It’s getting so that every time I see a new J. Todd Harris and Allan Jones production I’m expecting to be blown away—and indeed the producers’ latest venture—and let’s include Kathy Weiss and screenwriter / producer Mark Lisson in here as well—“The Family Tree†is another home run. The quirky indie film packs in plenty of comedy, a pinch of pathos, an inkling of irony, a drop of drama, and just the right amount of excitement—in short, “The Family Tree†is a film with a little something for everyone.
Story opens in suburbia where we meet the dysfunctional Burnett family. To say that father/husband Jack Burnett (perfectly played by Dermot Mulroney) is dissatisfied with his life would be an understatement. Continually passed over for that big promotion at work, his sexual advances rebuffed by his wif
e, Bunnie (the charming Hope Davis) and with the eminent arrival of his toxic mother-in-law, it doesn’t appear he has anything to look forward to.
Meanwhile Bunnie, immersed in her charity “flavor of the week,†has lost the ability to connect with her teenage children, Eric (Max Theriot) and Kelly (Britt Robertson). Eric, it seems, is fascinated by guns and under the sway of their local Reverend Diggs (Keith Carradine) who as it turns out, also happens to be the town’s NRA spokesperson. Eric’s depression and repressed sexuality provokes the ire of his pretty sister, Kelly—who plays it ultra-cool while hiding behind her own familial dissatisfaction.
No sooner do Jack and the kids leave the house then a masked burglar enters. Bunnie flees to the bathroom, locking herself inside. When the prowler breaks down her bathroom door, Bunnie gives him a stern “talking to†about damaging a vintage door handle. Suddenly the “prowler†becomes remorsefully apologetic. As it turns out, he’s Bunnie’s latest paramour—her successful African American neighbor Simon (Chi McBride).
During their rough and tumble tryst, Bunnie hits her head and is knocked unconscious. When she wakes later at the hospital, she’s developed amnesia, remembering only her husband and their early, blissful years. She has no recollection of her children, her strained relationship with them or to that of her lover.
While the film strikes a comedic pose, and the amnesia serves as a catalyst to jumpstart the healing of the tense familial bonds, it begs the more serious question, “What does it take for couples who find themselves in stagnating marriages to rekindle romance?†It turns out the answer is forgiveness. You know the saying “forgive and forget?†Well, because Bunnie’s truly forgotten, she’s truly able to forgive. No longer angry with her children she’s finally able to relate. Her memory loss allows her to restore her relationship to them as well as to her husband.
Director Vivi Friedman said it was the, “‘how’ and the ‘what if’ of the story†that first appealed to her. “How did a young marriage with so much hope become so unhappy and so disillusioned? What if we got a chance to push the ‘reset’-button and re-invent ourselves? How significant do the events need to be to make us open our eyes and appreciate what we have?†Screenwriter Lisson aptly answers these questions through his witty and organic dialogue.
The film, which was the official selection of the “2010 Seattle International Film Festival,†and “2010 Hamptons International Film Festival Breakthrough Artist: Rising Star, (for Robertson’s performance)†also manages to include an accidental hanging in a tree (it’s funny, trust me), a botched home invasion, a shoot-out, a jail scene, elements of infidelity, acceptance and ultimately, a happy ending.
The entire cast is terrific, but there are notable performances. Carradine, as the gun wielding, pot-smoking reverend is, as always, a delight to watch; Mulroney is fabulous as the disenchanted father/husband; Davis shines luminously as the amnesiac mother/wife; but the real scene-stealer is John Patrick Amedori as the stoner who gets beat up by a pack of hypocritical, homophobic proselytizers and is later befriended by Theriot, the couples’ son. Amedori is so clever that it will come as no surprise if this talented actor is soon starring in his own sitcom.
For more info: www.thefamilytreemovie.com
