"Lake City"

We went to this one on the 26th, for Paul’s birthday. We even managed to pick up a sesame bagel with whitefish salad en route. (Not quite as nirvana-like as I remembered-- my half was loaded with bones.)

At any rate, we went in knowing almost nothing except that it was a “southern thriller” and that Sissy Spacek was in it. Oh, and it was playing at the Quad, which tends to pick small, arty films that don’t get a lot of play elsewhere. All three things sounded interesting—southern (see my Louisiana blog), Spacek (her presence in a movie is generally a sign that it’s going to be good—both because she’s fun to watch, and because she tends to pick movies with depth), and the Quad—I’ve seen great stuff there.

The funny thing is that though the story had problems—problems that became even more apparent the more I thought about them—I didn’t get bent out of shape by them, as I did, say, with “W.” In fact, I enjoyed this movie, and even as I saw the flaws, I forgave them. Paul, who liked it, too, had a similar experience.

We spent a good amount of time wondering why we were so wiling to ignore its problems. The answer—it was shot beautifully (mostly in Richmond, Virginia…I WANT that house) and it was cast exceptionally well, i.e it was all about the characters. They were, as Paul pointed out, people you enjoyed spending time with.

Sissy Spacek, as I said, is always worth watching. She’s one of those old timers (I don’t mean she’s particularly aged, just that she’s been acting a long time) who can do a lot with a little, acting-wise.

Her son, Billy, is played by Troy Garrity (son of Jane Fonda and Tom Haydn, who gave him a different last name—his maternal grandmother’s, I believe, to shield him from attention). I actually thought he did a lot of over-acting, but not to the point that I loathed him as a character. He has a really interesting face.

There’s a small role for Rebecca Romijn, who you’ll barely recognized as a brunette sans make up. I liked her quiet, understated presence in the film.

And there’s an even smaller role for Drea Di Matteo (Adriana from “The Sopranos”). It’s literally about a five minute cameo, but she’s good.

Best of all, though, is Keith Carradine (you might have seen him recently as Detective Lundy in “Dexter”), who plays a gas station attendant with a crush on Sissy Spacek. Really, I could have spent a lot more time with him. When this guy is on screen, either in “Dexter” or in a movie, I can’t stop looking at his face and the way he moves. He’s magnetic. I hope he’s going to start showing up in more films.

At any rate, so there you have it, a character, not plot, driven movie. Not on purpose, mind you, but it works out. I’m not sure I’d advise shelling out full price for a ticket and popcorn on this one. But it’s definitely worth checking out in DVD.