John Krasinski’s debut directing effort revolves around a family of characters picking up the pieces in their own lives, after the Mother of the family gets some bad news. In “The Hollars”, we meet John Hollar (Krasinski), a struggling NYC artist who is forced to navigate the small middle-American town he left behind when news of his mother’s (Margo Martindale) brain tumor brings him home. Back in the house he grew up in and recounting the past, John is immediately swept up in the problems of his dysfunctional family, high school rival (Charlie Day), and an over-eager ex-girlfriend (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) as he faces impending fatherhood with his girlfriend (Anna Kendrick) in New York. From a script by Jim Strouse that is at turns hilarious and heartbreaking, John Krasinski’s second feature is a poignant look at the bonds of family and friendship. “The Hollars” is rated PG-13 for brief adult language and some thematic material.
I’ve been a fan of John Krasinski’s acting career ever since I saw him on an episode of “The Office” over a decade ago. To me, Krasinski always had the look of a 21st century movie star, complete with great comedic timing and a personality that could spread to more than one genre of film. When I heard that he was taking the directing reigns for the first time in his career, I couldn’t wait to see what the man was capable of after acting in nearly thirty movies to date. Coming out of “The Hollars” I realized that there’s a period of about fifteen minutes within this movie where Krasinski’s story reaches its truest potential, substituting insensitive comedy for hearty dramatic emotion, and it made for the most entertainment that I had in my sitting. The problems mount fast however, for a movie that lacks any kind of artistic merit and very little inspiration for the 83 minutes that you previously sat through. The characters are rudely obnoxious, their lifestyles are as unappealing as you can possibly imagine, and the movie sifts through a barrage of boring ideas that feel like they are thrown against a wall to see what sticks. Truth be told, little does.
There’s a vast difference in tone and tempo from the first half of the movie to the second. For the first forty minutes of this movie, there is certainly no shortage of subplots to avert the audience from the flavor of tasteless paper that has enveloped the creativity for this movie. We have see this story played out plenty of times. Son comes home to the town and family that he left behind while on a search for riches, family is a group of oddballs who live their lives by their own rules, girlfriend of son is put on hold so he can find himself by retracing his roots, and occasionally a family member is dying within the dust of a cluttered mess. All of this is true for “The Hollars”, but none of it is as remotely compelling or intriguing as the movies that have come before it. I sat there amazed at how similar in tone and design that every scene looked, and that is the biggest problem with Krasinski’s early offering; he lacks any kind of artistic stamp that makes him stand out as a director. The second half of the movie did improve, but it felt like it was trying to do too many things at once with the finale. What is refreshing is that this movie isn’t afraid to take chances with its characters. Even if that means destroying their moral fiber in the process.
The acting is fine enough, mostly in Margo Martindale who proves that no flawed script can ever hold her down. She’s in the movie for about twenty total minutes, but every scene with her offers a fine display of veteran magic that magnifies her beautiful heart. Much of my emotional response to the movie fell on Margo’s shoulders, and I simply couldn’t get enough of her presence on screen. In addition to Martindale, we get a who’s who of Hollywood heavy hitters alongside Krasinski. Charlie Day, Mary Winstead, Richard Jenkins, Sharlto Coplay and Anna Kendrick are just a few of the contributors who are nice to see, but not always nice to hear from. If “The Hollars” is a portrait of how John Krasinski views the American family in 2016, it’s a very obnoxious and selfish one. What makes a movie truly boring is the lack of investment that you put into each character, and I simply couldn’t care less about anyone’s lack of real problems in this movie. Coplay is an unemployed drunk who can’t see the sun through the trees with the fact that he has two beautiful little girls who look up to him. Krasinski can’t make an adult decision to save his life, and he doesn’t stop himself when his high school sweetheart kisses him behind his girlfriend’s back. I could go on, but I’ll save you the time.
Where the movie garners the biggest emotional response is in its drama, that while conventional, will send lovers of a good tear-jerker home satisfied. This certainly has all of the telling’s of an indie drama from the folk dominated soundtrack to the soft coloring of a cinematography that at least presents a beautiful place with ugly people. For as predictable as most of this movie plays itself out to be, it really is its greatest strength when it comes to a third act twist that I actually didn’t see coming. The script feels like it plays with and against types for independent dramas when it comes to material that travels many hills of rocky roads. The final act of the movie is where everything feels the most honest with the audience it looks to take in, and that’s because all of the gimmicks of ironic life commentary are dispatched for an ending that feels focused for the first time all script. I did enjoy the way everything closed up, even if it felt a little too convenient at times.
Krasinksi certainly has a future in directing, but I would prefer to see him take a singular approach when it comes to his next project. “The Hollars” certainly wore his talents thin, but in the spirit of any capable director, the focus is definitely on the other players. In that regard, Martindale thrusts herself into the stratosphere as one of Hollywood’s sweetest souls. Even for those who enjoyed it, I can’t see this one staying around in the memories of moviegoers for longer than a month. It’s forgettable and quite often insensitive.
5/10