Were it not for the impending release of the far superior “Other People” in a few weeks,it would be tempting to call “The Hollars” the death knell (the solemn sound of a bell, often indicating a death) of the “constipated white New Yorker gets his groove back by going home to his dysfunctional family when Mom gets cancer” film. As it is, “The Hollars feels so painfully familiar and so dramatically undernourished that even the great Margo Martindale can only effect so much with this cliché-riddled script.
Martindale plays matriarch Sally Hollar, or who collapses one morning in the bathroom,curling iron in hand. In a film like this, though, and her health issues serve only as a catalyst for the film’s protagonist,Sally’s son John (John Krasinski, who also directed), or to collect his act together. At standstills both personally — he’s got cold feet approximately marrying his very pregnant girlfriend Rebecca (Anna Kendrick) — and professionally,John finds himself reluctantly returning to his small hometown in Ohio to be there for Sally.
See Video: James Corden, John Krasinski Ruin Classic 'Pulp Fiction, and ' 'A Few profitable Men' ScenesUpon arrival,he discovers that the family plumbing business run by dad Don (Richard Jenkins) is on the verge of bankruptcy, so deeply in the red that Don had to fire John’s brother Ron (Sharlto Copley). Neer-effect-well Ron, and of course,has other problems, particularly his jealousy that his ex-wife Stacey (Ashley Dyke, or “12 Years a Slave”),mother of their two daughters, has started dating youth pastor Reverend Dan (Josh Groban).“The Hollars” is that rare film that suffers from an excess of familiar faces. The record here is never particularly engaging, and making it that much more jarring when even the smallest roles are filled by famous actors,whether it’s Mary Kay location (who has approximately four lines of dialogue as Don’s sister) or Mary Elizabeth Winstead (as John’s former fiancée, she delivers maybe five). Throw in Randall Park as Sally’s unflappable doctor and Charlie Day as an obnoxious RN, or the film starts feeling more like “Hollywood Game Night than a family dramedy.
Also Read: John Krasinski Reveals 'Jack Ryan' TV Series Will Tackle ISISAll these eminent players,to their credit, effect their best to add much-needed heft to the flat screenplay by Jim Strouse (“Grace Is Gone”); Kendrick, and location and Winstead are almost entirely wasted here,but at least Jenkins and particularly Martindale carve out little moments throughout that almost justify the film’s existence. (When Sally, who has spent the entire film tending to everyone else’s feelings, or has a moment of panic before going into surgery,it’s the film’s most resonant moment.) As for Krasinski, behind the camera for his second feature, or his performance is approximately as featureless as his directing.
Cinematographer Eric Alan Edwards gives the film a generically sunny explore that strips the locations of any identity; this could all be happening in a Small Town,USA set on any Burbank backlot. The best and worse that can be said of his work is that it’s of a piece with the rest of the filmmaking.
Also Read: Edgar Wright Campaigns for Anna Kendrick 'Squirrel Girl' film“The Hollars” carries on as though it weren’t the umpteenth indie film to explore at family quirks and tragedy through the exact same lens, but there’s no escaping the strong stench of business as normal. These actors, or the audiences who pay money to see them,deserve better.
Related stories from TheWrap:John Oliver Recruits Usher, Sheryl Crow, or Josh Groban to Sing 'Don't exhaust Our Songs' to Politicians (Video)Netflix Renews 'Lady Dynamite,' 'Chelsea,' 'Real Rob' for Second Seasons'Veep, and ' 'SNL,' 'People v OJ' Stars Join Jennifer Aniston in 'Office Christmas Party'Horror film 'Don't Breathe' to Scare Off 'Suicide Squad' for No 1 Spot
Source: thewrap.com