Tribeca 2014: Mary Elizabeth Winstead's Alex of Venice Review

Tribeca Film Festival 2014 Review: ALEX OF VENICE

by Eric Cohen

ALEX OF VENICE, a freshman effort directed by actor Chris Messina, is one of those independent dramas that detail the repercussions of the end of a relationship. The kind of story that focuses on the effect this has on one character and how they’re left picking up the pieces by taking on responsibilities they had hitherto neglected. In the case of ALEX OF VENICE, this particular character is a career driven environmental lawyer who lives in a house near Venice Beach with her aging, actor-father, young son and a stay-at-home husband who does all the cleaning, housework, dealings with the affairs regarding their son’s school and even manages the care of his father-in-law. Messina also takes on the role of the husband who is burned out and currently reflecting on what he has sacrificed in spite of all of this. And so he decides he wants a break.

The film’s primary POV is viewed through the wife played by Mary Elizabeth Winstead (SCOTT PILGRIM SAVES THE WORLD, the Tarantino directed segment of GRINDHOUSE and the underwhelming “prequel” to THE THING). And the separation couldn’t happen at a more inopportune time: she is currently facing a major environmental case that will take up the majority of her life not to mention an upcoming birthday celebration for her father, a party she is totally unprepared for. To complicate things further, she is now left dealing with the psychological effect this has on her kid and the possibility her father is experiencing the onset of Alzheimer’s. Thus the movie is about one character’s journey of challenge followed by her self discovery.

Messina does some good work both as director and actor (his most prominent role might be that of Jane Fonda’s son in the HBO series THE NEWSROOM). In fact, the entire cast are fine in this. Winstead is the type-A personality of the family what with a well-meaning but flaky sister (who has arrived on the scene to lend her support) and a too laid back father who just wants to act, hang out with friends and family, and smoke dope. A Lebowski-type who doesn’t want to think too hard on how to live his life or contribute to the responsibilities when it comes to maintaining the household. Which brings us to ALEX OF VENICE’s most pleasant surprise. The father in question is played by none other than Don Johnson who is very, very good in a kind of role I’ve never seen him play before. A subplot surfaces regarding his being accepted for a part in Chekov’s The Cherry Orchard. And how the difficulty in memorizing his lines suggests that something neurological is afoot. But Winstead is also excellent at playing a woman who might have married too young, became a mother too young and let the world pass her by without noticing the changes or burden this was having on her family.

While the movie is most definitely a “drama,” it is not without its moments of humor which spotlights the protagonist’s awkwardness of suddenly being without a partner and having to navigate life as a single mom. However, ALEX OF VENICE is not without issues as the screenplay by Jessica Goldberg, Katie Nehra and Justin Shilton seem to depend on “cute” plot contrivances like the potential romance that develops between Winstead’s lead and the entrepreneur who is being sued by the organization she represents. Or how her sister cajoles her into taking ecstasy just before she finds out her son had not been attending school for over a week. Plus the juxtapositioning of Winstead’s uptight professional vs the laid back nature of her sister and dad often smacks of cliche.

But the performances and Messina’s directing style – while not completely making up for these problems – manages to help the film succeed in ways it may not have initially deserved. Especially since attempts are made at exploring the grey areas regarding personal responsibility when it comes to these things. While Messina’s departure from his family life initially indicates a certain selfishness on his part, Winstead’s Alex grows painfully aware that she is complicit on the whys and hows they ended up this way. Even the arguments regarding the defense of the entrepreneur -  a man who has invested in the building of a spa that may or may not pose as an ecological threat – are valid and seem to present a much bigger issue than the environmentalists are willing to allow. And this character (played by Derek Luke) is not presented as an opportunist taking advantage of Alex’s attraction to him in order to win his case. You get the sense there is genuine attraction and respect there. As his goals are all about improving the state of the local economy in ways that are very sincere.

Rounding out the cast are Julianna Guill (as the sister), Skylar Gaertner (as the son) and Jennifer Jason Leigh as the leader of the environmental group. Her role amounts to no more than a glorified cameo, unfortunately.

So I guess my feelings for ALEX OF VENICE can be best summed up with this: it’s an okay movie. Well acted and directed but not quite as insightful or moving as the screenwriters would want you to believe. While it concludes in a realistic if open-ended manner, it is not anything we haven’t seen before. But it does have that surprise performance by Don Johnson and a very capable cast. And it appears that Messina has a future as a director to look out for.

Tribeca Film Fest: 'Alex Of Venice'

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Katie Nehra, and Chris Messina star in a frank portrait of a woman forced to revaluate her life and career in "Alex Of Venice." They join us live before the film's world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.

Originally aired on April 19, 2014

Hosted by: Ricky Camilleri

UPDATED 04/20/2014

‘Alex of Venice’ Review: Another Stirring, Sterling Performance From Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Mary Elizabeth Winstead has the “one to watch” thing down pat. The former teen actress has now blossomed into one of independent film’s most reliable and relatable leading ladies and her steady rise up the cinematic ranks – from the drunken darkness of Smashed to the dark humor of Faults, with a little The Thing and A Good Day to Die Hard thrown in for a touch of blockbuster fun– has long been someone worth watching, and now. For his directorial debut, actor Chris Messina has quite wisely built a story around Winstead’s charms, setting her up as the eponymous Alex for his Alex of Venice, an amiable outing that serves as yet another reminder that Winstead is more than enough of a draw on her own.

