[ad_1]
WWithin the first 15 minutes or so of Apple TV +’s Palmer, something kicks in, an overwhelming sense of familiarity, an inner voice quietly realizing, “Ohhh, that’s it. this film. “In this particular case, this movie being the one about the ex-convict having to make do with the help of a cute kid, a solid story often told. It’s not that reheating leftovers can’t make a hearty meal, but when done with such low energy and with such low wattage core performance, it’s hard to see the point. Why not tell a new story instead?
To give screenwriter Cheryl Guerriero credit, there’s a slight tweak to the formula and that’s the one that gives Palmer the most, arguably. only, vaguely interesting moments. While the titular character, played by Justin Timberlake, is every icy movie ex-con with an easily knocked down frown you can think of, the kid who melts him is a gender non-conforming boy who lives in the strip. -announcement next door, an intriguing stranger dynamic but who promises much more than what is delivered. Palmer, straight out of jail for a violent crime and straight into his grandmother’s house, played by June Squibb, can’t wait to start her life anew.
But the city he’s returned to isn’t so ready, and Palmer’s good intentions quickly fade. Between two episodes of drinking and fucking, he forms an unlikely friendship with Sam, played by newcomer Ryder Allen, an eight-year-old boy whose choice of dolls over cars makes him look like an outcast at the same time. at school and at home. When Sam’s mother, played by Juno Temple, runs off with her abusive boyfriend, Palmer suddenly finds himself in charge of him while juggling a budding romance with her teacher, played by Alisha Wainwright.
In the hands of actor-director Fisher Stevens (whose behind-the-camera work tends to be non-fiction), Palmer stars as a fourth-place Oscar nominee from the early years, all washed-out cinematography and guitar score, the kind of film that would have aimed to break big at Sundance with critics calling its main performance “revealing.” Maybe in another universe with a better storyline and a different star, it could have been. But instead, Palmer is more of an “I’ve seen it all, so sure” airplane movie, competent enough but never reaching the ups and downs of a drama like this. The story is one we can predict, almost down to every last beat, which, again, wouldn’t necessarily be a major issue if told with a little more fire, but it’s all so understated, though. third gear, how frustrating. hard to feel the slightest emotion.
Where the film briefly comes to life is in its positioning of Sam, a boy who is more comfortable playing with toys traditionally intended for girls and, where allowed, dressing that way too. . Even though Guerriero can’t quite grasp the nuts and bolts of his relationship with Palmer (a more precise script might have laid a more believable foundation in the first act so that we are more attached to the third afterwards), there is effective moments highlighting the prejudices faced by children who do not conform to the gender norms we still impose on them. It’s told in broad strokes, but then stories like this, in order to reach a larger, critical audience that might need a bit of spooning, often need it, and while I crave more substance and knot from the film, it’s a small step in the right direction when it comes to a specific form of representation.
It would have been understandable, and perhaps merciful, if Timberlake had decided to quit acting as a non-Trolls actor after his deadly misinterpreted turn as a sailor turned lifeguard who dreams of being a playwright in Wonder Wheel’s Woody Allen, also misjudged. Three years later, a lead role in a more stripped-down drama should be one that finally pushes him to a more mature stage in his career. But Palmer is the kind of character made for good looking actors who associate depth with beard length, a type of movie rather than a living, breathing human being. Timberlake is doing pretty much well, going through the moves with the same shot as the movie around him, never really bad but never good enough, a performance that fails to convince us once again that live play is a good choice for him.
Despite flashes of something more difficult, Palmer is safe-to-play movie content (his real road to redemption is sneaking into a nuclear family out of the box), a truly life-changing experience that wants that. you desperately felt everything from tears to joy. But ultimately the only lingering feeling is deja vu, that we’ve been here too many times before, and that it wouldn’t be good if we could go somewhere else instead.
[ad_2]
Source link