ROADIE - Now In Theaters & On Demand → On Demand Weekly

ROADIE - Now In Theaters & On DemandJanuary 07, 2012

Magnolia

On Demand Weekly provides new movie reviews of hot movies on demand and from the POV of watching from the comfort of your home. Today’s review: ROADIE (Magnolia).

ROADIE

By Chris Claro

Though it’s difficult to know if the Saturday Night Live “More Cowbell” sketch resulted in a spike in the sales of Blue Oyster Cult’s “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” it’s safe to say that the classic skit exposed the band to a new generation of listeners. But Michael Cuesta’s ROADIE focuses on a guy who was there before the band was a punch line and when we first see Jimmy Testagross, he’s being cut loose from the only gig he’s ever had, after 26 years of hauling amps and changing strings for the metalheads. As much an anachronism as his former employers, Jimmy’s only move is to Greyhound it back to his mom’s place in Queens.

Ron Eldard, Jill Hennessey / ROADIE (Magnolia)

A slight, spare study of unrealized aspirations and self-delusion, ROADIE tells small truths as it gives good actors room to work – and sing. Ron Eldard (ER, SLEEPERS) eschews his familiar boyishness as Jimmy. Bearded and bellied, Eldard forsakes vanity to create a portrait of a man who has squandered everything – including his worldly possessions, which he leaves in a cab in the film’s opening scene. With his Carter-era muttonchops, shaggy mane, and three-quarter-length leather coat, Jimmy’s garb would be parody if it weren’t so pathetic.

As he keeps the truth from his mother, claiming to manage and write songs for the Cult, Jimmy reconnects with former – and maybe current – school bully Bobby (Bobby Cannavale, WIN WIN) and his wife, Nikki (Jill Hennessy, Law & Order, Crossing Jordan), who Jimmy dated in high school. Bobby, a hotheaded car salesman with a coke problem, is happy to pick up where he left off with Jimmy, teasing and ragging him, while Nikki, who sings at a local bar, hopes that a music big wheel such as Jimmy can give her the shot she needs to make it in the music business.

Ron Eldard, Bobby Cannavale / ROADIE (Magnolia)

What follows are recriminations and revelations that border on cliché but are salvaged by the masterful performances of the three principals. Jimmy is a pitiable figure whose mother thinks of him as a “rock-and-roll butler,” but Eldard imbues the character with a measure of dignity borne of his vast love of 70s music. Jimmy may be an unemployed bum with a history of drinking and drugging, but he can riff on the Good Rats with the best of them, and his string-changing skills are nonpareil, as he shows in the intimate exchange he has with Nikki while the seething Bobby looks on.

As Bobby, Cannavale takes drug-fueled assholery to new heights. Born, bred, and bound to Queens, Randy treats Nikki as a consolation prize, a silver medal he got for sticking around the neighborhood. Initially happy to connect with another local, Randy’s bonhomie toward Jimmy masks a fierce resentment and jealousy that comes to a head in a painfully effective scene about rock and roll versus “real” life.

Hennessy does her own singing and playing as Nikki, which adds to the authenticity of the character. Unlike Jimmy, Nikki has never left the neighborhood, but also unlike Jimmy, she shows genuine talent, making her an even more poignant figure. The actress’s charm and natural beauty go a long way in making Nikki the object of desire for both Jimmy and Randy.

ROADIE is the kind of flick whose moments linger after it ends. It’s constructed with the intimacy of a one-act play mounted in a black box theater, and though the film covers only 24 hours in the lives of its characters, the actors and the script – written by director Cuesta and his brother Gerald – make it feel as if we’ve been watching these characters over decades.

Michael Cuesta / ROADIE (Magnolia)

If you’re looking for an insightful character study of figures on the fringes, carve out 95 minutes for ROADIE. You won’t be disappointed.

Ron Eldard / ROADIE (Magnolia)

- Chris Claro

Chris
Chris Claro is a contributing writer to On Demand Weekly. He is a former Director of Promotion for Sundance Channel and now works as a writer, producer, and media educator. He is a regular contributor to dvdverdict.com and contributor to the Eyes and Ears section of huffingtonpost.com