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Friday
01May2009

Movie Review - 'Lymelife'

DateFriday, May 1, 2009 at 5:17PM
Lymelife

Starring Rory Culkin, Alec Baldwin, and Emma Roberts
Directed by Derrick Martini
Rated R

lymelifeposter.jpg I think Swine Flu is made up. I don't know why it popped up now and I don't know who did it, but it smacks of fearmongering more than legitimate, justifiable concern. Compare it to the Spanish Flu pandemic of the early 20th century, which killed somewhere between 40 and 50 million people. Now that's something to be afraid of.

In Lymelife, Brenda Bartlett (Jill Hennessey) is a little overprotective of her son, Scott (Rory Culkin), afraid that the teenager will contract lyme disease from walking through the woods near their New York home, especially since there is some cause for concern closer to home.

The Bartlett's neighbor, Charlie Bragg (Timothy Hutton), has developed a pretty severe case of lyme disease, and now spends most of his time staring out windows in his basement and hallucinating about deer. Apparently, that's how he contracted it in the first place.

The lyme disease isn't the story but the window dressing, and while it's funny to see Culkin duct taped into his clothes so the ticks can't get at him, this is really a coming-of-age story that doesn't come of age. Scott has a strained relationship with his mother and his father (Alec Baldwin).

He has a lot more in common with his brother (played by his real brother, Keiran) and the girl next door, Charlie Bragg's daughter Adrianna (Emma Roberts). As you might suspect, there's more to the relationship between Scott and Adrianna than just attending the same school, or at least that's what Scott hopes to prove to her. The connection with people your own age is not uncommon in movies or in life, but curiously, the film's strongest moments are when it pairs Scott with one of his parents.

Mostly, Lymelife is - to paraphrase Pirandello - six or seven characters in search of a screenplay. They all seem game, and Baldwin brings the thunder like he always does. Hutton is good. Emma Roberts is surprisingly effective in the kind of role that ordinarily doesn't offer much for young actresses. But co-writer-director Derrick Martini doesn't prove the case of why this chapter in their lives is the one worth watching.

The characters are well-written and there isn't a weak link in the ensemble, but the action is, frankly, pretty boring. Consequences are hard to find, and our interest is hard to keep. Maybe if they had some real sizzle, like inventing the Swine Flu out of mid-air or something.

AuthorColin Boyd | | in | Print ArticlePrint Article | | Comment3 Comments |

Reader Comments (3)

Bunch of suckers, we Americans. It has been a slow news month to be sure, when the media starts grasping at straws like this. Someone sold an ess-load of Tamiflu this week though...

To stay on topic though, I'm glad to see the Culkin kids keep finding work. This might be what I see to avoid the Wolverine crowds this weekend. Thanks for the review!

Saturday, May 2, 2009 | Unregistered CommenterWill

Keiran Culkin in Igby Goes Down was one of the great performances nobody saw. He was tremendous in that. Mac was great in Saved, too.

Saturday, May 2, 2009 | Registered CommenterColin Boyd

i agree with the cmnt above.
the culkins are amazing actors and very unappreciated
because people are wasting their time with actors like zac efron.
also, i didn't find lymelife boring in ANY way
i saw it yesterday and it was everything i expected and even more
rory was absolutely brilliant.

Saturday, May 2, 2009 | Unregistered Commentersid

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