|
Reviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
MILWAUKEE, MINNESOTA
In the permafrost world of a Midwest winter, director Allan Mindel's debut
feature film, Milwaukee, Minnesota, focuses on a small and barely
surviving town that is home to a unique celebrity, Albert - the best
ice fisher in Wisconsin. Such a skill might be overlooked; however, Albert
(Troy Garity) is mentally disabled. His idiot-savant-like talent causes a
stir amongst the surrounding townspeople, not the least because he's won a
fairly substantial sum of prize-winning money.
Albert's claim-to-fame for hearing fish swimming below thick ice is peculiar
by any standard. Too bad this same gift doesn't help him hear the subversive
inner thoughts of the people lurking nearby. From an
overbearing protective mother, whose life is emotionally lost without him,
to down-on-their-luck strangers looking for a free ride, everyone has
something they want from him or for him.
Because of the strange yet predictable plot turns, quirky dialogue, and some
heavy-handed acting moments that strain credibility, the film's story,
relationships, and characters feel contrived. The screenplay is thick with subplots, yet there is a
thinness of plot
development, especially in what drives these
characters to their manipulative strategies. As such, the viewer is left
with villains painted black and the protagonist, white. Where and when the
film tries to dig deeper and more soulfully into the tribulations of the
townspeople, the obvious oddities and sterile sentimentality
of the film work against it. In turn, moments that try to establish
warmheartedness and genuine emotion leave the viewer feeling disconnected.
With actors such as Debra Monk, Bruce Dern, and Randy Quaid, one
would supposedly find more dimensions, but even their roles are not
fully realized. And Troy Garity's performance doesn't compensate for these
shortcomings. In other words, Milwaukee, Minnesota left me out in the
cold. Max Rennix, actor & writer based in New York
|
