Review of Welcome to the Rileys (2010) by Phil N — 13 Feb 2012

What a wonderful drama directed by Jake Scott! One of the best screenplays written by Ken Hixon, and starring perfectly cast Kristen Stewart, James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo... I could not ask for anything better this cold winter night! The story of Doug (James Gandolfini) and Lois Riley (Melissa Leo) who have been drifting apart since the death of their daughter Emily, was touching, developed almost to perfection and with minimal stereotypes! The sparse dialogue was authentic as well as the setting.

Lois wrestles with a suffocating sense of guilt over her daughter's death, while Doug is having an affair with a local waitress, Vivian. Suddenly Vivian dies and Doug finds himself in a New Orleans strip club during a business trip, realizing that he's come to a crossroads in life.. that's all you should know... you can see the rest on the screen!

And you can see a lot there! Especially very fine and smooth performance by James Gandolfini and outstanding acting by Kristen Stewart (many of you know her as Bella from the Twilight franchise). For the third star, Melissa Leo, I'll just say that she has experienced a career boon since her Oscar nomination for Frozen River, and here she proves that the nomination was well deserved.

Don't miss it if you have an opportunity to watch it!