JUNEBUG (2005)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
"Junebug" is one of those rarities - a cinematic treat that works in many ways, and yet undercuts most of what it could have delivered. It has promise, skill, choice lines of dialogue, a fine cast, but they do not coalesce to deliver the socko punch of a family drama.
Don't get me to say that I am one of those who expect a family drama to be unambiguous and clear-cut - not at all. One of my favorite dramas dealing with the breakdown of a family, minus clichés and melodrama, was "Shoot the Moon." One of the worst was a little-known melodrama about parental abuse called "Firstborn" (oddly, those two films starred Peter Weller). I also admire an understated style, as in "Ordinary People," and the hyperbolic stylings of "American Beauty." "Junebug" is in the understated category, and it details the breakdown of a family minus clichés and melodrama.
A pair of young Chicago newlyweds, Madeleine (Embeth Davidtz) and George (Alessandro Nivola), are headed to North Carolina. One aspect of their trip is for Madeleine to promote a bold and original painter for a showing at an art gallery. While they are in town, Madeleine meets George's family who give new definition to the word repression. George's mother, Peg (Celia Weston), is anything but friendly. George's brother, Johnny (Benjamin McKenzie), barely makes much eye contact, has trouble operating a VCR and has a giddy pregnant wife, Ashley (Oscar-nominated Amy Adams). There is also George's virtually silent father, Eugene (Scott Wilson), whose primary goal is to find his Philips screwdriver. Not exactly a happy household that spreads good cheer.
Peg and Eugene are the version of real-life parents that we probably have encountered at one time or another. They are humorless, devoid of emotion, and barely up for small talk. Peg seems happiest at a baby shower whereas Eugene merely walks through life, perhaps having given up on any social interaction.
Johnny is happiest at work and absolutely miserable at home (his mother is always pestering him). There is some tension, perhaps some unspoken feud, with his brother George, though we never learn what that is. Johnny loves his wife Ashley, but he may not be ready for a baby or a life with her. As Ashley suggests in the movie's best line, "God loves you the way you are, but he loves you too much to let you stay that way."
It is only Ashley that seems like the bright angel who can set this family in a more hopeful direction. She is the inquisitive type, excited to see her brother-in-law and his new bride. Ashley asks Madeleine questions a mile a minute, and seems to brighten Madeleine's day.
"Junebug" is a movie about character interaction, setting each character to interact with the other, often isolating two at a time in individual rooms (it is surprising that the film was not adapted from a play). Madeleine tries to reason and understand Johnny's pain. Peg and Eugene, in again individual moments, do not respond to Madeleine's humor. Ashley tries to have some fun activities with Madeleine, including having their nails painted and going to a mall - their relationship is the only one that actually does work. Johnny is consistently berated by his mother, and takes out his aggression on Ashley. Peg obviously prefers her other son, George, though he doesn't figure as much in the action.
"Junebug" is the feature debut of director Phil Morrison (from a script by Angus MacLachlan), and it is a stunning achievement. Morrison has an eye for character detail and meticulous attention paid to tone (it may be too soon to say it but he's parading on Tennessee Williams' territory and that is a good thing). The screenplay, acting and the largely rigid camerawork exemplify a rare grace unseen in most current films. If I have a couple of gripes, it is the portrayal of the far too repressed character of Eugene, George's father. The insight is in the wearying wrinkles and his lack of communication but this guy would've been more at home in Edith Wharton land than in the 2000 decade of South Carolina. That is not to say that such characters do not exist in modern times, they do, but such pure scrutiny to reality is not always the best route when you present such a character with no true inner life.
The same can be said for George and Madeleine who exist more as characters defined by their work than anything else. Madeleine may be soul searching, thanks to a subtle reawakening by Ashley, so that is a forgivable slight on the screenwriter's part (and her final scenes as played by Davitz are a revelation). Unfortunately, George's character is practically left in the sidelines. Though we understand George is a clear favorite son of his mother's, any other insights are to be gained by inference, not by ambiguity.
"Junebug" is a fascinating, troubling, exasperating, exhausting, quietly affecting drama but it lacks something pungent, something more forceful. The movie is all about ambiguities and not much depth, and such ambiguity serves some characters better than others. In the case of Ashley, she is such an incandescent beauty that it is surprising that none of the other characters can crack a smile in her presence.
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