Review of Lymelife (2008) by Ephraim H — 24 Jul 2009
Lymelife is more a flick for film-buffs than one for the smelly masses. Lymelife won a 2008 International Critics' Award. The major studios could never pull this off.
This small art house film set in 1979 is a tale of suburbia and the times as seen through the eyes of an awkward fifteen year-old boy, Scott, played by Rory Culkin. It is partly a nostalgia piece, partly a coming-of-age film, and best of all an understated quirky film. Scott's family, the Bartletts, is screwed up but he's not sure he cares. Being shy and fifteen are enough to deal with. Alec Baldwin plays Scott's forceful father, Mickey. Scott's mother is a bit overprotective. Mickey can be and does prove to be a real pain.
Next door is the Bragg family whose patriarch, Charlie, is played very well by Tim Hutton. He has lyme disease, thus the title. Lyme disease is a debilitating disease spread by ticks - don't worry, there are no swarming insects in this film. The two symptoms that concern us are depression and altered mood.
Charlie Bragg is a withdrawn dark sort of fellow whose daughter, Adrianna, has known Scott for many years. Charlie's wife has been a long but mildly suffering woman due to his mood and withdrawn state.
As the movie progresses, Scott's and Adrianna's friendship takes a turn that often happens with kids that age. Their angst is real and not shoved in our face. Their journey gets a little bumpy in its own right and because their parents' relationships are falling apart.
The rest of the audience and I felt those Lyme disease symptoms, as well. It was a bit depressing to watch Scott try to deal with life outside the home and these families fell apart. Our depression was not deep enough to hurt and our mood improved because these breakdowns were softened by humor that paid respect to the situation. The bitterness between the parents was real and the humor was genuine and not the least bit forced.
Had this been written in the '70s for the 70s, it would not have worked as well. Like people, most decades take themselves too seriously and are so convinced about their importance that revisiting or reflecting upon them years later can be a tonic. That is especially true of movies that are written for their time.
The naysayers say that it's just another rehash of suburbia's flaws without anything new to recommend it. I don't agree.
This review of Lymelife (2008) was written by Ephraim H on 24 Jul 2009.
Lymelife has generally received positive reviews.
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