Janet Planet
Review by Mark Woodring
There are movies that are objectively BAD films, but that are eminently enjoyable.
Conversely, there are objectively GOOD films which folks can find unenjoyable.
Triversely (that’s a word now; I typed it; it’s mine), there are films which are exactly what they are: GOOD or BAD films which are GOOD or BAD.
A24, IMHO, has a reputation for having films which fall into either of the first two categories; rarely is there an A24 film which is exactly is exactly what it seems it should be.
I mention this, because the latest A24 film, Janet Planet, falls into the normal flow of their movies…
…but in which direction?
**NOTE: You can read Mark’s review below, then use the links to listen or watch as he and Ryan discuss the film in more depth. Remember, though, you can listen to all our discussions of this and every other movie directly over on ACAST. Stay tuned.**
113 Minutes, Rated PG-13
Written and Directed by: Annie Baker
Synopsis:
In rural Western Massachusetts, 11-year-old Lacy spends the summer of 1991 at home, enthralled by her own imagination and the attention of her mother, Janet. As the months pass, three visitors enter their orbit, all captivated by Janet and her spellbinding nature. In her solitary moments, Lacy inhabits an inner world so extraordinarily detailed that it begins to seep into the outside world.
Last year, A24 put out a film called Beau is Afraid, from director Ari Aster and starring Joaquin Phoenix, which I said was one of Phoenix’s absolute best performances wasted in a terrible film. I stand by that assessment, by the way; I have no desire to rewatch that film.
Sadly, Janet Planet, despite some good performances and some interesting cinematographic choices, holds the same place in my mind. This is a film that is, generally, objectively well-done, but which holds no interest for me in any important sense of the word.
Zoe Ziegler plays Lacy, a complicated child who lives with her single mother, the titular Janet Planet (played by Julianne Nicholson). As Lacy spends a long, hot, Massachusetts summer (after calling out of camp by claiming she would kill herself if her mom didn’t pick her up and take her home) watching a parade of people enter her mother’s life before vanishing, sometimes due to her mother, sometimes due to their own choices, and sometimes due to Lacy’s actions.
This is a slow burn of a film, though perhaps it would be better described as a slow smolder, never quite catching fire, narratively. The languid days bleed together as Lacy sits, attends piano lessons, and generally does nothing of import or impact, instead watching as her mother tries to have a life of her own…
… though Janet doesn’t really try very had on that front, always bowing to the wishes and whims of Lacy above all else.
I find it hard to discuss the film, mostly because I found it hard to care about anyone in it. Again, this is a strange dichotomy to process, as I found the performances to be generally good, but in the service of nothing by the end of the film.
It’s frustrating as a viewer, more so as a critic, especially one who always wants to like a movie. I hate to dislike a movie.
I suppose I don’t hate this movie; it’s more that I find myself ambivalent about it.
At best.
If you want to watch better coming-of-age movies, might I suggest The Florida Project or The Way Way Back?
Janet Planet hits theaters June 28 and stars Zoe Ziegler, Julianne Nicholson, Will Patton, Edie Moon Kearns, Sophie Okonedo, and Elias Koteas.
And remember, if the BEST thing you can say about a movie is that it’s “visually stunning,” then they’ve done something wrong.
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