THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY With Dennis Farina → On Demand Weekly

THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY With Dennis FarinaOctober 26, 2011

Tribeca Film

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: THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY (Tribeca Film).

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THE LAST RITES IF JOE MAY
By Sidney Falco

There are certain films, grand in scope (and budget) that aim for greatness and ultimately fail on an emotional level. And then there are films, smaller in scope (and budget), that aim for a similar greatness, but end up with mild emotional results. THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY is one of these films; it is a straight-forward narrative tale about an over-the-hill hustler, played by the talented Dennis Farina, who wants to have one last shot at redemption.

Dennis Farina / THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY (Tribeca Film)

Written and directed with simplicity by Joe Maggio, the film is reminiscent of films such as Vittorio DeSica’s UMBERTO D, and Louis Malle’s ATLANTIC CITY, most notably the latter film (which it never comes close to on a character or story level). Simplicity is the film’s strength; it is also its weakness. The script never really transcends the story – there is very little subtext in the film – what you see is what you get – and what you don’t know, eventually you find out.

Farina, a very complete actor in demeanor, makes all the right choices: he never over-sells himself as someone flashier (though you want him too). It’s a measured performance. Yet, the film, as well as Farina’s performance, lack any type of humor or dark comedy – a missed opportunity by the filmmaker – to counter the bleak setting, cold weather and dreary tone of the film. Granted, one could argue that this is not that type of film, but it’s gritty urban setting and shades of grey characters are nothing but tragic. The film’s a downer, and not in a good way.

There is nothing in the dialogue, nor the direction, that give Joe that extra bravado that we, the audience, long for. Dennis Farina’s face has the history, and his body language the rhythms (and the voice – no one can curse like Farina), but what comes out of his mouth is static and clunky (an attempt to hustle a slab of beef is meant, I think, to serve as a mild attempt at humor and characterization).

Dennis Farina / THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY (Tribeca Film)

The supporting players fill out the cast, but they seem to be only there to serve story and not character, and are somewhat clichéd: there is the battered woman (Jamie Anne Allman), and her friendly daughter (Meredith Droeger), who Joe befriends, along with her abusive boyfriend (Ian Barford) – the boyfriend being a parallel to possibly what Farina’s May was like years ago (maybe I’m reaching here).

Gary Cole / THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY (Tribeca Film)

The multi-talented Gary Cole surfaces as the local shylock – it’s a good role for him – you wish he was in the movie more, just to take the story in another direction. Regardless, all moments with the supporting players seem paint by numbers, and a scene between Joe and his son seems forced – a less is more approach would have gone a long way in this scene than what ended up in the film itself.

Dennis Farina / THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY (Tribeca Film)

At the end of the day, I wanted more from the film – the script just never delivers. It’s unfortunate, because there are moments that THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY work, and is those moments that I would marginally suggest seeing the film. It is the kind of film that could play stronger in the theater than at home. At home, you might want to pause it or turn it off. The picture has a leisurely pace that takes awhile to get into, but eventually, works for what it is; or rather, what the film aims to be.

- Sidney Falso

Sidney Falco is a writer who works in the New York City area. Sidney lives and breathes film and television, and will occasionally write about them when asked. Sidney has also worked at such companies as Miramax, Sundance Channel and Sy-Fy. This is Sidney’s first review for ODW.

Look for THE LAST RITES OF JOE MAY (Tribeca Film) in your local cable movies on demand section.