Title: A Country Called Home
Arc Entertainment
Director: Anna Axster
Writer: Anna Axster and Jim Beggarly
Cast: Imogen Poots, Mary McCormack, Mackenzie Davis, June Squibb, Shea Whigham, Josh Helman and Ryan Bingham
Running Time: 90 min
Rated: Unrated (Language, Mild Violence)
In Theaters: February 26
VOD & DVD: March 1
Ellie (Imogen Poots, That Awkward Moment) is a a young woman struggling to live in Los Angeles. She gets a call from her stepmother Amanda (Mary McCormack, In Plain Sight) whom tells Ellie that her estranged alcoholic father has passed away. Ellie’s brother wants nothing to do with their dad that abandoned them at a young age, but Ellie feeling the pangs of the duitiful daughter, gets on a plane to Austin Texas and travels to a hole in the wall town where nothing is familiar. She meets grandparents she never knew existed, but is eager to get to know them for what little time she has planned to stay. She befriends Reno (Mackenzie Davis, The Martian), a lone transgender with dreams of becoming a country singer.
The Good: The character of Ellie is such a generic character that represents many of us who dread going home or dealing with people in our family that we can’t escape because they’re family. The fact that I could relate to her somewhat is what made her character likeable.
The Bad: Ellie is an average Joe character that doesn’t have much depth. This is a cliche story about “You can never go home again,” type of situation with an estranged child laying their negligent parent to rest. Gee, what’s gonna happen? Not a whole lot. Maybe she’ll learn a little bit about the negligent parent and feel sorry for them rather than resenting them, then they’ll go home and live their life. Wow what a concept. Since transgenders are subject to be such a hot-button topic, let’s throw a character in there that does nothing to the plot or flow of the story, just to keep it current. Did it matter that Reno was transgender? To make that point a big deal felt a little insulting. Reno was an outcast that defied being put down. Being transgender had nothing to do with that. I also felt that there were too many characters introduced and then never heard from again. The characters that kept coming around weren’t really that interesting to keep track of anyway.
[SPOILER ALERT]
The part that annoyed me the most is when Grandma Judy (June Squibb, 7 Days in Hell)was in a “fashion show” and people were taking so many flash pictures of her that she falls off the stage of the runway…for one last ditch attempt at a comic relief moment to bring in amongst all this dreary drama, let’s throw an old lady off a stage and have her break a bone. LMFAO! ROFL! Who the hell is taking flash photos at a mall fashion show for old ladies? That’s the best you could come up with? Goddamn, that scene alone deserves a punch in the jeans.
A Country Called Home felt confused as to what genre it was intended. Is it a heartfelt drama? Is it a black comedy? It’s not both, and though it kinda is. Regardless, it was forgettable. I wasn’t much impressed.
Acting: C
Story: D
Technical: C
Total Rating: C-
Reviewed by: JM Willis
