Some Austinites may call it heresy — but there are movie theaters in Austin other than the Alamo Drafthouse. Nestled downtown on West 2nd street is the Violet Crown, a locally owned cinema with four screens devoted to independent, documentary, and international films. While the theaters themselves are a little austere, the Violet Crown has friendly staff and a bar/cafe offering a great area for pre and post-show drinks, including some impressively strong cocktail offerings as well as local craft beers and decent food selections. Anywhere that provides opportunities to see movies such as Jiro Dreams of Sushi, Beasts of the Southern Wild, The Sessions and Stoker can only be a good thing for Austinites. |Editor note: it is worth stating however that the Violet Crown does not hold the same sound and projection standards as the Alamo Drafthouse, I’ve had bad experiences there. Nice ambiance though.|
Last weekend they hosted a special screening of a new film by Bob Byington, Somebody Up There Likes Me (which you can rent now on Amazon instant video), presented by the Austin Film Society (AFS). The AFS is a non-profit, promoting the film industry by awarding grants to support film production, orchestrating film screenings and premieres, educating about the art of filmmaking, and organizing the annual Texas Film Hall of Fame awards. Originally, creation of the AFS was driven by Richard Linklater (Slacker, Dazed and Confused, School of Rock) together with a number of other residents, and since 1985 has grown into an organization giving all of Austin the opportunity to celebrate great cinema. The film received some funding from the AFS, was filmed in Austin, and had it’s premiere earlier this year at the South By Southwest Festival. Byington himself is a Austin resident so all this together made for a very local feel to proceedings.
The film starts in 1997 and tells of Max (Keith Poulson), a waiter returning home one day to find his wife (Kate Lyn Sheil) cheating on him. They split, and in time he falls for a breadstick obsessed co-worker named Lyla (Jess Weixler, playing a far more adorable role than when I last saw her in the 2007 movie Teeth). From here on out the film skips ahead in 5 year intervals showing their relationship and missteps through life, covering marriage, having a child, an inheritance, starting a business and the losses they encounter along the way.
The cast fits the tone of the movie perfectly. Most of the characters are somewhat unlikeable and are not people you would root for — I was more interested in seeing how Max would fuck up things next rather than hoping he would save his marriage, which I guess is the point. The main character of Max is probably the worst: someone who seems unwilling to learn from his mistakes, lacking many social graces and empathy, and hurts others in the way he has been hurt himself. A scene near the beginning where Max ventures out on his first date since divorce is a great example, providing an excruciating and painful (yet hilarious) experience for the audience. This sense of schadenfreude permeates other aspects of the movie with the rest of the cast sometimes revelling in the failures of each other as well as themselves.
Max seems so unconcerned with the feelings of others, notably his wife and son, and it is interesting to see him making the effort to often visit a psychiatrist played by the “gorgeous stack of curves” (Offerman’s actual words that evening about his immensely talented wife) that is Megan Mullaly (Will and Grace, Party Down). This provides another great pairing within the story. Weixler (Lyla) is impressive, conveying a charm and delightful awkwardness not just with the delivery of the dialogue but more often with an expression or silence that fits the tone of the scene perfectly. The other main role of Sal is played by Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation) with his trademark deadpan, cynical approach. While not exactly loveable, he does generate most of the dark comedy moments and strikes up a amusing partnership with Max, and together they offer some of the movie’s quieter, more reflective moments. Rounding out the ensemble are some familiar faces such as the aforementioned Megan Mullaly, Kevin Corrigan (True Romance, The Departed), and one of my favorites Marshall Bell (Total Recall, Starship Troopers), providing an outstanding turn as Lyla’s police chief father.
It is hard to sell a film when you describe the main character as unlikable but it is a testament to the writing and actors that the film pulls you in and you can’t help but be charmed by it. Some of these awkward and blunt performances are reflected in some similar cuts to the film which work well to dramatic effect although I found the occasional use of animation to show the passage of time to give somewhat of a hazy feel which didn’t mesh well with the rest of the movie.
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One of the interesting aspects of the film is its handling of the passage of time. Each 5 year visit to Max shows what has changed with the notable exception of Max himself. It becomes increasingly obvious throughout the course of his life he does not learn or mature and seems destined to make the same mistakes in each period we spend with him. This is cleverly manifested in the fact that Max himself does not seem to age throughout the movie. There is a extra plot device, a suitcase left to Max by his father with an ending scene after Max’s death suggesting it actually possesses properties akin to the Fountain of Youth. I found the addition of this concept to be a little unnecessary with the lack of aging starting as a subtle nod to the inability of Max to learn from his mistakes and becoming more pronounced as time passes. Although I concede the presence of the suitcase/regenerative properties in Max’s life could be just a manifestation of what is holding him back from growing up… this plot device could therefore be a warning to people — refusing to learn and grow will hold you back and doom you to repeat mistakes again and again.
I mentioned earlier Austin as the setting for the film, and as a resident it was easy to catch many local spots on screen including Perry’s Steakhouse, Justine’s, the Drag and even the Violet Crown cinema itself. You can also catch local musician Bob Schneider as a wedding singer. While nice for a local to see these places there are no distracting nods to Austin. I spoke to the director after the screening and he said it was intentional, he wanted the move to have happened anywhere and not be specific to Austin.
The post-film Q&A was a fun addition. Offerman had already spoken before the screening (he was a producer on the movie as well as starring) with comments largely about the European flavour of the theatre — “can’t believe they have goddam Ottomans in the theatre” or something to that effect. It nicely setup the tone of the film and the aftershow. Byington deflected a number of comments/questions towards Offerman saying he figured “most people are here to see Nick tell jokes” which may have been true to an extent (Ron Swanson has achieved iconic status after all) but I don’t think anyone walked away from the evening without a far greater appreciation for Byingtons talent. There were some nice insights into the creative partnership they share and how they hope to work together again, possibly to setup some vehicle for the talents of Mullaly.
As it was a special AFS event there was a followup reception in the aforementioned bar, providing complimentary cocktails and food to create to a low key, friendly atmosphere while Byington and Offerman circulated the room interacting with guests. Offerman himself proved to be a incredibly gracious, genuine sort and took time to talk and pose for numerous photos and sign tickets for fans. Yours truly giddily succumbed to this. A disclaimer: Ron Swanson is a personal hero of mine.
It is easy to sum up this film with the words “whimsical” or “charming” but it is delivered with a slightly loose surreal feel and populated with quiet moments of reflection and sincerity that can leave you taken aback. It is a film about the problems of life but more-so about the problems within ourselves. It is quirky but delivered by Byington with a light hand to produce a most enjoyable movie.
More information on the Austin Film Society, their work, future events, and how you can help can be found here.