All Is Bright (2013) Anchor Bay/Comedy-Drama RT: 107 minutes Rated R (language, brief nudity) Director: Phil Morrison Screenplay: Melissa James Gibson Music: Graham Reynolds Cinematography: W. Mott Hupfel III Release date: October 4, 2013 (Philadelphia, PA) Cast: Paul Giamatti, Paul Rudd, Sally Hawkins, Amy Landecker, Tatyana Richaud, Adam Phillips, Colman Domingo. Box Office: $4,556 (US)
Rating: **
In life, there are people who are doomed to eternal failure. No matter what they do, they never seem able to get ahead. We call them “losers”. Here’s my question. Why is it that independent filmmakers feel compelled to make so-called comedies about such characters?
I might be one of the few people who didn’t like Cyrus a few years back. I don’t want to appear heartless, but I simply don’t see the point in watching losers pathetically bumble their way through life. I’m not saying that all of these movies are bad, but most of them are really depressing, like the holiday-themed All Is Bright which is anything but bright and cheery. It’s a story of two not very likable losers trying to earn some cash by selling Christmas trees. Almost everybody needs one of those, right? It should be easy money, but these guys have a way of keeping customers away from their lot.
The premise has comic possibilities, but director Phil Morrison (Junebug) steeps his tale in too much realism for my taste. All Is Bright is one of those movies filled with characters that are either morose or hostile and no-win scenarios. It’s also very predictable. You instinctively know if the main characters do manage to find a measure of success and/or happiness, something will happen that robs them of their small victory.
The other thing is that All Is Bright just isn’t funny. I understand it’s a different style of comedy, some have compared it to Anton Chekhov, but that doesn’t do anything to hide the fact that I felt zero compassion for the protagonists of this depressing and melancholy piece.
Dennis (Giamatti, The Ides of March) has just been released from a Quebec prison after serving four years for robbery. The only problem is he has nothing to come home to. He doesn’t even have a home. Not only has his wife Therese (Landecker, Enough Said) given up on their marriage, she’s also told their young daughter Michi (Richaud) that he died of cancer. Adding insult to injury, she’s taken up with his best friend and former partner-in-crime Rene (Rudd, This Is 40) who plans to marry her as soon as his wife grants him a divorce.
With no employment prospects, Dennis asks Rene for a straight job after punching him square in the eye. Reluctantly, Rene takes on Dennis as an unequal partner in his latest business venture, selling Christmas trees in Brooklyn. Even though it violates his parole, Dennis sneaks across the Canadian border with Rene to begin an uneasy and acrimonious partnership. Their business venture is doomed pretty much from the start as a rival tree lot literally springs up overnight right across the street from their garbage-strewn lot. The locals aren’t exactly welcoming of the French-Canadian visitors. It doesn’t help that neither one of them knows the first thing about running a business or customer relations. They have a knack for driving business away with their aggressive tactics and constant bickering over Therese.
Things start to brighten a bit when Olga (Hawkins, Blue Jasmine), a Russian immigrant housesitting for a wealthy periodontist, purchases a tree and asks for it to be delivered. She and Dennis form sort of a friendship even though he steals an expensive candy dish from the house after delivering the tree. As the days wear on, the two men continue to fight each other while trying to earn an honest buck, something neither one of them has much experience with. I think you can guess the rest of it.
The best word to describe All Is Bright is lame. This movie is totally lame in every way. It’s not a terrible movie, just an extremely unremarkable and forgettable one. The chemistry between the two leads feels forced and artificial. Giamatti has been a busy bee as of late, appearing in Parkland and Romeo and Juliet as well as upcoming titles 12 Years a Slave and Saving Mr. Banks. His character in All Is Bright is not unlike many of his other roles in that he plays yet another schlub. The only difference here is the serious set of walrus whiskers he’s sporting. I’ve never been all that impressed with Rudd. I can take him or leave him. He’s okay in this movie.
However, the fact remains that both of these guys are losers. The main difference between them is that Dennis knows he’s a loser while Rene is one of those big-talkers in serious denial about his station in life. I can also point out that Dennis has more misanthropic tendencies than his partner. I’d even argue that the guy has a few loose screws judging by the way he deals with the owner of the competing Christmas tree lot. This is interesting when you consider that Dennis claims to be going straight. His ultimate goal is to make enough money to buy his daughter a piano for Christmas. Without going into a lot of detail, let’s just say Laurel and Hardy have a better grasp on the art of incompetent piano moving than these pathetic jokers.
What I’m getting at is both of the main characters are unlikable; as such, it’s difficult to feel any sympathy or compassion for them. In short, I just didn’t care. All Is Bright is far too bleak for me to classify it as a comedy. It’s a joyless, depressing affair. It’s the cinematic equivalent to a lump of coal in the stocking. There’s absolutely nothing merry about it. It will only appeal to those who regard Surviving Christmas as a great holiday comedy. It makes me long for the sugary sappiness of It’s a Wonderful Life. The makers of this movie belong on Santa’s naughty list. Forget “ho, ho, ho!”; try “No, no, NO!”
