C'mon C'mon - Review

 

A slow paced, black and white drama film would likely be the immediate enemy of a casual film viewer. Yet Mike Mills (“Beginners,” “20th Century Women”) has been here before, with dramatic family works either in color or black and white, and he’s succeeded so remarkably in the past. Nothing has changed with his latest film, “C’mon C’mon”, as he continues to showcase his intelligence and strength for humanizing, small moment dramas.

The basic premise seems like a recipe for misery on the surface. Radio journalist Johnny, played by Joaquin Phoenix (“Joker,” “Walk the Line”), is asked by his sister Viv, played by Gabby Hoffmann (“Transparent,” “Uncle Buck”), if he will come and watch his nephew, played by Woody Norman (“Poldark,” “Catastrophe”), for her while she visits her estranged husband, played by Scoot McNairy (“Argo,” “Monsters”), as she attempts to help him get checked into a facility for his mental illness.

Quite the heavy subject material, but Mills, who also wrote the film, moves through everything swiftly by tinting every moment with a slight comedic edge. There’s never any outright jokes or comedic situations; instead the authenticity of the characters and the absurdity of real life helps smiles bubble to the surface throughout the film. It’s the kind of picture that’ll leave you smiling and tearing up in equal measure, sometimes in the same scenes.

Phoenix is just about perfect. His role of Johnny lacks any “method actor” flare to hide behind, and instead becomes a showcase for Phoenix’s pure human charms. He has a big mushy heart at the center of him, and even as Johnny tries to put up some curmudgeonly walls between him and his nephew, it's impossible not to fall in love with him and his quirks.

Hoffmann is also excellent, providing a strong level headed counter to Phoenix’s flaky nature, yet not without her own quirky charms that help make Viv a beaming light of wonderful broken energy. Yet, they are both established, fantastic actors, so we don’t need to talk about them. Who we need to talk about is Woody Norman.

The young British actor hasn’t really had a breakout moment yet, but this is absolutely it. As nephew Jesse, he’s precocious and clearly has something going on in his head, but Mills is never concerned with that. Instead, Mills sets Jesse and Johnny up like an odd couple, and Norman clearly embraces that. It’s the kind of work that seems so legitimate and real that you forget you’re watching a young kid play a young kid. He disappears into it and makes you feel like the entire film is just built around him acting like a kid, unaware of the cameras and famous movie stars around him.

One of the most interesting choices the film makes is to splice in the interviews Johnny records throughout. His project, report, etc. is to interview young kids across the country about how they think the world is and how it will one day end up. This fuels much of his interactions with Jesse, as he goes from spending all day talking to kids who are practically required to respond eloquently to a young kid who clearly can’t express himself as well as them, and it creates a fabulous balance between the two.

These interviews go a step further though and help to further cement the achingly minimalist and real feeling of the picture. It’s never stated if these interviews are scripted or are real, but they feel so palpable that it helps to sell everything even more. The best way to tell this kind of simple, grounded story is to go small and minimalist, and these scenes are the cherry on top of the simplicity cake that is “C’mon C’mon.”

The score and cinematographer also help contribute to this low boil, calm realistic atmosphere. Composers Bryce and Aaron Dessner (“Big Sur,” “Transpecos”) deliver a crackling score that sounds as warm and understated as the film grain that covers the screen, and cinematographer Robbie Ryan (“The Favourite,” “Marriage Story”) shoots everything as simply as possible, going for wide open shots and close ups in long takes to sell the relationships and atmosphere.

“C’mon C’mon” is Mills’ simplest work yet. His previous features were all slightly more conventional dramady pieces, and simplicity does not a perfect film make. Yet Mills has managed to take the barest of elements and deliver a heart wrenching work of honest love. This is a slice of life picture that never feels dire or overwrought, never precocious, yet also never aimless. Phoenix, Hoffmann, and especially Norman are all superb, and it's the kind of quiet film that worms its way into your brain, but also, most importantly, your heart. 5/5