TUMBLEDOWN – The Review

A rock journalist (Jason Sudeikis) obsessed with the death of musical idols and their legacy –  a compelling argument could be made that Chuck Klosterman served as inspiration for the character – discovers that there is more to life than extending adoration long after death. Hannah (played in a strong and stern manner by Rebecca Hall) is the widow of the popular folk hero. Now with his passing, she has more time to focus on herself and her own writing without having to be in the shadow of her great singer-songwriter husband. When Andrew approaches Hannah about writing a biography about her late husband, she’s initially reluctant, but the two eventually agree and take a stroll down memory lane.

Desiree and Desi Van Til along with director Sean Mewshaw have written a tender story that occasionally waxes philosophical about the artistic process and life after death through two different viewpoints looking at the same person – Hannah who views him as a friend and partner and Andrew who sees a fallen musical idol. It’s a role that could have come across as too slimy and manipulative if it weren’t played delicately by Sudekis. He comes across as genuine and affable, thanks to him toning down his typically boisterous personality. I never really saw Sudeikis as a leading man type before – he always seemed more like the crude and obnoxious best friend in a sex comedy – but he really earns his romantic-lead stripes here.

Even though TUMBLEDOWN avoids some of the romantic pitfalls in lieu of a more thoughtful display of a woman coping with a terrible loss while attempting to find her own path, the film finally succumbs to a quintessential trope in the end. Sure, the path that the characters eventually go down was hinted at, but it would have been a far more compelling finale (not to mention, one that would be better fitted to Hannah’s personality) if she would have took the road less traveled.

The quaint Maine town creates a lovely backdrop for a story that mainly focuses on where to go next when you’re seemingly lost in the woods. Hannah’s strong survival instinct masks the vulnerable side that she hides away in her cabin isolated in the woods. Sean Mewshaw’s modest picture isn’t afraid to deal with real emotions and conflicting feelings about love, loss, and moving on. For the majority of its breezy duration, TUMBLEDOWN sidesteps being the type of book you read on an airplane to pass the time. To put it in musical terms given the subject, it would be like going to a concert and witnessing a carefully staged and crafted performance, and then the band ending on the greatest hits song that everyone knows and can sing along with that you have heard so many times before.

Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5

TUMBLEDOWN is now playing in select cities