Mighty Fine

I was very surprised to see that Mighty Fine has such a low score on IMDb. I can't figure out why that is. It was a very well done movie, with distinctive characters. Chazz Palminteri was excellent as a loving, but troubled father. Andie MacDowell was better in this movie than I have seen her in other films -- less wooden and her accent is strong and consistent. The actress, Jodelle Ferland, is a beauty -- very similar in looks to Megan Fox. The actress playing the younger sister, Rainey Qualley was quite expressive and consistently good. The ending was somewhat unexpected but satisfying. All in all, it's well worth viewing.

I think Mighty Fine is intended to be a coming-of-age drama. It features a voiceover from one of the daughters in the film recounting these things as though she is an older woman now looking back on her past. However, the girls don't do a whole lot in the film and there are many scenes with the father alone because it's really Chazz Palminteri's movie. The main thrust of the story is that this father is a bit crazy and taking it out on his family. The way his moods shift so dramatically it feels like he might be a bit bipolar and he is also struggling with some significant anger issues. I also got the impression that he was spending money a bit too freely, but they never did a good job of showing his financial situation getting the better of him. If that's a key plot point you typically see bill collectors pounding down the door, things being repossessed, or at the very least the main characters agonizing over stacks of unpaid bills. I didn't see any of that in this movie, so I think it failed to deliver the story effectively. IMDb also labels Mighty Fine as a "Comedy" which I can only imagine is because of Andie MacDowell's laughable attempt at an accent. I've heard actors struggle with this kind of language work before, but this accent came and went with each sentence, and always made me chuckle when she overdid it and sounded like the parody of someone from a random European country. The rest of the movie is like a Lifetime drama, and not a good one either. The one positive was that Mighty Fine was short, otherwise it's not worth anyone's time.

The pace of Mighty Fine unfolds beautifully. A family is shown driving from Brooklyn to New Orleans, playing word games and in various levels of excitement over their impending move. The patriarch, Chazz Palminteri, is moving to be closer to his business headquarters, and while his wife, Andie MacDowell, and his younger daughter, Jodelle Ferland, are happy, his older daughter, Rainey Qualley, isn't glad to leave all her friends before the start of her senior year. Chazz buys an exquisite mansion, and everything seems to be wonderful. He's constantly in a great mood, he takes his girls out for a ride on the boat, he encourages Jodelle when she practices playing pool, but the audience is waiting for the other shoe to drop. There's something in the air. Is Chazz going to lose his job? Is Andie going to get a cancer diagnosis? Something bad is going to happen, and when it finally does, it explains everything. This is a very heavy, well-acted family drama. Don't pay attention to any synopses or trailers that try to pass it off as a Little Miss Sunshine road trip. Chazz plays a rage-a-holic who terrifies his family, and his performance is remarkable. He's completely happy and enthusiastic, then when something sets him off, he's quite literally out-of-control. Afterwards, he looks like he barely knows what's happened, and when the realization takes over, he's confused and sorry. The cycle continues, and as anyone who's been on the receiving end knows, it's impossible to relax around him. Adding a touch of sweetness and more than a touch of realism to the cast is mother-daughter team Andie and Rainey-mother-daughter in real life! This is Rainey's film debut, and she wears her emotions on her sleeve in a way that doesn't show her inexperience. Andie puts on an accent in this movie-to make up for Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes, perhaps?-and she shows the underlying strength every mother wishes to have. If you can handle it, this is a great movie to watch for the acting. Kiddy Warning: Obviously, you have control over your own children. However, due to upsetting scenes involving children, I wouldn't let my kids watch it. DLM warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. The opening credits are over a 'home movie' and use a shaky camera that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

I found Mighty Fine very touching and true to what it is really like to be in a family when someone has a mental illness. The cast did a fantastic job of showing what mental illnesses can do to a family - especially bipolar disorder - how things can be fine on minute and explosive the next. I liked the way they portrayed Joe (the dad) as a loving, kind hearted father and then showed what happened when he had an episode - you knew there was something wrong with him, but that he wasn't necessarily a bad person. It definitely brought back memories and felt so real to me! Having dealt with someone who was bipolar in my own life, I found myself relating to the characters and they tugged at my heartstrings. I won't give away the ending...but this is a must see as far as I am concerned!

