Review of Kajillionaire (2020) by Jluis_001 — 18 Oct 2020

The irony of this film, is that its identity and presentation are everything. If it loses it, it doesn't exist.

And I say this because that's the way the director decided to present it to make an impression.

It's a film based on its quirks to get attention, but without really making an impact.

The film centers on a family who make a living as scammers. These are Robert, Theresa, and their daughter Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood, who controls the entire film).

All three are "weird," but she easily stands out as the true introvert.

It’s clear that the life she has known so far is all she has, because she simply doesn’t know anything else.

Obviously for the story to work, what’s coming is a change of dynamics and this occurs with the presentation of Melanie (Gina Rodríguez).

She represents a seismic change for Old Dolio, both in the way she perceives her parents and the world. However, this is where in my opinion the film makes its clearest flaw.

This is because its comment on the dynamics of family communication is based solely on the way these characters behave.

Therefore, the message cannot be universal. Because the emotional connection with the audience is never guaranteed, because all we see all the time is these strangers behaving in unusual ways.

So, there is a fine line between too much comedy and the true coming-of-age story.

And this is not me saying that Kajillionaire is a bad film, but its functionality depends a lot on how much this family may interest you, this of course given the notable lack of emotional investment.

Because without a doubt, at some time we've all felt completely out of place like Old Dolio, but how many of us live or lived like her, even in the remotest way possible?

Perhaps some of you will find it more rewarding than I did, because ultimately, despite such interesting characters and good performances, Kajillionaire struck me as a remarkably uneven film.