FILM REVIEW: ROADIE

Roadie (Ron Eldard) in Roadie.

White lined fervor

By Don Simpson

Jimmy Testagross (Ron Eldard) — the eponymous protagonist of Michael Cuesta’s Roadie — is a 40-something guy from Queens with an unfortunate last name (that earned him the childhood nickname of “Jimmy Testicles”) who has tirelessly schlepped Blue Öyster Cult’s gear for 26 years, a thankless career if ever there was one. While on the subject of thankless, BOC is leaving for a tour of South America soon, and Jimmy is getting the runaround from the band’s manager. It seems the washed-up band is leaving their washed-up roadie behind.

After dedicating over half of his life to BOC, Jimmy has no friends to speak of and nowhere to go. As Jimmy drifts hopelessly towards destitute poverty, he is drawn closer and closer to his childhood home. But Queens is not a happy place for Jimmy; he “escaped” it for good reason. His high school buddies — the same Neanderthal numskulls such as Bobby (Bobby Canavale) who christened him “Jimmy Testicles” — who stayed behind seem uneducated, adventureless and ambitionless to Jimmy. Bobby is exactly who Jimmy has rebelled against; guys like him are the exact reason he abandoned Queens many years ago. What makes matters worse is that Jimmy’s high school sweetheart, Nikki (Jill Hennessy), married Bobby. How could she settle for someone like him?

As is often the case for those of us who purposefully moved away from his or her childhood neighborhoods and dread any return visits, Jimmy’s first means of escape from this harsh reality is alcohol — and lots of it. Reconnecting with Nikki and Bobby further escalates Jimmy’s self-destructive behavior by adding cocaine to his dangerous recipe of escapism.

Roadie accurately represents the conflict between those who have “escaped” their childhood homes and those who chose to stay behind. Cuesta’s dedication to the gritty authenticity of his subject is quite impressive and his casting of Eldard as Jimmy turns out to be divinely inspired.

FILM REVIEW: WIN WIN

Michael (Paul Giamatti) and Kyle (Alex Shaffer) in Win Win. 

Wrestling with fate

By John Esther

Powered by the best screenplay in an American film so far this year, the latest film by writer-director Tom McCarthy (Station Agent; The Visitor) tells the story of Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti), a family man trying to keep his life from crumbling.

A lawyer in a small New Jersey town, business has been very slow for Michael lately. Unfortunately that will not stop the bills from coming in. Backed into a corner, Michael comes across a scam that takes one his clients, Leo Poplar (Burt Young), out of Leo's house and into an old folk's home. It seems to be a rather safe gamble, but then Leo's grandson, Kyle (Alex Shaffer), unexpectedly shows up, threatening to unravel the plan, the extra money for Michael, and maybe even Michael's license to practice law.

Alex is a troubled child who does not want to go home. As opportunities to send him back are repeatedly thwarted, he slowly becomes more and more a part of Michael's family. Not only does that help Michael's plan out, Kyle is also particularly skilled in an area that may give Michael a win in another part of his life. But then Cindy (Melanie Lynskey) shows up and now Michael could lose everything.

Extremely well-crafted, what makes Win Win a champ of sorts is how it maintains the right tempo throughout the film. Gliding from one scene to the next, there is not a superfluous moment in the entire film.

Moreover, in the right hands, a script like this leads to some golden acting. Not only are the aforementioned actors wonderful, Bobby Cannavale's performance as Michael's best friend, Terry, who has an axe to grind with love, and Amy Ryan's performance as Michael's headstrong wife, Jackie, are superb. Kudos goes to the editor, Tom McArdle, as well.

A crowd pleaser of a higher order, Win Win will not be number one at the box office any weekend or galvanize anyone into political action, but it sure does make for a fine time at the movies.