Movie Review: C’mon C’mon

Although the film C’mon C’mon stars Joaquin Phoenix in a role that allows the actor to fully utilize every ounce of talent he has within his arsenal, it is perhaps the work of his co-star Woody Norman that will garner the most praise for the film as the young delivers a performance worthy of discussion for years to come. This only heightens the heft carried by this powerful film and easily makes it one of the best films of the year.

The film follows Johnny (Phoenix) the transitional relationship he forges with his nephew, Jesse (Norman), when they are forced into traveling with each other when Johnny’s sister, Viv (Gaby Hoffman) asks her brother to take care of Jessie while she looks after her husband (who is suffering from his own mental health issues). Jesse and Johnny then set about on a trip as the two continue Johnny’s work recording sound for a documentary on the children who survived Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. Jesse is fascinated by Johnny’s recording equipment and takes to it naturally and one gets the notion that perhaps that is the exact same way that Johnny achieved his level of proficiency in the profession as well.

Writer/director Mike Mills does a miraculous job of crafting such a seemingly simple story into a complex and inspirational tale of familial connections and the links to the past that all individuals have. His use of cinematographer Robbie Ryan’s exquisite black and white photography adds elegance and honesty to the film that is underscored by the myriad fine performances found within it.

Joaquin Phoenix and Woody Norman in “C’mon C’mon.” © Photo by Tobin Yelland.

Phoenix is sublime in the role of the distant Uncle Johnny. Yet, there is a strong emotional connection between his sister and himself seems to exist and it’s easy to see how connected they are and how they do care for one another, even if neither is sure of the exact way in which to do so. Young Woody Norman is an absolute treasure (and revelation) as Jesse, serving quite capably as the emotional through-line that holds the entirety of the story together even as it seems that the narrative shifts to Johnny and his sister’s relationship.

Apart from the fine performances within the film, the editing provided by Jennifer Vecchiarello does a fantastic job of keeping the various themes of Mills’ script at the center of the narrative without seeming allowing them to force the issue or come across as overly dramatic or forced.

For a film so deeply rooted in familial relationships, C’mon C’mon remains a wonderfully personal and individualistic story. Granted that the bond between Johnny and Jesse is the root of their story, the nature of each of their characters and exactly how each relates to the other is the emotional center of this exquisite film.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com

An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

@miketyrkus

Mike Tyrkus

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