New Film Review: I'll See You In My Dreams

I'LL SEE YOU IN MY DREAMS
Directed by Brett Haley
Screenplay by Marc Basch and Brett Haley
Starring: Blythe Danner; Sam Elliot; Malin Ackerman  and Martin Starr




Carol (Blythe Danner), trying to find her way after some losses in her life, embarks on an unlikely friendship with her pool man Lloyd (Martin Starr), while also pursuing a new love interest (Sam Elliott), and reconnecting with her daughter (Malin Akerman).

Last year I watched a film called Still Alice with an Oscar winning performance from Julianne Moore. It was a lovely film dealing with Dementia, which made it hard to watch. Now this year welcome Blythe Danner, who easily has an Oscar Nomination for this performance, as a woman dealing with getting older and handling loss. This film, like Still Alice, is very heavy. Especially the first five minutes. It is heavy but real, and deserves the acclaim it is getting.
Fine performances all around, it almost seems like a well acted stage play. Martin Starr as the kind, but like Carol, sort of lost, pool man. He is very good, and soft, saying so much without speaking. I waited a full day before writing this review just because I wanted to think about the film some more, it really does stay with you (fantastic screenwriting?). I bring this up now because I think about Carol's and Lloyd's relationship. I still cant figure it out. Maybe just two lost souls. Maybe it is not important, just so they each can lean on each other.
Then Sam Elliot. I mean Sam Elliot is so freaking cool! Sometimes I wonder if he is even acting. He is just being Sam freaking Elliot. Sam and Blythe's chemistry is so fantastic when they are not together on the screen the film drops a bit.
Malin Ackerman as Carol's daughter comes in to almost be us, and acts as an earpiece so we can hear what Carol is thinking.
I would be remised if I did not mention Carol's three friends she meets with to play cards. They are played wonderfully by great seasoned actresses: June Squibb; Rhea Perlman; and Mary Kay Place. The group brings some much needed humor to the film and at the same time it shows the viewer the mundane life that Carol has, them along with an alarm clock that wakes her up for no reason each day at 6am.
So like Still Alice, it is a hard film to tell you to go out and see because we go to movies for escapism and here we watch Carol struggle to find what to do with her life, and it is hard to watch. But in the end we see....she pushes on and never gives up to look for happiness, be it a person with a cigar, or a pool guy, or a dog that someone gave up on, they do bring something big or small into her life or our life for us to take with her/us to learn and love.


4 out of 5 stars for the well acted and well written I'll See You In My Dreams.


What is interesting is that I have seen two Best Actress Nomination locks already with Danner here and Juliet Binoche in Clouds Of Sils Maria. However I have not seen any male performances step to the plate yet, maybe Oscar Isaac in Ex Machina, and that is a long shot. Maybe it is the year of the female actress!!!




Well from the shadows as always thanks for your time.