The problems with "Mighty Fine" begin with the genre. Let's make this clear, it's not a comedy. There are a few moments and lines at the beginning that aren't as serious and fairly humorous, but it's a drama. The plot quickly devolves into a full-on family drama with serious issues where the characters need to rely on their internal strength to rise above. Joe Fine (Chazz Palminteri) moves his whole family from Brooklyn to New Orleans in 1974, and literally he moves them since he didn't tell them in advance. Surprise! Oddly most of the characters don't see anything wrong with that. The other main member of the Fine clan is Maddie (Rainey Qualley) she's the one that doesn't think this is quite right and is the only one we can understand, care for and sympathize with. The younger daughter, Natalie (Jodelle Ferland), is fine too but she's much younger and more care free. The father has money, status and other similar issues. He has a need to provide for his family and if that is ever in jeopardy he becomes increasingly unstable. It unfortunately was probably a common characteristic among war vets of the era. And that's why I have such a problem with this being classified as a comedy. The story probably applies to other families and it's not likely something they want to relive as a light-hearted laugh-fest! I wonder if Adopt Films would be willing to pay for their therapy afterwards? I doubt it. Now that you're fairly warned about the dramatic issues explored, the teenage daughters were good characters, likable, which is pretty important and the young actresses were good (include Andie MacDowell's daughter Rainey Qualley). Palminteri gives a forceful performance but don't expect him to veer too far from his mobster typecast roots. The poorest realized character was the "mother". That word goes in quotation marks because I feel sorry for anybody who was "raised" by that character. She's not a terrible person, she's just not a person. MacDowell put on a terrible European accent and paraded around the house parroting everything that her unstable, deceitful and volatile husband said. Thankfully "Mighty Fine" is pretty short and eventually the daughters become their own role models. Who Might Like This: People who like 70s-era family dramas; people who like stories of teenagers finding the internal strength to rise above their circumstances.

Set in the 70's, a family of 4 moves from their home in Brooklyn to New Orleans to begin a new life. By all appearances this is a happy, thriving family... but, they have a secret. The father, Joe Fine, played by Chazz Palminteri, has anger issues. His wife, Stella, played by Andie McDowell, is an enabler. The daughters, "Maddy" and "Natalie" suffer the consequences of their father's unpredictable mood swings. Joe Fine is the king of his castle, who feels that his self worth is determined by his wealth. He enjoys a lavish lifestyle until overseas competition takes a tole on his business. The prospect of failure puts Joe in a tailspin that nearly causes the destruction of his family. Stella has been abused for so long that the abuse seems normal and she makes excuses for her husband's behavior, rather than confronting him about it. Maddie, the 16 year old daughter, constantly butts heads with her dad and the more demanding he becomes the more she fights back. The youngest daughter, Natalie, is somewhat more forgiving. The movie is told from the vantage point of a grown up Natalie, looking back on her childhood. The narration is provided by Janeane Garofolo. It's been said that a good movie lingers with you long after you've seen it. This is definitely the type of movie that you'll think about, and probably talk about, for quite a while. It's not easy to watch. In fact, there are scenes that will have you holding your breath. During the chat with the author, Debbie Goodstein, and actors, I learned that Joe Fine wanted to be Super Dad, he loved his family and there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for them. This is not at all how I viewed Joe in the movie. When he 'treats' his family to an Elvis Presley concert, an elaborate house, a new car, and jewelry I felt he was trying to make up for the abuses he'd put his family through...like a man who hits his wife and and later brings her flowers and begs for forgiveness. I could not be sympathetic to Joe. In fact, like his daughter, Maddy, the more Joe gave his family, the more I disliked Joe. Without giving away the ending, I'll just say there is hope for this family.

Mighty Fine tells the story of a 1970's family, who move from Brooklyn to New Orleans in search of a better, more prosperous life. The movie paints the picture of Joe Fine's (Chazz Palminteri) love for his wife (Andie MacDowell) and daughters (Jodelle Ferland and Rainey Qualley, Andie MacDowell's daughter in real life) in the beginning of the movie. Joe comes off as being articulate, free-hearted, charismatic, and funny to onlookers - classic signs of a potential abuser. However, a different story gradually and painfully unfolds behind closed doors, especially when it seems like Mighty Fine Fabrics, his business, is about to go under. The oldest daughter refuses to be oblivious, provoking her to rebel against her dad. The mother, on the other hand, tries to pacify her husband, not being aware that she's causing more emotional distress for her daughters. This poignant independent film is based on writer and director, Debbie Goodstein's childhood experiences. It gracefully touches a controversial, yet important subject that regards an abusive parent. It will hit close to home for those who have experienced this traumatizing and enigmatic behavior from someone in the past, especially if it is a family member. Also, this film makes the connection between economic uncertainty and its impact on people whose mental health is already precarious. I enjoyed watching this film, but it was a little disheartening to watch the dad have his family endure an emotionally exhausting and excruciating journey. Each person played their role superbly, bringing their character to life. The only thing I didn't like about the film is that it has verbal (with a small portion of visual) obscenities strewn throughout it. Therefore, I wouldn't consider or advise watching a movie like this with young children.

