>>REVIEW
INTRODUCING THE DWIGHTS
STARRING:
DIRECTED BY:
Opens Friday, July 20
Globe Cinema
Clubland, renamed Introducing the Dwights in North America, is the story of two women struggling with their self-esteem as they battle for the attention and adoration of the same blossoming boy. Anchored by a classic rock and country soundtrack, a heartwarming supporting character with mental disabilities and a series of awkwardly hilarious sex scenes, this Australian production is entertaining and often successful in what it attempts. Nonetheless, this sappy, syrupy comedy-drama will ultimately appeal more to the sentimental moms in the room than the cynical young adult market that it strives so hard to impress.
The film's first and foremost female protagonist is Jean (Brenda Blethyn, of Secrets & Lies fame), a bawdy standup comedian, bitter alcoholic and melodramatic mother of two. Throughout these 105 minutes, the martini-swilling matriarch flails and fails to keep her two sons in the nest, while also obsessing over her second shot at the limelight. Writer Keith Thompson tailored the film around this role, and while Blethyn pulls it off, her inappropriate humour, forced laughter and over-the-top emotional outbursts are almost too well acted, and frequently painful to watch.
Leading lass number two is Jill (Emma Booth), the love interest of Jean's son Tim (Khan Chittenden). With body issues aplenty, emotional outbursts of her own and an overriding fear of rejection, she is reduced to tears at the smallest altercation, and comes across as fairly one-dimensional. Still, Jill's scenes with Tim are arguably the film's highlights, capturing the clumsiness and comedy of "the first time" perfectly.
Chittenden does a decent job as Tim Dwight, but it is really Richard Wilson as the mentally challenged Mark that steals most scenes. Much like Leonardo DiCaprio's Arnie in What's Eating Gilbert Grape, Ben Foster's Eli from Freaks and Geeks, or Juliette Lewis and Giovanni Ribisi in The Other Sister, it is impossible to tell that Wilson is not actually afflicted with his character's disabilities. Previously seen in Nick Cave's violent film debut, The Proposition, the 23-year-old U.K. native is an impressive, rising acting talent.
All in all, this R-rated dramedy will likely split its audiences in two. Some will praise it for its honesty, integrity and empowering feminist messages (check the IMDB message boards), while others will simply discard it as corny. Both are fair assessments, and while it is undoubtedly smarter than most mainstream shlock, Introducing the Dwights is also a lukewarm film at best. |
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