Moms are some of the most underappreciated peopleon the planet — not to mention some of the most underrepresented protagonists in media. It’s disheartening how few shows and movies center them and allow them to be complex, multidimensional people instead of stereotypical supporting characters. We’ve been blessed with moreraunchy ensembleslately a laBad MomsandFun Mom Dinner— which, don’t get me wrong, absolutely have a place — but morenuanced dramedies, especially about women with grown children, are still unfortunately few and far between.I’ll Be Right Thereattempts to bridge that gap and giveEdie Falcoa vehicle to shine in the process.
What Is ‘I’ll Be Right There’ About?
I’ll Be Right Therefeels veryslice-of-lifein that there’s no huge, inciting incident that acts as a catalyst nor a big climax that everything seems to be building toward. Rather, we seeWanda (Falco) juggling each of her family’s individual crises and quirks. Her mother Grace (Jeannie Berlin) is a heavy gambler who is afraid she has lung cancer; her daughter Sarah (Kayli Carter) is eight months pregnant and planning a wedding; and her son Mark (Charlie Tahan) struggles with addiction.
And that’s not even mentioning the fact that her ex-husband Henry (Bradley Whitford) is financially irresponsible and has a gaggle of kids with his new partner and she’s secretly dating two people — an eager man named Marshall (Michael Rapaport) she doesn’t seem to have much passion with and a professor named Sophie (Sepideh Moafi) who she has nothingbutpassion with, as she still hasn’t introduced Wanda to any of her friends. Throw in a neighbor named Albert (Michael Beach) who she tries to help out with dessert recipes, andWanda’s life is full. Too bad everyone is constantly telling her that it’s emptyand that she needs to move on to the next stage of her life — something she wouldn’t know how to do if she tried.
‘I’ll Be Right There’ Features Excellent Dialogue and Performances
I’ll Be Right Thereis a character-driven film, and luckily, each one has a distinct and engaging personality. No matter how much screen time each of them has,they all come off like real, fleshed-out people. While there are certainly tropes — the stubborn, free-spirited mom with wild stories and the irresponsibleson looking for purpose— they never veer into stereotypes or cliche because of the nuances at play. This is due to a combination of Jim Beggarly’s strong, specific script and excellent performances across the board.
Falco is consistently reliable, as evidenced by everything fromThe SopranostoNurse Jackie, so it should come as no surprise thatshe gives Wanda all kinds of textures and shades, peeling back more and more layers as the movie progresses. Wanda is a deceptively simple character, as she’s mostly reacting to the people around her. However, playing a character in a transitional stage of their life — one without a clear idea of what they want — and still making them engaging is challenging. Luckily, Falco has no problem making Wanda endlessly relatable; it’s easy to sympathize and root for her.
I’ve been dying to see more of Carter ever since hercriminally underrated performance in the equally criminally underratedPrivate Life, and she doesn’t disappoint. She has a natural comedic gift, playing even her large, most absurd moments with an impressive groundedness. In lesser hands, her role — and this movie as a whole — is a recipe for amateurish overacting and going much too big, butthe cast brings a real sense of authenticity and believability no matter how whacky the circumstance. Her banter with Tahan is razor-sharp and hits the nail on the head in how adult siblings speak to each other. Berlin plays Grace with a tricky combination of overbearingness while being unfazed by everything from robberies to serious health conditions, and the scenes where the three generations of women interact over ice cream are some of the film’s strongest. The other standout goes to Whitford, who is so obnoxiously selfish that it’s occasionally endearing and frequently hilarious.
‘I’ll Be Right There’ Could Benefit From More Focus and Bolder Direction
If that sounds like a lot of characters, you’d be right. And while they all offer something to the film,the sheer size of theensembledoes make it inherently difficult to dive too deeply into any one of the numerous plotlines it’s trying to juggle. The storylines between Wanda and her immediate family emerge as the most satisfying, while her romantic relationships suffer from a lack of development.
Gettingqueer representationfor a woman in her sixties is amazing, andthe fact thatI’ll Be Right Theredoesn’t make Wanda’s sexuality and coming-out journey its main focus is refreshing, but the film ultimately occupies a strange middle groundwhere it acknowledges it’s new — and perhaps a bit complicated for Wanda — that she’s with a woman but never tackles it in earnest. Sophie’s character ends up the most cliche and one-dimensional, and as a result, the whole storyline feels thrown in and unresolved. Her dynamic with Albert has potential, too, but is rushed, and its conclusion toes the line of being preachy and saccharine.
I’ll Be Right Therehas a straightforward feeling to its direction, and while it’s perfectly adequate for a story like this and allows the performances to take center stage, it ultimately becomes a bit bland. Some more visual risks and innovation could have enhanced the story and reinforced its themes of trying to find your purpose in the world and discovering joy in the smallest, simplest moments. Still, there is a natural charm about the way the setting is captured, withAaron Medick’s cinematography somehownostalgic. The establishing shots of the town’s landscape transported me back to growing up in the suburbs, as well as indie films of the early 2000s. There are no frills to the presentation, allowing the environment to speak for itself and effortlessly immersing the audience in the town.
I’ll Be Right Thereis a light, breezy way to spend a little over an hour and a half filled with some genuinely funny gags, top-notch dialogue, and solid performances. Characters like Wanda — ones who find happiness simply being with their family, no matter how chaotic — are few and far between in movies, andmany are sure to feel represented by watching Falco’s touching, understated performance. It’s a pleasant watch — and an important one for that reason.
I’ll Be Right There
‘I’ll Be Right There’ is a funny, feel-good slice-of-life film that features a type of protagonist who rarely gets to shine.
I’ll Be Right Thereis now playing in theaters in the U.S. Click below for showtimes near you.
