Review of Lymelife (2008) by Gradhito O — 23 Jan 2011

At first glance, Lymelife could be accused of taking its key points from Eastenders or Coronation Street. A story of two dysfunctional families who cannot function without one another, but yet are destroying each other all at once. It could be mistaken for copying standard boring soap operas, but trust me, this film is anything but boring.

The story focuses around 15 year old Scott (mesmirising Rory Culkin) a kid whose family brings him baggage and hatred. He is bullied at school, his parents hate one another (brilliantly played by Alec Baldwin and Jill Hennessey) and his brother is away in the army (played by real life spouse Kieran Culkin, solid).

Scott has a crush on Adrianna, fellow student and neighbor (Emma Roberts, one to watch) who also has a heart of gold and peer pressure to contend with. Throw into the mix that her father (Timothy Hutton, stealing the film) has Lymes diesease and her mother (SATC's Cynthia Nixon, on form) is screwing Scott's dad, you have the perfect setup for a moody, mellow drama of epic proportions.

Depressing this film may be in places. But don't let that deter you. Every character is played to perfection. Relationships feel real, arguements could have been caught on camera and first time love and intimacy has never been more, well, awkward. Take the scene where Roberts and Culkin share their first sexual fumble...everyone will be taken back to their first time immediately, its that convincing. In fact every character slides off each other so well, you could be fooled about walking into two families tearing chunks out of one another. This could be happening down your street. This is no Eastenders, this is gritty and real.

A couple of fussy points aside, this film could have earned five stars. Kieran Culkin is grossly relegated to a bit part, his ferocity burning up the screen each time he steps onto it. The chemistry he shares with his onscreen/real life brother is comfortable and charming. Not to mention that the ending, where suitable is a bit out of nowhere. And anyone not living in North America or certain parts of Europe will not know what Lymes disease actually is (a tick borne infection). Which is a shame because for all the tragedy on display, this disease is the perfect backdrop for such a tale of dysfunctional families and teen angst. After all, the disease is partially preventable...familiy issues are not.