I recently watched an earlier premiere of Mighty Fine courtesy of Mom Central Consulting. Many of us were able to enjoy a chat while watching the movie as well as a Q&A with the film's actors after wards. Mighty Fine follows a family on the move from Brooklyn to their new home in New Orleans. Joe Fine, played by Chazz Palminteri, is eager to impress his uprooted family with a fine home and extravagant gifts, but when a his business venture and subsequent financial choices take a turn for the worse. Will Joe's wife, played by Andie MacDowell, find the courage do what is needed? Who was my favorite character? I'd have to say Maddie Fine, played by Rainey Qualley. Why? Because she was strong as best as she could be and doesn't back down easily. Mighty Fine premieres in theaters on May 25th. Since it is only showing in select theaters, please check to see if there is a theater near you. *** I participated in a campaign via my site Momma Young at Home on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Mighty Fine and the distributor. I received access to an online showing of the film and a promotional item to thank me for participating. *** Like any truthful film it is a hard pill to swallow, but still a great story.

Mighty Fine focuses on a Jewish-American family in the 1970's after they move from Brooklyn into a luxurious new home in New Orleans. The head of the family is Joe Fine, played by veteran actor and one of my favorite leading men Chazz Palminteri, accompanied by his wife Stella (Andie MacDowell), his oldest daughter Madie (Rainey Qualley), and his younger daughter Natalie (Jodelle Ferland). Joe and Stella are beyond excited for this new change - even Natalie, the young writer of the family holds some dearly strong optimism. The one who objects the most is Madie, who sees her father's allegedly kind gesture as an act of inexcusable selfishness as she had to drop everything, leave her friends, and now assimilate to a culture she doesn't remotely hold interest in. Just when you think this takes over and becomes the facile plot-point of the film, the curve-ball is thrown. We see Joe's descent into madness, with stress at work boiling over his head, family disconnect, and bottled-up rage coming through like never before. He becomes verbally and physically abusive towards his wife and children, threatening violence, embellishing every little mistake, etc. All while Natalie captures her thoughts through diary entries. Mighty Fine is a semi-autobiographical tale of writer/director Debbie Goodstein's childhood, which was surrounded by success with her writing and heartbreak with her father's mental instability. It's admirable to see that the film never seems to channel the lines of self-indulgence or self-satisfaction. It's surprisingly conducted on a small-scale and never seems overreaching. The film is so small-scale, at times, it feels like a TV pilot - a competent one, at that. We get to know the characters, we see their hardships, then when the credits finally role, we realize we wouldn't really mind seeing them again anytime soon. However, at seventy-nine minutes, it feels as if Goldstein was handed the runtime prior to shooting and told to make a film that wouldn't go a minute over eighty. Mighty Fine seems to casually go about its runtime for the first forty to forty-five minutes, then rushes to include the plot-points of stress escalation, characters with mental states on the tipping point, suicidal thoughts, fights, etc in the last thirty minutes. The biggest problem is that this is all happening way too quickly, with certain little plot-strands being abandoned right after they're brought up. Fortunately, Might Fine at least rebounds with its competence and gentle, well-articulated craft of storytelling and focus. The family is given a wide-range or interaction with each other, and Goldstein is essentially filming on an open range with several characters to look at, doing a fine job (or a mighty fine job) of giving them all their own time to shine. This is simple, genial fare, but it remains impressive given its lack of indulgence or mediocrity in tone. Starring: Chazz Palminteri, Andie MacDowell, Rainey Qualley, and Jodelle Ferland. Directed by: Debbie Goldstein.

I recently had the opportunity to preview Mighty Fine which hits theaters on May 25th. I loved the movie and the powerful message that it portrays. I recommend it for everyone to see...It does however have strong language, but I guess that was necessary to go along with the father character, played by Chazz Palminteri. You will fall in love with Rainey Qualley, Andie MacDowell's real life daughter, in her debut as Maddie Fine. The movie will leave you emotionally raw as it opens your eyes to a behind the scenes look at emotional abuse. May be hard to watch for those who have experienced abuse in their own lives. Great cast, great movie!!