The Hollars (2016) Review!!!

Synopsis – A man returns to his small hometown after learning that his mother has fallen ill and is about to undergo surgery.

My Take – Films with families coming together where one sibling his been absent for years that has in turn led to rivalry and jealously are not exactly new ground. Each have their own personal struggles which run under the surface of the main plot, but in the end the family realizes that the true happiness in life is each other. This is a film I had read about for a while mainly because of the actors involved, particularly Krasinski, Anna Kendrick and Sharlto Copley. When I finally got around to watching it, it was exactly what I expected and also nothing like I expected at the same time, mainly as this John Krasinski directed film never feels overly familiar thanks largely to the golden rule of film making, that a good script is king! How dramas of this type work often depend on how engaging the characters are and connecting with them at an early stage. Here, in his sophomore effort, as a film director, following 2009’s ‘Brief Interviews with Hideous Men’, Krasinski cleverly never makes you like anyone in-particular too much or too little, tugging at the heart strings just right. Krasinski assembled a top notch group of actors here who clearly know their craft. This could have been a play on stage, but has enough drama to work well on screen. The story follows John Hollar (John Krasinski), a struggling insecure graphic novelist, with a pregnant girlfriend Rebecca (Anna Kendrick) living in New York. Upstate his father, Don Hollar (Richard Jenkins) is running a failing family business, while his brother Ron Hollar (Sharlto Copley), has just been fired by their Dad for warning him they’re days away from bankruptcy. Ron has his own problems, going through a divorce from his wife Stacey (Ashley Dyke) and missing his two daughters, resulting in somewhat dysfunctional behavior. It is in this setting that the patriarchal mother of the household Sally Hollar (Margo Martindale) discovers she has a brain tumor, forcing the brothers together and the father to re- evaluate him and the mistakes he may have made before it’s too late.

A subplot involves John meeting his old flame Gwen (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who has now married high school friend turned hospital nurse Jason (Charlie Day) who in turn is a bit of a dick. Will John resolve his own issues and see what is right in front of him, how will the father cope with his impending loss and can Ron find a peaceful solution to his messy divorce & cope with his wife’s new love in the form of the affable Reverand Dan (Josh Groban) – Such are the dilemmas facing this familiar feeling family. This has to be the most honest and hilarious dysfunctional family comedy I’ve seen in recent years. What I loved most about this film is how relatable it is, by showing how families are absolutely dysfunctional and in every single way is like our own families in a comical and real way. I think it all stems from Jim Strouse’s script that gives us a look at a family that is reflective of the ones we the audiences have. The story just flows naturally becomes I think it comes from a very real and truthful place. You don’t have to have grown up in a small town. and you can still relate to the banter, the anger, the argument, the jealousy, and the heartbreak. The film is billed as a ‘comedy-drama’ and I’d say that is pretty accurate, with the funniest bits coming up in the first half of the film (with the best of those featured prominently in the film’s trailer, which I had seen beforehand). The second half of the film is far more introspective, and for me the better part of the film. When John asks his mom how she managed to get through 38 years of marriage, Sally responds “Don’t waste time with the bad, live with the good. I’ve had a good marriage for 38 years.” The comedy in the film is so ferocious so whenever the drama does kick in, you feel it all the much stronger. The humor is laugh out loud funny without being overdone, and so beautifully done. It’s one of the beautiful things about independent films, you don’t have to create elaborate story lines or crazy schemes to make a film funny, life itself has funny moments. As a film buff myself, I know it’s not easy to do comedy and heartfelt moments in the same film, and yet Krasinski as a director here pulled it off beautifully. At times you laugh while you’re still crying. His choices for musical interludes, his camera placement, and his excellent tear jerking moments, all speak to his clear talent in the director’s chair. John Krasinski refreshingly manages to play off any festival circuit predictability despite obvious Sundance appeal. You’ve seen cinematic families like this before, laughed at their dysfunction, and suffered their heartbreaks – but Krasinski’s latest genre addition is different. This family drama-dey soulfully hits on all of life’s beginnings, middles and ends with a wacky sincerity, strolling through the motions with a little more pep then most. Like I said, you’ve seen this all before – just typically less jubilant, and with dead generics where emotional fireworks should explode. It only saddens me that he is so good, as this probably means he will be doing less acting which is a shame for all of Hollywood. Sundance veteran James Strouse (Lonesome Jim, Grace is Gone, The Winning Season, People Places Things) has filled the screenplay subtle and clever moments that elevate it from the broad strokes of a typical Sundance dramedy.

However, the film has some negative points going towards it, mainly as the film simply has too much going on to ever really focus on one storyline in enough depth to make it succeed. The main plot that is detailed in the summary regarding Sally Hollar’s illness almost seems like a subplot at sometimes, taking the backseat to John’s drama or Ron’s drama or Don’s drama. Yes, those are their names. I like that each character is complex with their own personal lives outside of the story arc, but too many things are focused on when more time could have been spent with Margo Martindale‘s terrific performance than with Josh Groban. I was also particularly confused at the brevity of some of the story lines that ran throughout. Once it was introduced, I expected the storyline with Mary Elizabeth Winstead‘s unhappy Gwen and her husband, Jason who also happens to be Sally’s nurse and John’s old classmate. Oh yeah, Gwen is also John’s ex girlfriend. But John is now dating and having a baby with Rebecca. You can read how ‘Gossip Girl’ it all sounds, thankfully, the strong points weight higher than the negatives. Being a fan of The Office for so many years, I was worried to see Krasinski in something different and without the chemistry of his co-stars on the show. But he accomplished something that’s very rare- I was able to watch him and forget that he was Jim Halpert and made me believe that he was a different character. Not just John playing Jim playing John, but just being that character. I could watch him without feeling like I was watching the same character. Not just John‘s performance was outstanding though, the whole case ensemble is simply fantastic. Sharlto Copley plays a role very different from previous performances and handles the American accent with ease, in probably his most funniest role yet while Anna Kendrick was spectacular. Though some might disagree, I believe Kendrick was extremely subtle with how she played her character. She slowly snuck up on you as a complicated person, while not overdoing it as most actors and actresses tend to do in a smaller role. She was heroic in this film, in a very real-life, down-to-earth, generous way. Ashley Dyke does well to make you notice her in a part with little characterization. Richard Jenkins is alright. Others such as Josh Groban, Charlie Day and the aforementioned Mary Elizabeth Winstead were convincing in their small roles. But the scene stealer here is without doubt Margo Martindale. I have no doubt that Margo Martindale will be criminally under looked when it comes to award season for her role of the mother. One of those actresses, who we must have seen hundreds of times, has assured I will always know her name after this performance. As much as I love those big blockbuster films, sometimes it’s nice to kick back and watch a simple film with a simple story line that’s so wonderfully done. This film was truly a surprise, and if it were up to me should be put up for a couple award nominations. On the whole, ‘The Hollars’ is a simple Independent film that is not overwhelmingly original but wins over with its heart and beauty.