Alex of Venice

source: Alex of Venice

Young woman loses her husband and has to take care of her kid by herself. What's new to this story? The good: acting is good. The story is sweet and gentle. There is a certain effort to make it transcend the simple story of a single mom. The bad: it's tedious. It's too safe. This story has been told before, with much more spark and punch in other movies.

An air of melancholy permeates the film through most of its run time. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is solid as Alex, a workaholic lawyer and mom trying to save a rare species of frogs from extinction while working for an environmental agency. She lives with her husband and son at her father's house, a retired actor Roger, played by Don Johnson. The film opens with the family cohabitating peacefully in the doldrums of Venice California but things get ugly quickly as we learn George the husband, played by Chris Messina, isn't happy and wants to separate. Alex is left to pick up the pieces while her father's memory starts to fail, her son struggles with the rejection of his father's absence, her sister shows up and selfishly messes up her weak attempt to help out and her court case unravels. There isn't much to be happy about and the film feels heavy and depressing but does present some hopeful, nuanced situations at the end that suggest things might be okay in the long run. I liked the film but didn't love it. Worth watching for Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Don Johnson (who still looks great in his advancing years).

First, we did like the story inspire of it not being a whole. It was bits and pieces of what could have been very good film telling a deep heart story. But it was not. Trying to have the dad Presence as a separate story told through his early stage stages of fading from life and the theatre. The parts did not connect and some were sadly boring. The setting at Venice Beach and the title made no sense. It could have been in northern Nebraska and call it Alex in Karney. Venice brought nothing to the film except a title that failed to fulfill it promise. No surprises. Don Johnson actually was good. It felt at the end that it was written by a committee and maybe it was with the written by credit given to three. As often happens 'written by committee' always show up as so. It would be really difficult to find anything to say that would be a Spoiler.

There seems to be two things that always work and those two things are indie films & Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Winstead is just as great as she always is in these films. If you're into indie films, then I say to give this film a watch.

This is a story about a married couple that have started to grow apart. He is a struggling artist and she is a young high-powered lawyer working for a firm. As a result of their paths she mostly works, often long hours and some weekends while he mostly takes care of the house and their son. It is a role-reversal. But one day he realizes that he isn't happy where all this is taking him so he decides he has to leave. For an unspecified time. Their son says he is gone to Santa Fe, where lots of artsy types hang out. This is all complicated by her dad, late 60s or early 70s, living with them and who it seems is developing dementia. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is Alex and her husband is Chris Messina, who also directs, as George. The dad is Don Johnson, actually about 65, as Roger, who gets a part locally in a play but seems to be having trouble remembering his lines. All of these people have issues but they each seem to care about the others, they just don't always know what is a proper way to deal with everything. There is not an "everyone lives happily" resolution here but each character learns something that will surely make the rest of their lives turn out differently. We saw this on Netflix streaming movies.

To me, Indie movies are not really about a deep meaning or some moral lesson that is meant to be learned upon the conclusion of a movie. I mean its nice when it is there, but at the same time, I am perfectly fine if there isnt one. Indie movies are about feeling melancholic, relaxed and careless. They are about forgetting your own troubles for an hour and a half and just enjoying the spectacle. With Alex of Venice I got just that. Its a carefree movie with a central plot of a woman trying to piece her life together after her husband leaves her. It has its holes and misses in the plot but it was never meant to compete for academy awards. It was meant to be enjoyed for its simplicity and I did enjoy it. The movie looks nice with good color patterns and nice soundtracks. Mary Elizabeth is pleasant as the lead and the supporting cast leaves nothing to complain about. If you want to learn a big moral lesson and then write a thesis statement on how divorce affects young women, then this is not your movie. However, if you want to relax for and hour and a half and just watch a nice movie, then give Alex of Venice a shot.

Not to be confused with Venice in the title as the Europe's own Venice. It's a place in Los Agenles, USA. I don't know it is to be called a B movie or an indie, but definitely a decent drama with a decent storyline and cast. Indeed, it was about Alex, a middle age working and married woman with a young son. Her husband who takes care of the household, is now deserted them. So in her busy working life, Alex comes to realise the family bonding, particularly with her son. Then there's her dad and sister who are a troublemaker than any useful. So her life with a new perspective begins, like a self-discovery. This is a directional debut for a supporting actor. He should be directing more films. I really liked it. It was simple and obviously realistic. This thing happens in the real world. So all I felt it was a reflection of someone's real life on the screen. Well written and directed. I liked the cast too. Mary Elizabeth was very good and so the rest of them. This is not an unexpected film, but with its limits it had narrated a fine story. The ratings are not fair. It's surely worth a watch and better than an average. I think only the adult would recognise it from its contents with similar experiences of their own lives. 7/10

I enjoyed this quite simple and straightforward story and script. The lead female character adds to the story and the script with her extremely natural performance and lets the movie flow smoothly. Yes, it could have become a deeper movie at many levels but that would also have taken away from the simplicity of the characters portrayed. I enjoyed it thoroughly and recommend it for a weeknight watch.

Simple, human-centred writing, honest depictions of the average Janes and Joes, and a Don Johnson coming out of nowhere to tug at my heart strings. A story into which I could easily place myself, not because of any personal drama of the kind, but simply on account of the next-door familiarity of the characters and their most usual, run- of-the-mill predicaments. This, without once finding it lacking in pace or boring; a true feat given my short attention span and my intolerance to wasting time. All in all, thank you for this unexpected little gem, Mr. Messina.