At Middleton is currently playing at area theaters, while also streaming on amazon and Netflix.
New York City experienced one of its many winter 2014 snowstorms on the night of Tuesday, January 21st. However, the accumulation of snow in Times Square did not prevent the NYFCS screening of At Middleton, featuring in person the core of its creative team: actor and producer Andy Garcia, producer and co-writer Glen German, and director and co-writer Adam Rogers.
College campuses often serve as the setting of discovery for young adults transitioning from adolescence into adulthood. But what if this stage wasn’t set only for incoming students? What if discovery was offered for all? This is the premise for At Middleton: a love affair between a heart surgeon and an antique store owner that plays out in one afternoon, while their children tour the grounds of Middleton College.
George Hartman (Andy Garcia), the heart surgeon, finds joy in classical music, precision parking, bow ties, his son Conrad (Spencer Lofranco), but not in love. George is married, unhappily. That he is unhappy is all screenwriters Glen German and Adam Rogers are willing to share about George’s marriage. His wife is not vilified, so as to relieve the viewer of feeling guilt for wanting George to be happy when he meets and falls in love with Edith (Vera Farmiga), also unhappily married.
We meet both George and Edith in the car. George is driving Conrad to a college tour at Middleton, bickering about the classical music playing and why Conrad must wear a tie for the college tourEdith and her daughter Audrey (Taissa Farmiga) bicker as well. While George and Conrad bicker over etiquette, Edith and Audrey bicker over mom’s trepidation around Audrey leaving home (for college).
The idea for the dueling car scenes is clever; however, it is executed poorly. In fact, the premise, location, and casting of At Middleton are all clever. It’s how these ideas are put on the screen that left this viewer questioning his decision to trek out into the escalating snow. There is no doubt why the picture attracted Garcia and Farmiga, as well as veterans Peter Riegert and Tom Skerritt in supporting roles. While the performances are strong, the muddling antics throughout the film — a bicycle chase with campus police, and experimenting with recreational pot — suggest that Middleton is a work that could have been more, but settled for the middle.
Given the opportunity to showcase his comedic chops, Garcia embodies Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin with animated physical comedy when his strait-laced George runs in fear from Middleton campus security. In spite of the awkward bickering with daughter Audrey prior to arriving at Middleton, Farmiga makes it easy for both George and the audience to fall in love with her, particularly with her soft expressions and cautious intimacy with him. Her Edith is gentle with George and silently expresses her love for him without words during the bell tower finale, which also serves as director Adam Roger’s strongest contribution to the film.
Strong performances from Garcia and Farmiga, as well as the powerfully executed bell tower finale, keep the viewer engaged. However, it is not until George and Edith stumble into an improv class that Garcia and Farmiga are able to get free from Middleton’s tepid script and show just how effectively these two artists can perform. In fact, At Middleton is worth the price of admission, as well as walking home in a , for this scene alone; a scene that was not scripted and deeply meta. Garcia and Farmiga improv as George and Edith, who then “improv” for the improv class. If only all of At Middleton was as free from the restrains of formula as the performances in the improv class