Read on for cautions of ticks, deer rifles, and Carvel ice cream.
Rory Culkin: Scott Bartlett
Kieran Culkin: Jimmy Bartlett
Emma Roberts: Adrianna Bragg
Alec Baldwin: Mickey Bartlett
Jill Hennessey: Brenda Bartlett
Timothy Hutton: Charlie Bragg
Cynthia Nixon: Melissa Bragg
Adam Scarimbolo: Todd ‘O Leary
Logan Huffman: Blaze Salado
Directed By: Derick Martini
Written By: Derick and Steven Martini
Release Date: April 8, 2009
Running Time: 95 minutes
Rated R
A brief summary of Lymelife would be that it focuses on a shy and unpopular teenager, who has a crush on a girl he has known since he was little, and whose parents do not get along. Make no mistake; this is not a groundbreaking or innovative dramedy. We have seen similar scenarios in many independent films. What separates this one from the rest of the pack is that Kieran and Rory Culkin play brothers. If nothing else, Lymelife is worthwhile because these two Culkins may have finally stepped out of their older brother’s shadow.
Welcome to Long Island, NY where teens are perturbed, railroads can electrocute, and the ticks are nasty. Scott Bartlett (Rory Culkin) is a 15-year-old kid who is growing up. Star Wars is the craze, but his concentration is being dominated by something new, specifically Adrianna Bragg (Emma Roberts). She is a cute little brunette who has no trouble attracting guys. Her father Charlie (Timothy Hutton) is a middle-aged and jobless man suffering from Lyme disease, and his life is not in good shape. He lives in suburbia with his daughter and wife Melissa (Cynthia Nixon), who is the star employee of wealthy realtor Mickey Bartlett (Alec Baldwin), Scott’s dad. His wife Brenda (Jill Hennessy) wishes the family still lived in Queens. Their oldest son Jimmy (Kieran Culkin) is in the military, and preparing to leave again soon. While Scott deals with a first love, the marriages around him are crumbling, and both families are just trying to last through these bumps in the road.
The camera work, mood, and various parts of the plot are reminiscent of more than a couple smaller hit films. The most obvious is Noah Baumbach’s gem, The Squid and the Whale, which also touches on brothers, teenage romance, and unhappy parents. The list of comparisons is long, and although this does indeed prevent Lymelife from being a classic by any stretch of the imagination, disregarding it based solely on that fact is unfair because the movie gets many other crucial elements right.
One of those elements is the strong chemistry of the cast, and that is not limited to the fact that two of the main characters are brothers in real life. Nevertheless, Rory Culkin takes center stage in this story as Scott, and his older brother Jimmy, played by Kieran, was a terrific choice because it immediately shows the audience that the rapport they are witnessing if far more organic than most actors could equal. The subtle nuances and casual movements they exchange are what define that harmonizing. The smirk on Jimmy’s face as Scott vomits in the toilet following a little drug experience is priceless. Scenes like this make Lymelife enjoyable. All that is missing is Macaulay, but I digress…
Alec Baldwin is terrific as the "near" millionaire father Mickey. Baldwin of course plays a variation of the character he has honed since Blake in Glengarry Glen Ross, and made even more famous in 30 Rock. Mickey is not as acerbic or snappy as Jack Donaghy, but he is certainly just as arrogant and wicked. Jill Hennessy compliments this complicated and troubled family dynamic wonderfully as the very worried mother. She is a misunderstood woman, who is overly cautious, and seen as overbearing by Scott, while Jimmy understands how to talk to her. It is a role that is gradually unraveled as more earnest and authentic. These four mesh well together, and more than anything else, that was the key to making Lymelife spark.
The title comes into play with the Bragg family. The patriarch of the bunch, portrayed with a double dose of creepiness by Timothy Hutton, acquired Lyme disease, probably due to his affinity for target practice and hunting in the woods. He is also unemployed, and has a serious problem with combing his hair. The Lyme disease aspect of the story is not relevant, but I thought it was depicted accurately enough. And the ending involving Hutton and his deer rifle is oddly contemplative for a movie that made few attempts to be ambitious. Cynthia Nixon is adequate as his obnoxious wife, even though her accent is grating at times. Emma Roberts (Nancy Drew), in her first R rated role, is fantastic as Adrianna, the girl Scott cannot keep his eyes off of. A solid job of acting was important, but her main goal was to convince us that Scott should have a crush on Adrianna, and she does that with adeptness.
Quirky is an overused term for this category, but it definitely applies to Lymelife, and not just because of Hutton’s psychotic blur as he sits in a dark corner of his basement. He also consumes every part of the deer’s body, including, you guessed it, the rear end. Apparently it is the best part, but I will not be one to find out. Scott Bartlett has a tendency to talk to himself in front of the mirror, which is not weird because we have all done it, but watching him in his tidy whiteys was more than I could swallow. He also impersonates Han Solo and dresses like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever as the time period of this slice of life is constantly reminded to us.
Martin Scorsese has an Executive Producer credit on this film, which came as a surprise to me during the closing credits. Having seen that, the Mean Streets comparisons came rushing to my brain immediately. Also noticeable were two vicious beatdowns saluting the demise of Scott Farkus in A Christmas Story. Still, these fights illustrate how the frustration of being mocked by students can cause an explosion. Also taken appropriately from The Squid and the Whale was a sequence where Scott listens to his parents fighting. The Martini brothers get that sequence right where most movies do not. There is also a sex scene between two teenagers that is an unbroken shot and is very fittingly captured.
Although the screenplay has no clear trajectory, and is more a portion of time for these people rather than a general story, Director Derick Martini, who co-wrote with his brother Steve, etched out an absorbing universe anyway. They grasped that integrating artificial conclusions would have tarnished the purity of the picture. I was so invested in the characters and the earnest interactions between them that a clear ending or earth-shattering climax was not all that terrible or vital. The Martini’s are proficient at expressing emotions on all levels and showing how teenagers respond to their parents. With Scorsese’s blessing, these two have definite potential, but in the future, they must remember the cohesiveness of the story.
At first glance, Lymelife seems like it emerges right off a conveyor belt, possessing many traits independent films have become to be associated with such as grainy direction, a bleak setting, idiosyncratic characters, teen angst, and marital decay, but in exchange for the slight copying abuse in formula, they offer compatibility of cast members and plenty of heart, both of which can augment a mechanical narrative. In 10 years, Lymelife might only be known as the movie with the duct taped Culkin kid surviving puberty, but that’s ok.
The 411: Lymelife is not a film that many people will rush out to the stores and purchase, but it is certainly good enough for a rental recommendation. If you are a fan of the Culkins, this should be a treat. If on top of that you like Alec Baldwin’s prick persona, this will be must-see for you. And if you enjoy Timothy Hutton acting like a sick sleazeball with a deer rifle, this will be Heaven at the theater. Derick and Steve Martini have certainly proven that they understand how to shape their characters. They have the ability to go on to bigger and better things, and I’d say that with or without Martin Scorsese’s name attached to the credits. This film has brains and compassion, and aside from not establishing its own identity, it has few flaws. If it lands in a theater near you, give it a shot. Otherwise, wait for DVD.
