Review of Lymelife (2008) by Manny C — 19 Jun 2009

In the vein of movies like Ordinary People, director Derick Martini presents a family in 1979 Long Island breaking at the seams, a world in which Lyme disease, the illness that pervades the title, is the least of their worries.

Alec Baldwin is great as the real estate agent cheating on his wife with the wife of his depressed friend (Timothy Hutton, for whom roles like this come naturally). Guess it helps that the mistress is played by Cynthia Nixon, under-rated.

Then, like in The Ice Storm, there are the kids, with two of them portrayed by the brothers Culkin (Rory and Kieran, minus Macauley), joined by Emma Roberts in her first adult role. Lymelife becomes in danger of flying off the rail in some parts, but it's engaging nonetheless.

Worth a look.