John Krasinski's sophomore directing effort -- THE HOLLARS -- opens in South Florida

The latest in the popular sub-genre of "Aren't-we-just-the-craziest-but-most-adorable-folk-ever?" has now arrived, and my answer to that question is a resounding No! After making a surprising, risky and generally well-done screenplay/ directorial debut with his adaptation of the David Foster Wallace story collection, Brief Interviews Wih Hideous Men, actor John Krasinski (shown below) has gone a good deal more mainstream with THE HOLLARS, his second effort as director.

Much of the credit for this very well-acted but too-often cringe-inducing piece of feel-good schlock must go to its screenwriter, Jim Strouse, who has an up-and-down track record so far as I'm concerned -- from the so-so Grace Is Gone to the much better People Places Things (both of which Strouse also directed) -- and here hands us a cast of characters so fucking quirky you'll want to sedate them forthwith.

Let's start with the Hollar son, Ron (played by South African actor Sharlto Copley, above, center), whose behavior goes from simply goofy to certifiable within minutes. Copley handles all this quite well. He's believable, but his character is simply not. Ditto the dad, Don, played by the ever-reliable Richard Jenkins (above, left), who offer up a will/won't, can/can't. happy/sad guy so utterly incompetent, you won't imagine he could ever have run his own business (well, it is going bankrupt. But still: How did he ever keep it afloat?).

The same can be said for the behavior of the hospital nurse, Jason (Charlie Day, above), who takes care of the Hollars ailing mom (the great Margo Martindale, below). Jason is so often so over-the-top, you'll roll your eyes and then some. So many characters here are so charmingly quirky that the movie begins to curdle early on. Ms Martindale -- by virtue of her skilled acting chops and refusal to overplay the quirks -- manages to keep the movie grounded whenever she's on screen. But that's not often enough.

Krasinski himself plays the more "normal" brother, John, who returns to the fold to aid his sick mom but turns out to have a usual rom-com problem of his own -- commitment phobia to his pregnant girlfriend (played with her usual sassy charm by Anna Kendrick, below, center, flanked by Krasinksi, left and Copley).

Also standing by, amongst a fine supporting cast, are Josh Groban (below, right), as the local minister, and that wonderful and recently BrainDead actress, Mary Elizabeth Winstead (at bottom), as Mr. Day's philandering spouse. As I say, the acting is first-rate all-around but is consistently done in by the too-muchness of the ridiculous story.

In its race toward the feel-good at all costs, the movie -- which purportedly deals with our difficult economic times and involves job loss and bankruptcy -- actually offers up one character from a rich-as-Croesus family who can and does solve financial problems with a wave of her economic wand. Think of it as the final insult.

A shoo-in for audiences who demand jerked tears, coy laughs and the warm-and-fuzzy above any real intelligence, this manufactured and manipulative movie is star-studded, beautifully-acted crap.

From Sony Pictures Classics and running a thankfully short 88 minutes, The Hollars, after debuting in the "big" cities a few weeks back, opens here in South Florida this Friday, September 16, at eleven different theaters --from Boca Raton to Delray Beach, Davie, Lake Worth, Boynton Beach, Fort Lauderdale and the greater Miami area. Click here, then scroll down, to view all the currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters.

BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN: John Krasinski stars in and adapts Wallace

Interesting without being terribly stimula-
ting, cast with a roster of must-see performers (all of whom do a fine job with what they have), and thankfully quite short (80 minutes including credits), BRIEF INTERVIEWS WITH HIDEOUS MEN is John Krasinski's attempt to capture David Foster Wallace's book on film. Not having read the book, I will only comment on the movie-as-movie -- which does a good

job of making the male of the species seem remarkably hideous. He frets, he whines, he boasts, he betrays and his behavior is generally rude, crude and ugly. Forgive me, but... didn't we already know this -- particularly regarding man when he interacts with woman. On the other hand, if someone is just now making a movie called Brief Interviews with Impossible Women, I shall not be surprised, since -- as a species and as I have stated elsewhere on this blog: We are, all of us, fallible hypocrites.

Krasinski's film is indeed a compilation of brief interviews with men (of which the actor/director, shown two photos above, essays one major example) by a young woman, perhaps a graduate student or underling professor, nicely played by the smart and attractive Julianne Nicholson (from Flannel Pajamas and The Truth About Tully, shown above, left, with the always terrific and versatile Chris Messina). These interviews appear to be both "official" and not. Sometimes the characters are caught in the midst of their lives, simply speaking to each other. Occasionally, things get surreal, as the gloomy, institution-like walls give way to other habitats, such as one of the film's most interesting scenes -- which takes place in a posh men's room where the father of one of the interviewees works as an attendant.

Another "interview," this one in progressive sections, involves a student -- played by the fine Dominic Cooper (The History Boys) -- who has written a thesis that has not pleased his instructor (Ms Nicholson). Characters constantly weave in and out of this semi-story that coalesces well enough for us to figure out what's happening. The trouble is, what's happening -- once we work our way through the layers of artifice, psychology, irony and film technique that are affixed to the tale -- is not that dissimilar to so much else we've seen. The film's style would appear to be what makes the major difference, but it's not enough. The individual performances, however, may be.

I earlier noted that the movie offers a must-see cast, and so my last question is this: Would you bypass any film boasting the aforementioned actors plus Ben Shenkman, Timothy Hutton, Michael Cerveris, Max Minghella (above, right), Lou Taylor Pucci (above, left), Will Arnett, Bobby Cannavale, Denis O'Hare (two photos up, right), Chrisopher Meloni (two photos up, left), Josh Charles, Frankie Faison -- and this is only a partial roster -- all making the most of their brief moments and nailing their character to the wall? Right. I wouldn't, either.
Brief Interviews With Hideous Men, from IFC Films, is available On-Demand via your local cable provided, beginning tomorrow, Wednesday, September 23, and will be in theaters, this Friday, September 25, for a limited run.