C’MON C’MON – Review

With the first of the two big end-of-the-year holidays upon us, many theatres will be showing family films. And while most are of the “all ages” category (and yes, a big Disney animated one is on the way), this new release tackles the ups-and-downs of an often scattered, and a tad dysfunctional, family unit. For many single adults, the big “Thursday meal” is a chance to reconnect with the offspring of your siblings, to assume the moniker of “doting aunt” or “cool uncle”. You get to have some fun with the lil’ tykes, but you can hand them off to their folks when they become tired or cranky. The new film wonders how an adult reacts when they’re suddenly thrust into the guardian role. More than likely you’d resort to a familiar phrase while urging them to get ready for an outing or off to school: C’MON C’MON!

Near forty-something and single Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) has a somewhat nomadic life as a roving “audio-journalist” for a major radio company. He travels from city to city interviewing youngsters (mainly) about their concerns and aspirations. During some “downtime” he’s surprised to get a phone call from his sister Viv (Gaby Hoffmann). Things became strained between the siblings during the last months of their late mother’s descent into dementia. Now Viv is in a bind. Her suburban LA lifestyle is in chaos after her bi-polar husband Paul (Scott McNairy) dashed away to San Francisco. She needs to track him down and get him back into therapy. However, she can’t take their nine-year-old son Jesse (Woody Norman) with her. And so Johnny agrees to stay with the boy despite his sometimes off-putting quirks (pretending to be a wandering orphan is a night-time ritual). . Unfortunately her trip doesn’t go as smoothly as she hoped, so Viv begs Johnny to stay a bit longer. Ah, but his duty/job calls and despite Viv’s trepidations she allows him to take Jesse on his return trip to NYC and later to New Orleans. And though Jesse’s fascinated by the audio gear, the two clash as he tests Johnny’s patience. Can he keep his…stuff..together as the wait for the big family reunion gets longer…and longer?

In his first feature after his Oscar-winning turn as THE JOKER, Phoenix imbues Johnny with a quiet stoic demeanor, one that masks what’s bubbling under the surface. We learn of Johnny’s recent breakup, which tells us that he’s just trying to move past it, to put his head down and do the work of living. And although his job consists of interviews, he’s not really connecting with anyone. It turns out that his family’s there to shake him out of his stupor. Phoenix shows us how Johnny is opening up as a surrogate parent, but he also conveys the panic and aggravations as his logical guy deals with the whims of his charge. And Norman as Jesse can be quite a handful, to say the least. There’s no hint of precious cuteness here. Yes, his lack of a filter can be amusing, but his stubbornness leading to risky behavior (he can vanish in a flash) is exasperating to witness. Then Norman shows us that Jesse has some big issues as he sees himself as an obstacle to his family’s healing. This is a kid just as complicated as the adults. He’s lucky to have Viv, who Hoffmann plays as a woman spinning so many plates as she tries to “fix” her and Jesse’s life. She believes herself to be Paul’s only lifeline as she struggles with guilt over leaving, just for a while, Jesse. Hoffman’s got the nurturing nature down pat, although we see her fiery temper as she tries to work through her past with Johnny. And although we mostly see him in sporadic and short flashbacks, McNairy seems vividly real as a man flaying in a spiral toward madness.

Writer/director Mike Mills brings a documentary-style intimacy to this look at skewed family dynamics. There’s no flashy storytelling flourishes as he uses Robbie Rayan’s haunting black and white cinematography to focus on the ever-changing relationship of Johnny and Jesse. There’s some splendid location work, especially in still-recovering New Orleans, and excellent use of literature to further the drama, with narrated book excepts with titles crediting the writers. And there are terrific interview sequences that feel as though the director and the actor (Phoenix’s having to really “think on his feet”) just want to see where the subjects will take them. These scenes augment and build on the evolving rapport between the two leads, whose conversations never feel plotted or strained. By the story’s end, it seems that both characters have grown and evolved. And they’re enriched, just as viewers will feel after taking in C’MON C’MON.

3 Out of 4

C’MON C’MON is now playing in select cities and will screen exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac and the Hi-Pointe Theatre on Wednesday, November 24, 2021.