Review of Lymelife (2008) by Alysha H — 25 Jun 2010
Rory Culkin seems born ready to play an angry and disillusioned teenager: his big blue eyes and shaggy mop of limp brown hair convey just the right amounts of trying-too-hard and not-trying-hard-enough and getting caught somewhere in the middle as high school bullies, his parents' divorce, and Emma Roberts push him down and pull him back up.
Lymelife offers an unflinching look at his life in 19070s suburbia, a neighbourhood everybody knows is dysfunctional but pretends it isn't...badly. In the middle of this is Rory Culkin's sad stare and haircut, his desperate glances and sad displays of bravado in front of his bedroom mirror, as he attempts to deal with the fact that life - and everybody in it - is just as unhappy as he is.
This movie is well cast and well written. The entire ensemble (which includes not one but two Culkins) pulls their weight without overshadowing anybody or stealing any scenes. Lymelife is a bitter film, but it is also a bittersweet film, and it's pretty damn near perfect.
This review of Lymelife (2008) was written by Alysha H on 25 Jun 2010.
Lymelife has generally received positive reviews.
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