Piling it on: home video debut for Jen Tullock and Hannah Pearl Utt's BEFORE YOU KNOW IT

We often hear that "theater people" are crazy but, really, several of the characters found in BEFORE YOU KNOW IT just about reach the point of insufferable.
This wobbly concoction, about a family of theater folk who live above the small New York City theater they also own, begins with Mandy Patinkin playing the most insufferable of the entire bunch, a playwright who won't allow a word of his precious verbiage to ever be changed. When he departs early from the film, you'll probably breathe a sigh of relief. Hold on, though; things don't get much better.

The film stars a pair of actresses -- Hannah Pearl Utt and Jen Tullock, shown above, left and right respectively -- doing double and triple duty here as director (Ms Utt) and screenwriters Ms Tullock and Utt again). Utt plays Rachel, the supposedly dowdy but smart sister who of course holds the family together, while Tullock, as Jackie, who is dumb, blousy as just about as insufferable as her dad. She also is the mother of a near-shockingly normal daughter named Dodge (played by Oona Yaffe, below), who, as the single, vaguely non-insane family member, pretty much steals what's left of this near-intolerable movie.

Ms Utt plays Rachel using almost a single hangdog expression. It has its charm, for awhile, but come on now. However, even this is better than Ms Tullock's loud, crazy, mostly ridiculous outbursts that begin to defy credulity early on and only grow worse as the movie progresses. I swear you'll soon want to throttle her. How this family could leave Dodge in the care of an accountant they may not even know (of course, he turns out to be a fabulous, standup guy) is one of those idiot wonders of present-day screenwriting (and, no, don't tell me this is screwball comedy time).

Before You Know It posits that the siblings' mom, long thought dead, is alive and well and starring in some famous TV soap opera. That she is played by the fine actress Judith Light (above) ought to offer hope. But, no: Ms Light has rarely been seen to less advantage.

Aside from some dumb would-be sibling rivalry and an utterly clueless therapist (Alec Baldwin, below) the film concentrates on manipulating us and its plot into a typically desired but totally undeserved happy ending. Along the way there is a funny/sad and nicely-done section regarding Dodge's first menstruation, and thanks to the editing, music, and the occasional correct tone when the writing and performances come together, the movie has its moments and seems to almost work (an audition scene in which Patinkin's dead dad reappears, and how this flows into the following scene, for instance).

Content yourself with what you can and be grateful that your own mother was probably a hell of a lot better than anything you see or hear here. From 1091 and running 92 minutes (my spouse gave up at the point of 43, but TrustMovies soldiered on), Before You Know It hit "early purchase" EST on home video last week and will be available via VOD tomorrow, Tuesday, December 10 -- for purchase and/or rental.

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.