Life During Wartime (film)
| Life During Wartime | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Todd Solondz |
| Produced by | Derrick Tseng Christine K. Walker Elizabeth Redleaf |
| Written by | Todd Solondz |
| Starring | Ally Sheedy Allison Janney Ciarán Hinds Chris Marquette Paul Reubens Dylan Riley Snyder |
| Cinematography | Edward Lachman |
| Editing by | Kevin Messman |
| Studio | Werc Werk Works |
| Distributed by | IFC Films |
| Release date(s) | September 3, 2009 (Venice) July 23, 2010 (United States) |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4.5 million[1] |
| Box office | $744,816[1] |
Life During Wartime is a 2009 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Todd Solondz, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival on September 2009.[2] It is a direct, but loose sequel to his 1998 film Happiness, with new actors playing the same characters. It stars Allison Janney, Shirley Henderson, and Ciarán Hinds, among others.
Solondz said Life During Wartime was "a little more politically overt" than previous works."[3]
Life During Wartime won the Golden Osella award for best screenplay at the 66th Venice Film Festival.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The plot revolves around the three sisters featured in Happiness: Trish (Allison Janney), Joy (Shirley Henderson), and Helen (Ally Sheedy).
Since the events of Happiness, Joy has married Helen's former neighbor Allen Mellencamp (Michael Kenneth Williams), who continues to struggle with his compulsion to make obscene phone calls. On the occasion of their anniversary, he gives Joy an engraved ashtray, which appears to be the same one given to her by Andy in the opening scene of Happiness.
Trish has been raising her three children, Billy (now off at college), Timmy and Chloe. She has begun dating Harvey Weiner (Michael Lerner), who she hopes is normal. Trish's ex-husband, Bill (Ciarán Hinds) has been released from prison after serving a sentence for child molestation, and heads to Florida to find out how his family, particularly his eldest son, are doing. He finds brief solace in a one-night stand with Jacqueline (Charlotte Rampling), a self-described "monster" as filled with loneliness and self-hatred as he is; however, she kicks him out the next morning when she catches him taking money from her purse.
Trish's middle child, Timmy (Dylan Riley Snyder), is preparing for his bar mitzvah and trying to determine what it means to become a man. Trish has for years told Timmy and Chloe that Bill had died, to avoid telling them that he is a pedophile. Timmy finds out, however, and is angry at her that she lied to him. When he asks her about the mechanics of rape, Trish urges him to scream as soon as any man touches him.
Meanwhile, Joy takes a break from Allen, and heads to Florida to spend time with Trish. She begins having visions of Andy (Paul Reubens), a former co-worker who had committed suicide shortly after dating her. She briefly goes to California to visit Helen, who has become a successful screenwriter, and alludes to a relationship with "Keanu", but returns to New Jersey to discover Allen has committed suicide in her absence. She returns to Florida to attend Timmy's bar mitzvah.
In the meantime, Bill sneaks into Trish's house to find Billy's college address. He pays Billy (Chris Marquette) an unexpected visit, where they discuss their past and the time that passed while Bill was in prison; in particular, Bill asks Billy a few very blunt questions about his sex life. Bill asks for forgiveness, but Billy refuses, saying his actions are unforgivable. Bill then disappears again, reassured that Billy will not turn out to be like him.
Harvey brings his adult son Mark to dinner at Trish's, where he and Trish introduce their children to each other. At Timmy's request Harvey comes to Timmy's room, to have a talk. Timmy asks Harvey whether he is gay or a pedophile. Harvey denies being either, and, suspecting Timmy has been molested, tries to comfort him, touching his shoulder and hugging him. Terrified, Timmy starts to scream as per his mother's earlier instructions. Trish believes that Harvey had been trying to molest Timmy, and dumps him.
Timmy has his bar mitzvah, during which Joy experiences visions of Andy and then Allen, who implores her to commit suicide as he has, but Joy declines. Timmy leaves the reception to find Mark (Rich Pecci), Harvey's son. He begs Mark (who, in Palindromes, revealed he had dealt with allegations of pedophilia) for forgiveness, as his mistakes were before his bar mitvah (an event marking the beginning of moral accountability). Mark grants him forgiveness, but notes that such gestures are meaningless. Timmy then says that all he wants is his father. In the background, Bill materializes in the same manner that Andy did earlier in the film, but walks offscreen as the film ends.
[edit] Cast
| Actor | Character | Actor who portrayed the character in Happiness |
|---|---|---|
| Ally Sheedy | Helen Jordan | Lara Flynn Boyle |
| Allison Janney | Trish Jordan/Maplewood | Cynthia Stevenson |
| Ciarán Hinds | Bill Maplewood | Dylan Baker |
| Chris Marquette | Billy Maplewood | Rufus Read |
| Paul Reubens | Andy | Jon Lovitz |
| Michael Kenneth Williams | Allen Mellencamp | Philip Seymour Hoffman |
| Shirley Henderson | Joy Jordan Mellencamp | Jane Adams |
| Charlotte Rampling | Jacqueline | N/A |
| Renée Taylor | Mona Jordan | Louise Lasser |
| Michael Lerner | Harvey Wiener | Bill Buell (in Welcome to the Dollhouse and Palindromes) |
| Dylan Riley Snyder | Timmy Maplewood | Justin Elvin |
| Rich Pecci | Mark Wiener | Matthew Faber (in Welcome to the Dollhouse and Palindromes) |
| Gaby Hoffman | Wanda | N/A |
[edit] Release
[edit] Release dates
Ireland: February 20, 2010. Italy: April 16, 2010, distributed by Archibald Films.[4] U.S.: July 23, 2010, distributed by IFC Films.[5]
[edit] Critical reception
Life During Wartime received mixed to positive reviews; it currently holds a 69% 'fresh' rating, the consensus states "With Life During Wartime, Todd Solondz delivers an unexpected semi-sequel to Happiness in typically uncompromising fashion."[6]
[edit] Soundtrack
The title song was performed by Devendra Banhart. The song was written by Todd Solondz, with music by Marc Shaiman; it was produced by Beck and Banhart, with background vocals by Beck.
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Life During Wartime (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=lifeduringwartime.htm. Retrieved December 1, 2010.
- ^ a b Venezia-Premio-migliore-sceneggiatura-Todd-Solondz
- ^[dead link]"Happiness" sequel revisits family misery
- ^ Life During Wartime, la nuova black comedy di Todd Solondz, megamodo.com, March 2010
- ^ IFC Picks Up 'Life During Wartime'
- ^ Life During Wartime at Rotten Tomatoes
[edit] External links
- Official website
- Life During Wartime at the Internet Movie Database
- Life During Wartime at AllRovi
- Life During Wartime at Box Office Mojo
- Life During Wartime at Rotten Tomatoes
- Life During Wartime at Metacritic
- Variety review, September 3, 2009
- International Trailer
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