Movie Review: Wilson

Wilson ** / *****

Directed by: Craig Johnson.   

Written by: Daniel Clowes based on his graphic novel.

Starring: Woody Harrelson (Wilson), Laura Dern (Pippi), Isabella Amara (Claire), Judy Greer (Shelly), Cheryl Hines (Polly), Margo Martindale (Alta), David Warshofsky (Olsen), Brett Gelman (Robert), Mary Lynn Rajskub (Jodie).

 

Daniel Clowes’ Wilson is one of the best graphic novels ever written – perhaps his best work, although he has written so many great works, that it’s hard to say for sure. Reading the book – which is basically a collection of incidents involving the title character, which eventually forms a sort of narrative, is an uncomfortable experience mainly because the lead character is so strange – he is a misanthrope, because he really does long for some sort of connection to someone – anyone – so much so that he’ll simply talk to strangers on buses or at coffee shops – sitting right next to them and just start talking about the evils of the modern world, and the lack of human connection, oblivious to the fact that these people don’t want to talk to him. A part of Wilson is right, of course, and does reflect much of Clowes worldview – and yet Clowes is more self-aware than his character, and realizes that a guy like this in real life would be really, really annoying to be around – which, of course, is why he’s alone in the first place.

 

Adapting this book into a movie was always going to be hard, as any filmmaker would rather a less episodic narrative than the novel. What’s odd about the movie though is that it has softened the lead character so much that even if he goes through the same things his book counterpart did, it really does change your perspective on everything about the story. As played by Woody Harrelson, Wilson is more of a lovable crank than an awkward misanthrope. Harrelson is, of course, a great actor and his interpretation of Wilson isn’t wrong per se – but it certainly isn’t what I had envisioned when I read the book. Worse than that though – because of course, a movie can be a complete and total departure from the source material and still work as a movie – is that by turning him into that lovable crank, Wilson the movie becomes a rather typical, quirky Sundance dramedy about a dysfunctional family. It’s not really a bad one, but it isn’t really a good one either – and it tries too hard to put a happy twist on everything. Essentially, it has taken an unforgettable book and made a completely forgettable movie out of it.

 

The story revolves around Wilson, who is a late middle aged, single man with no job, and a wife you walked out on him 17 years ago, had an abortion, and became a prostitute. His one real friend is moving away, his dad has just died, and when he tries to reconnect with an old friend, he remembers why he disconnected in the first place. An awkward date with Alta (Margo Martindale) inspires him to look up his ex-wife, Pippi (Laura Dern) – who isn’t the drug addicted prostitute he thought she’d be. She reveals to him that he didn’t really have an abortion – but gave their daughter, Claire, up for adoption. The pair track her down and find that she (Isabella Amara) is a moody, Goth teenager, miserable enough in her affluent life to allow her birth parents back into her life. She even lets them take her on a trip to visit Pippi’s sister Polly (Cheryl Hines) – a perky woman in the suburbs – with horrible results.

 

Harrelson is entertaining in the lead role to be sure – he uses all of his charm to make Wilson a more sympathetic character, and one you may actually want to relate to (as opposed to the book version, where if you’re like me, and did relate to him anyway, you’re horrified by what that implies). He is surrounded by a wonderful, almost all female cast who has a good repore with. Dern in particular is quite good as the exasperated Pippi.

 

The film is directed by Craig Johnson, who did a better job in his last film, The Skeleton Twins (starring Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader) of walking that fine line between comic and dramatic (still not a great job – I liked that film less than many, but more than this). Here, he has essentially made an indie movie quirk fest, that ends with a smile and life lessons learned, which didn’t particularly strike me as the way to go. Wilson isn’t a bad film – had it not been based on a great book, I may have liked it a little more – but still, no matter what, this is a fairly forgettable film, with a few nice moments that doesn’t really add up to much. The book is masterpiece – do yourself a favor, and spend 90 minutes reading that instead – you may just have time to read it a second time as well.

Movie Review: The Skeleton Twins

The Skeleton Twins
Directed by: Craig Johnson.
Written by: Mark Heyman and Craig Johnson.
Starring: Bill Hader (Milo), Kristen Wiig (Maggie), Luke Wilson (Lance), Ty Burrell (Rich), Boyd Holbrook (Billy), Joanna Gleason (Judy).

If there is a stereotypical “Sundance Movie” – than The Skeleton Twins may well be it. It is a low-key comedy-drama about a dysfunctional family, where the two stars are trying to redefine their image. It is full of quirky characters and situations, but there is an undercurrent of sadness to the movie. In many ways, the typical Sundance film is as formulaic as the Hollywood blockbusters – and in most ways, The Skeleton Twins fits that formula. Yet, what makes The Skeleton Twins better than most typical Sundance movies is that the two central performances – by Bill Hader and Kristen Wiig – are stronger than the screenplay itself. The screenplay seems to want to wrap everything up in a neat little package at the end – but the two central actors do not quite allow that.

The movie is about Milo (Hader) and Maggie (Wiig) – twins who haven’t seen each other in 10 years. Their father killed himself when they were 14, and they were raised from then on by a distant, uncaring mother. Now in their mid-30s, they have both inherited their father’s depression. They only see each other again after Milo attempts suicide by slitting his wrists – and Maggie comes out to take him back to her home to recover – even though the phone call to tell her what happened to Milo interrupted her own suicide attempt. So Milo comes back to his small hometown where Maggie still lives – now married to lovable, lunkhead Lance (Luke Wilson). Maggie is trying to make it work with Lance, but she cannot stop herself from cheating on him with pretty much anyone around – in particular her scuba diving teacher. She’s just as messed up as Milo is – but she’s trying very hard to keep that a secret from everyone. For his part, Milo also has his secrets when he returns to town – sneaking off to see Rich (Ty Burrell) – his former English teacher, who was fired when his “relationship” with a then 15 year old Milo was discovered (although they never made that public). The twins share a deep connection with each – that is perhaps too deep, which is why they have stayed away from each other for so long. But in the end, they need each other.

The movie certainly follows the typical Sundance type formula. The film is quirky, and darkly humorous, but it contains any number of the clichéd scenes – like a sing-along for example, and is also somewhat patronizing towards the “normal”   people it is reputably about. It is not nearly as insightful as director/co-writer Craig Johnson thinks it is.

Yet, the film still somehow works for the most part – and that all comes down to the two lead performances by Hader and Wiig. They dig deeper than the screenplay does, and makes these two characters – who in many ways are little more than a bundle of clichés – into real people. This is the first time I`ve seen Hader play a more dramatic role – but he pretty much nails Milo’s depressive state, and the way he uses his quips to mask his deeper pain. Hader is capable of going over the top – as he showed brilliantly on SNL for years – but here he underplays his character nicely. Wiig, who has been trying to find the right dramatic role for a while now, finally finds it her. She was better than the movie itself in Hateship Loveship earlier this year – but she was a little too passive in that film, pretending being quiet was the same as being subtle. She gets the balance right here – she is a woman who is flailing on the inside, while trying desperately to appear normal. She wants nothing more than to be normal – but that is the one thing she cannot be.

What the movie understands about depression is what most movies get wrong about it – that’s it’s not about sitting around listening to sad songs or eating non-stop and not getting out of bed – but just an overwhelming sadness in your day-to-day life – a low-key sadness, not a showy one. Hader and Wiig are excellent in showing this side of depression.

The movie itself isn’t nearly as good as Hader and Wiig are. It puts these interesting characters, and great performances, into one clichéd scene after the next – and yet the actors save it from being yet another forgettable Sundance film. It isn’t a great film by any means – but it shows that Hader and Wiig can be great. Now they just a screenplay to fully utilize their talents.