Film: Lymelife
Cast includes: Alec Baldwin (The Hunt for Red October), Rory Culkin (Igby Goes Down), Jill Hennessy (Crossing Jordan), Timothy Hutten (Leverage), Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), Emma Roberts (Unfabulous)
Director/writer: Derick Martini (Goat on Fire and Smiling Fish)
Genre: Offbeat drama
In brief: It’s 1979 and the Faulklands conflict is heating up. Meanwhile, in a small Long Island town there are lots of little fires getting ready to merge into one big humdinger. Fifteen-year-old Scott is knee-deep into puberty… admiring his muscle definition in the mirror and fanaticizing about girls. The girl he fanaticizes about the most is neighbor, Adrianna, who “only goes out with older boys.” Adrianna’s father hasn’t been right since his encounter with the deer tick that gave him Lyme disease a few years ago. Now needing to keep the family financially solvent, Adrianna’s mother has taken a job working for Scott’s father selling homes in his grand new subdivision project. It won’t take much of a spark to ignite this dry tinder.
Movies about dysfunctional suburban families are often the starting point for first-time filmmakers. And this one, like many others, has much in common with the genre… it stems from a wealth of actual experiences. Unlike many movies with similar themes, the writer/ director was able to attract an impressive cast of celebrity-caliber actors to this first feature film. Veteran actors use a film like this to broaden their “brand” into roles they don’t normally play, while young actors can launch a career with films like Lymelife.
Rory Culkin (Scott), brother of Kieran, also in the movie… looks like a natural for a film acting career. Emma Roberts, who plays the other young lead, already has an impressive filmography. Another name to watch for is director/writer Derick Martini. He obviously has a knack for directing good actors. On the strength of Lymelife, he has lined up several impressive projects. Keep an eye out for this one. It’s likely to go under the radar but is well worth seeing.
