By Emilio Frenk.
Director: Gillian Robespierre
Cast: Jenny Slate, Jay Duplass, Abby Quinn, John Turturro, Edie Falco, Ali Ahn, Jordan Carlos, Raffaella Meloni and Finn Wittrock.
Rating: Very Good.
Gillian Robespierre, writer/director of “Obvious Child” teams up again with Jenny Slate in “Landline”, a comedy and drama that delivers interesting results.
The movie takes place in Manhattan during the mid 90´s and tells the story of Dana Jacobs (Jenny Slate) a New Yorker who happens to be engaged with her fiancée Ben (Jay Duplass).
Her troubled young sister Ali (Abby Quinn) makes a discovery that her father Alan (John Turturro) has been having an affair with another woman.
Ali tells her sister about this and Dana and she´s in shock when she finds out about this. At the same time this situation will unite both sisters but they are now facing a dilemma: Telling their over protecting mother Pat (Edie Falco) about the situation.
Now both Dana and Ali will have to decide in either telling Pat the truth or she will find out herself.
“Landline” is an interesting take about infidelity and the consequences of your actions when you perform it. The subject was told in a very convincing and original way that has never been seen before.
Other factor that it was important for this film was the fact that it was not obvious and Gillian Robespierre was very smart in showing that.
Robespierre teamed up again with Elizabeth Holm and both women crafted a brilliant screenplay and the results did pay off in this film.
The fact that it was set up during the Bill Clinton days was very original as well and this might be one of the things that I liked of the film the most.
The chemistry between Slate and Quinn does work in the film and both give very good and convincing performances. The same goes to John Turturro, who is always a pleasure watching him on screen and Edie Falco, who in the second act of the film has one of the funniest scenes and I think Robespierre wanted to use it as a political satire and it really worked.
The movie has a strong message about self acceptance and accept other for who they are and it´s really moving.
There were scenes in the movie that I felt that there were not necessary and I feel that we alredy got it as audience members what both sisters want but it didn´t bother me.
The score is really good and if you are both and 80´s and 90´s music lover I feel that you are going to have a good time hearing some of the tunes of this movie.
Gillian Robespierre directed another winner with “Landline” and it´s one of the biggest surprises of this year.
If you want to have a good time I higly recommend “Landline” which you will both enjoy and laugh with it.