Review of Kelly & Cal (2014) by Thomas W — 25 Sep 2014

Kelly (Juliette Lewis - What's Eating Gilbert Grape) has been a new mother for just under six weeks and she is already overwhelmed. The one-time punk rocker has married a loving, understanding and hard-working man who loves her dearly (Josh Hopkins - 'Cougar Town') and is fine with all of her imperfections.

She has even willingly given up the city life to live married life in domestic bliss (!) in surburbia ... and she is really trying to "fit" in but she is growing fearful that her life is now charting its own course.

Her well-meaning but prying mother-in-law (Cybill Shepherd - The Last Picture Show) is beginning to try her patience and Kelly's only brief moments of escape are sneaking a cigarette while her son cries himself to sleep upstairs.

Kelly awkwardly meets 17-year-old Cal (newcomer Jonny Weston) and in her annoyance tells him to run along and get lost ... only to discover Cal is in a wheelchair and she just insulted him. Kelly & Cal quickly overcome their differences as each one becomes someone to talk to and listen to for the other and sometimes simply having an ear of another makes all the difference.

Kelly finds value in Cal and Cal in turn finds value in her making one another invaluable to the other. They temporarily become what the other one "needs" in a rough patch of life. Lewis was nominated for an Oscar for one of her earliest roles and has never won the same level of acclaim; but her later roles have been solid as of late and she's building quite the respectable resume.

Kelly & Cal is a film with more talk than action -- it is a film about people finding worth in their lives because they mean something to another. It won't be for everyone.