Review of Don McKay (2009) by Fascade F — 14 Feb 2011
Oh Don McKay is a really interesting film, a mix of quirky comedic bits with noir elements thrown into a thriller, a true genre-bender. Thomas Haden Church is the titular character, and he's really great as him, a quiet school janitor who's past comes back to him as an ex-girlfriend gets him to come back home because she's dying, or is she? Every single person in this film is shady as fuck, and when you have actors like Mr. Haden Church, Elisabeth Shue, who plays Sonny, the ex, and the great Melissa Leo, who plays Sonny's housemate you gotta love how it all comes through.
This is writer-director Jake Goldberger's feature debut, and while he does get some parts right the majority isn't right, it's kind of right, but not entirely there yet, and what is actually really right is not that much because of him as it is because of Thomas Haden Church, who really gives a powerful performance here and because every single element that's outstanding in this one came out from the playbook the Coen brothers used in Blood Simple, and Goldberger is obviously not the third Coen brother. Just sayin'.
Grade: C+.
This review of Don McKay (2009) was written by Fascade F on 14 Feb 2011.
Don McKay has generally received mixed reviews.
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