The Jury Has Reached a Verdict: ALEX OF VENICE is Guilty of Being Great

You could not have cast a better lead than Winstead in the role of Alex. She has matured from her early roles in horror films, to more impressive fare such as Smashed. She has grace, courage, knows how to move the audience and the camera loves her. While her resume up 'til now is a mix of blockbusters (Final Destination 3, Live Free or Die Hard) and indie favorites (Scott Pilgrim vs. the World), this will change as she continues to grow into her profoundly blossoming career. This is an actress ready to do great things. As Alex, she always wears a look of determination, even when she's exhausted and losing the new battles thrown at her: learning how to be alone, taking care of her family and keeping the job she's worked her entire life for. Alex is a tender soul but does her damndest to keep it together. It's an admirable trait not many can do, let alone be challenged with.

UPDATED 04/21/2014

Tribeca Review: ‘Alex Of Venice’ Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Don Johnson and Chris Messina

Likewise, cheating on any emotional journey will always disorient the viewer. Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s Alex goes from realizing she’s only slept with one guy ever (her husband) to planning on sleeping with someone within the awkward span of five minutes–and this doesn’t feel in keeping with her character (she resists for about a blip). A lack of orientation flaws the film too. We’re not sure if her husband has been AWOL for a few days or weeks, so when she decides to unadvisedly sleep with the rival party in her lawsuit (a businessman played by the undervalued, always good Derek Luke) within the span of another five minutes, the moment feels rushed and the consequent affair, unnatural.

Alex Of Venice Review

As can be expected when an actor sits behind the camera, Alex of Venice enjoys a performer’s showcase of work from the ensemble, including a mesmerizing Winstead, who explores a new maternal side of her onscreen persona. Alex is an exceedingly fastidious mother who works in the abstract to provide a loving home for her family. She fights the good fight in court because she is determined to make a cleaner world for her son and (long-unborn) grandchildren, and she butts heads with her free-spirited sister, because Lily’s idea of planning is to decide which ride she’ll take her nephew on next while they’re playing hooky. But as Alex’s life swings wildly in opposing directions after George leaves home, she must reevaluate priorities she did not even know existed, an argument that George crystallizes when her first reaction to his absence is “who will cook the steaks tomorrow.” Like the burnt and blackened beef at the next day’s barbecue, Alex’s life might need a new technique.
In many ways, Alex serves as a companion performance to another remarkable turn by Winstead in 2012’s vastly underrated Smashed. At first glance, the characters could not be further apart given how much control Alex enjoys as her family’s breadwinner and anchor, as opposed to a life left ablaze and at the bottom of a flaming cocktail drink. Yet, Winstead’s character in Smashed starts from that empty shot glass when she is forced to reconsider her marriage and choices that led to this woeful alcoholism, and Alex’s responsible tranquility is too burned down, culminating in a hypnotic daze of purple after she is lulled into her first (and likely only) drug experience for the movie’s most humorous sequence. It is a fascinatingly conflicted female character who’s allowed depths and nuances rarely glimpsed in stories told on the big screen anymore, and Winstead savors every moment with some of her best work to date

TRIBECA FEST: Alex of Venice

As the film navigates these narrative threads it gets off to a promising start, establishing the perspectives of each individual. Each actor also seems perfectly cast, giving uniformly sharp performances. In particular, Winstead and Johnston are simply outstanding in their roles. In fact, Johnson almost steals the film from Winstead, nailing every scene he's in and hitting some of the biggest emotional beats. Unfortunately, the writing doesn't go quite deep enough, leaving some characters shortchanged. The wide scope is a bit out of the writers' grasp, as the diffuse nature of the material ends up making many scenes feel rushed. It's clear that there's a great concept behind it, but the execution needed some more fine-tuning. Unfortunately, Chris Messina's direction is unable to hide these flaws. So the cliché moody scenes of Alex staring pensively into the distance and walking down lonely streets feel empty.

All these issues are primarily found in the film's first half however, as it eventually builds up to an lovely ending that wraps up everything nicely for all the characters. All the depth that was lacking at the start is saved for this climax. It's poignant and emotionally affecting. It's a shame that the entire film didn't capture this spirit, but at least it leaves a strong last impression.

UPDATED 04/21/2014

Video Interview: Mary Elizabeth Winstead

UPDATED 04/23/2014

Tribeca Film Review: ‘Alex of Venice’

As so many mainstream films venture further into the screamingly implausible, indie efforts veer toward the understated and mundane, their realism obviating any perceived need for drama. But the pleasures of well-observed characters and small epiphanies are undeniable, and “Alex of Venice,” actor Chris Messina’s directing debut, is amply supplied with both, thanks to Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s extraordinary performance: Registering profound shocks with slight ripples rather than big emotions, she quietly commands attention. But the film around her proceeds more unevenly, determined more by actors’ rhythms than by the structure of the whole. The result will attract connoisseurs of the laid-back.

The film belongs to Winstead, whose minor-key thesping proves as compelling as her heavy lifting in “Smashed.” Alex’s gradual metamorphosis into a richer, more fully realized young woman is accomplished in hundreds of tiny emotional brushstrokes, flitting across her girl-next-door wholesomeness in ever-shifting patterns.