Junebug

Directed by Phil Morrison, Written by Angus MacLachlan
Screening at FACT from 28th April - 11th May 2006

Reviewed by Alicia Rose

A seat-twitching and painfully slow paced viewing is what you get when you partake of watching Junebug. This 2005 release about the crossover lives of Chicago ‘upmarket’ swanks and North Carolina ‘simple’ people through family connections can leave a bored vacancy right between the eyes, unless of course you like slow, boring, wait-a-minute-something’s-going-to-happen sort of films.

To be fair the opening sequence is quite good - being a collective of random men yodellers - but they just lull you into a false sense of wonder at what will follow. Then a ‘whispering audio’ set against the full screen image of tall trees bodes apt for the ‘dead wood’ which ensues. Cinematography is exceptional in parts, and casting is stalwart with some veteran actors on board stand tall whom in the big scheme of things and give their best efforts to a story that is scattered, staccato and shrinking to nothingness.

Saving the film from being absolute ‘pants’ are a couple of ‘real life’ humorous nuances, but otherwise continuity fails, direction dips and ‘forgots’ are jaw-droppingly apparent in numerous scenes. There is a bad geographical error at the end of the film, and (wait for it) in that true American fashion prepare to be dazzled (it’ll be the only time you are) by the amazing ‘pearly whites’ of every single actor, principal, supporting or otherwise. Does everyone really have beautiful white teeth from darn North Carolina? All of which lends to the err of this film. Watch it only if you have absolutely nothing else to do.