THE DAYTRIPPERS (1996)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
(Originally reviewed in 1997)
Road movies have always been treats to watch because you feel you've been on one yourself and can, therefore, identify with the characters who are heading on some kind of unknown odyssey. The road movie genre is part of a very long tradition that includes everything from "Easy Rider" to "Thelma and Louise" to 1996's riotous "Flirting With Disaster." "The Daytrippers" is not in the same league as those classics, but it is a sweet, calm precious little movie that should not be overlooked.
The movie starts with a sweet married couple on their way home from Thanksgiving. They are Louis D'Amico, a book editor (played by the charismatic Stanley Tucci), and his blonde AND MUCH TOO SWEET WIFE, Eliza D'Amico (Hope Davis). They arrive home, and make love. There is nothing here to suggest a troubling marriage until the next morning when Eliza finds a love note to her husband. She is a little startled by it but not too upset. Considering her befuddlement, she goes to her mother's house to show the note. The mother, Rita (Anne Meara), is alarmed and insists on taking the whole family, including her husband, Jim (Pat McNamara), their younger daughter, Jo Malone (Parker Posey) and her boyfriend, Carl (Liev Schreiber), to find Eliza's husband in the city and confront him. I don't know of any family that would embark on such a journey but anything can happen in New York, which is where this movie takes place.
The main reason "The Daytrippers" works is because the characters are captivating and show their true colors. This movie could be the basis for a sitcom with one-liners stretched throughout and endless comic set-ups, but writer-director Greg Mottola wisely opts for a genial, warm tone that is unheard of in most movies today.
The actors are a mixed bag but they are pleasurable to watch and listen to. The star of this bunch is Anne Meara (Ben Stiller's mother) as the overbearing mother Rita who dotes on her daughters and simultaneously destroys their relationships. Her philosophy is that she will stand by them, but she will not allow them to screw up their own lives. Parker Posey, the omnipresent indie star of the moment, is indelibly gracious and alluring as Jo Malone, the younger, trashier-looking daughter (I would have loved to have seen more of her). Liev Schreiber is marvelously witty as Jo's boyfriend who prattles on about his novel concerning a man with the head of a dog, and he has a smartly written scene with a novelist (the grand Campbell Scott) where they argue about politics and the social classes. Stanley Tucci has a cameo appearance but his presence resonates throughout this oddball road trip - his final scene at a book party is a revelation. The one character that does not work is the crucial role of Eliza. As played by the pallid Hope Davis, she constantly appears unconcerned, reticent and blank - excuse me, but shouldn't she show a little concern and be just a tad upset at the notion that her husband might be having an affair? Her last scene in the film is a travesty to witness.
"The Daytrippers" is good enough to admire on its own merits. Excluding Hope Davis, the casting is impeccable, the grainy color photography brings an inviting sense of homeliness and reality, and the writing is consistently delightful. If only director Mottola let these "daytrippers" embark on the road with no specific agenda or plot to carry them through but rather just to make it as a study in observation, then we might have had a minor classic here.
