Review of Welcome to the Rileys (2010) by Diana S — 08 Nov 2010

A husband and wife (James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo), reeling from the tragic death of their teenage daughter, struggle to recreate their lives without her. Gandolfini goes to New Orleans where he takes a teenage stripper/prostitute (Kristen Stewart) under his wing.

He moves in with her (platonically) and cleans up her filthy apartment while trying to clean up her filthy language as well (docking her dollars every time she utters the F-word). Eventually, Leo comes after her husband, and attempts to care for Stewart as well, but the trio does not function well.

For Stewart's character, it's too late to be "someone's little girl." It's an implausible story, and the writing and direction are not good enough, but I give the filmmakers credit for trying something poignant and human.

Stewart's performance is fairly opaque throughout the movie -- there was a lot of attention paid to her scantily clad body and makeup-smeared face, but she never enters the same emotional arena with Gandolfini and Leo.

Had her performance been stronger, the movie would have fared better.