LANDLINE (2017) – Review

It’s nostalgia time at the ole’ multiplex once again. So, is it a tender coming of age story set in the 50’s, or a raunchy comedy with the stoners of the 60’s? Nope, it’s a family “dramedy” set in the long ago 1990’s !?! Aw, come on! I can get the 80’s “throwbacks’ with TV shows like “The Goldbergs” and “Stranger Things”. And this Summer’s big animated hit DESPICABLE ME 3 even has a villain (Balthazar Bratt) whose whole schtick was that tacky decade. But the 90’s already? Excuse the venting, I know I now know how my folks must’ve felt about “Happy Days” in the 70’s. Despite the era, this new flick seems closer to the NYC intellectual upper class (upper East side) quirky slice of life cinema forged by Woody Allen. So. let’s set the cinema “way-back” machine to 1995, when few folks had cellular phones, bur everybody still had a LANDLINE.

The movie opens with a…nope, not going there…romantic outdoor (in the forest, against a tree) interlude between the engaged twenty-somethings Dana (Jenny Slate) and Ben (Jay Duplass). Oh, but they’re not alone. After they adjust their wardrobe, the two rejoin Dana’s family, her mother Pat (Edie Falco), father Alan (John Turturro) and kid sister, eighteen year-old Ali (Abby Quinn), for the drive back to Manhattan (they’ve spent the weekend in their getaway cottage upstate). Ali’s about to start her final year of high school, while openly rebelling by sneaking out of the apartment to go clubbing with her “bad influence” BFF Sophie (India Menuez) before hooking up with main “squeeze” Ravi (Jordan Carlos). Dana’s bored with her job at an alternative magazine, and as she plans her wedding to Ben, she feels some “spark” has died. Soon that spark re-ignites into a roaring inferno when she begins an erotic affair with an old mutual friend Nate (Finn Wittrock). Speaking of the “A word”, Ali discovers a folder tucked away on one of her floppy discs (oh, that 90’s tech). Inside are passionate poems written by her pop, and dedicated to a “C” (definitely not Mom). What to do? Soon she brings in Dana and they begin stalking Dad to catch him with “C”. Do they tell Mom? Confront him? But what about Dana’s own messy relationship? And will Ali follow Sophie into a world of really dangerous behavior?

One again Jenny Slate proves herself a unique comic talent, while giving us a peak at her dramatic range. She shows us how passion has suddenly made the world seem brand new for Dana. Then she takes a darker path by sending Dana adrift, confused about her future as she grapples with the guilt of betraying her fiancée and best friend. And Slate has a terrific screen partner, a true sisterhood, with Quinn, as the more caustic, hard-edged sibling. She has anxiety over the road ahead which manifests itself in her confrontations with her parents and her desire to “walk on the wild side”. When she learns of daddy’s secret, she revels in finding a real direction, which leads to more wrong choices (not in the dubious fashions, but in casual drug use). Falco is superb as the grounding force of the family, the “bad cop” parent who wishes she could relax her “guard”, but knows that things would quickly collapse. Turturro, the “good cop” parent is too involved in his lofty literary aspirations to take an active role in the family, perhaps distracted by her wandering eye. Duplass excels as the affable everyman, the nice guy who is perhaps too accommodating to her partner. It’s not until the film’s final act when we see Ben’s inner strength and strong backbone. On the other side of the coin, Wittrock perfectly plays the guy who’s completely hedonistic, enjoying himself despite the consequences.

Director Gillian Robespierre, reuniting with Slate three years after their indie hit OBVIOUS CHILD, puts a terrific spin on the familiar story of infidelity pulling a family nearly apart. But despite the heavy subject, the script she co-write with Elisabeth Holm and Tom Bean still delivers plenty of laughs. The New York locations are used well, and the 1990’s are evoked with subtlety (Dana uses a pay phone to check her answering machine messages). The plot of sister detectives/stalkers (Nancy Drew times two or the Hardy Girls) may feel a bit familiar, but the talented ensemble makes everything seem fresh with their energetic work. LANDLINE is full of heart and love, for its flawed characters and for that decade.

4 Out of 5

LANDLINE opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas