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I Smile Back-2015

Director Adam Salky

Starring Sarah Silverman

Scott’s Review #654

Reviewed June 13, 2017

Grade: B+

As a fan of Sarah Silverman, the comedienne, I was eager to see the 2015 film I Smile Back, which earned her a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination.

Silverman tackles a heavy dramatic role in a film that teeters on being a pure “downer.” Fans expecting the actress’s comic wit may not find it.

Instead, I embraced the performance and found the film a treat, thanks to Silverman’s powerful work. She nails the part and carries it to success.

I Smile Back is a small film that I wish had garnered more viewers.

Laney Brooks (Silverman) appears to have it all. She lives an affluent existence in Westchester County, New York, with her handsome husband, Bruce (Josh Charles), and their two young children.

With a gorgeous house, dinner parties, and friends, who could ask for anything more?

Bored and troubled by a tough childhood and “daddy issues,” Laney tends to drink too much, abuse drugs and prescription pills, and carry on an affair with her best friend’s husband, all while managing to run a household.

As she spirals down a darker path, Laney watches her perfect world crumble around her.

Throughout the film, I asked, “Are we supposed to root for Laney or dislike her?”

Director Adam Salky does not make it easy to like her.

In addition to her substance abuse (or overuse), Laney is rather selfish.

From the small scenes when Laney drops off her kids from school and is annoyed when the crossing guard and a teacher refuse to give her special treatment, she mutters insults under her breath as she grabs a cigarette and heads for her scandalous rendezvous.

But when she is put in great peril later in the film, following one of her benders, I could not help but feel deep sympathy for her.

It is a bit unclear what the audience should feel.

This leads me to conclude that the film belongs to Silverman. What impresses me most is how believable she is in most scenes.

She packs creative lunches for her kids and plays fun birthday cake decorating games with them, but in the next breath snorts cocaine and rails at a neighbor lady for not celebrating Thanksgiving.

Thanks to Silverman, she plays these scenes with gusto.

Some critics have complained about the script, but I find no real fault. While not the strongest element, it is fine, nonetheless.

I Smile Back is a low-budget indie drama that serves its purpose- it does not delve too deeply into the hows and whys of her addiction, and a nice scene with Laney’s father (Chris Sarandon) offers no concrete evidence of why this man drove her to drugs through his abandonment.

The film seems to be more about proving a good performance by Silverman than anything else.

Sarah Silverman commands great respect for her dark portrayal in I Smile Back.

This role, combined with her recent turn in Showtime’s Masters of Sex, where she portrays a pregnant lesbian in the 1960s, proves she has what it takes to compete with today’s great dramatic actresses.

She is much more than a stand-up comic. Here’s to hoping for more drama from this talented lady in the years ahead.

Wild-2014

Director Jean-Marc Vallee

Starring Reese Witherspoon

Scott’s Review #249

Reviewed June 21, 2015

Grade: B+

Wild (2014) is a personal story of a young woman’s 1995 challenge to hike the 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail as a form of therapy for her divorce and her recovery from drug addiction.

The film stars Reese Witherspoon in a thoughtful biography of a real-life figure, Cheryl Strayed, and is adapted from a novel entitled Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Trail.

The film depicts Cheryl’s struggles to survive in remote northern California through harsh weather and her encounters with strangers.

The film is a showcase for Witherspoon as she takes center stage, appearing in almost every frame of the film.

Her producing the project undoubtedly contributes to this. Regardless, it is a winning turn for Witherspoon as she is excellent.

She portrays the role with vigor, emotional rawness, and vulnerability, which comes across on-screen.

She deserved her Oscar nomination for this part.

What sets her apart from other actresses who may have played this role is that Witherspoon is a small, which makes her physical struggle to navigate trails and wilderness while hauling a large backpack of necessities believable.

Through flashbacks of Cheryl’s life before the enormous hike, we are introduced to her and the challenges she faced. We know that she is a recovering addict, but we do not know what led to these events.

Living in Minneapolis, she is very close to her mother, Bobbi, played by Laura Dern, who tragically dies.

This leads Cheryl down a path of destructive behavior and ultimately to her divorce from her husband, Paul, who periodically sends her care packages along the way.

Cheryl’s bond with her mother, a struggling woman herself, is deep. Bobbi struggles to raise a family and improve her education and life, which the flashback scenes featuring Cheryl as a teenager explore.

I love the encounters Cheryl faces along the trail, and I feel they add depth to the film.

Few and far between are these gems of interchange since she is mostly alone with nature, and the characters are interesting. Alone in the dark and desperate for a meal, she flags down a farmer named Frank.

At first, Frank seems dangerous and wields a gun, so Cheryl is wary as she goes home with him for dinner. Happily, Frank is married to a kindhearted woman named Annette, and the three of them enjoy a lovely feast.

Later, she encounters a young boy whose mother has died. They bond as the boy sings a song his mother used to sing to him, and when he leaves, Cheryl sobs with emotion for her mother.

These small snippets of real-life conversations and togetherness make the film feel happy, and we root for Cheryl to accomplish her enormous feat.

Thanks to a bravura performance by Witherspoon, Wild (2014) is much more than a woman surviving on her own in the wilderness. It is encased in quiet emotion and understated supporting performances that give layers to a human story.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress-Reese Witherspoon, Best Supporting Actress-Laura Dern