are etched across her face throughout the film … quietly devastating. Loved the scene in which she tells a character that they see him out in the world in a way that a mother never can; she just sees her baby, not the man he's becoming & will become -- strong, insightful dialogue there. Oh, and who knew Bening could be so funny? Both Greta Gerwig & Elle Fanning (quite the year she's having, with The Neon Demon & Live by Night) offer endearing (if not out of this world) performances as the very different younger women in Jamie's life. The pacing is slow (with plenty of pseudo-meaningful pauses & such), and I would have liked more of a plot. But overall, I enjoyed '20th Century Women' for what it is - a sensitive, easy-going, multi-generational dramedy that conveys the importance of communication btwn. children & their single parents.
Skateboarding Jamie is also influenced by his promiscuous best friend, 17 yr. old Julie (Elle Fanning, lovely), who insists on maintaining a platonic relationship, despite her habit of sneaking in his window to sleep in his bed at night. Unconventional Dorothea & impressionable Jamie have always been super-close. I enjoyed a moment where Dorothea informs her inquisitive son that "Wondering if you're happy is just a shortcut to being depressed" -- haha, great observation. BUT, when Jamie starts engaging in deeper questions -- agitating her for answers about his long-gone father and, more importantly, about his mother's lonely, middle-aged existence -- they hit the skids, a bit. But Dorothea's plan of asking the people in her life to monitor Jamie (when she's not around) just might backfire.
I quite liked '20th Century Women' without being completely enamored by it. This indie is much more interested in characters & slice-of-life happenstance than it is about 'plot'. That's fine. Many a good movie doesn't require a great plot. But I did find this film a touch too meandering, at times. That said, this movie contains great character observations/observations of life, is enjoyably quirky, & offers us a wonderful look at the late-‘70s California milieu. It's engaging to watch & learn about these characters. The bond btwn. mother & son is given stellar treatment, here; pretty insightful. I also liked how music (in this time of social & cultural upheaval) plays a big part in the tapestry of the characters' lives. While Dorothea (born in 1924) prefers diddies like As Time Goes By, she gives the music of the youth a crack too (The Talking heads, Black Flag, etc.).
Annette Bening is wonderful as the maternal, 'stuck in life' Dorothea. She senses her beloved son slipping away from her and, the varying emotions that are etched across her face throughout the film … quietly devastating. Loved the scene in which she tells a character that they see him out in the world in a way that a mother never can; she just sees her baby, not the man he's becoming & will become -- strong, insightful dialogue there. Oh, and who knew Bening could be so funny? Both Greta Gerwig & Elle Fanning (quite the year she's having, with The Neon Demon & Live by Night) offer endearing (if not out of this world) performances as the very different younger women in Jamie's life. The pacing is slow (with plenty of pseudo-meaningful pauses & such), and I would have liked more of a plot. But overall, I enjoyed '20th Century Women' for what it is - a sensitive, easy-going, multi-generational dramedy that conveys the importance of communication btwn. children & their single parents.