There is serious promise to be found within Terri. Up-and-coming director Azazel
Jacobs has a firm handle on his subject matter and he works hard to show Terri
for the good hearted boy that he is. It is a very simple and understated film
(more on this in a minute) as Jacobs lets his protagonist move at his own pace.
You can see why so many respected critics have identified Jacobs as a name to
watch in the future. Wysocki himself gives an honest performance and displays
solid chops for a kid who has almost no acting experience. He makes it easy to
identify with Terri and that brings about a sense of natural empathy that is
essential to the film’s success. Likewise, Reilly is a perfect choice for the
would-be-cool principal who tries extremely hard to be relevant and accessible
to his students but can’t quite make it work. The relationship between Terri
and Fitzgerald is poignant and heartfelt and without question their shared
scenes are the best of the film.
When Terri
diverts from its main storyline, however, it tends to bog down. What starts out
as sympathy for Terri eventually turns into near depression as his narrative
struggles to find an upswing. His interactions with his friends Chad (Bridger
Zadina) and Heather (Olivia Crocicchia) are tenuous and never fully realize the
potential they have together resulting in a choppy feel that I never could
quite shake. Jacobs adds very little in the way of production value, too, and
while I can appreciate that sort of simplicity, in this case a pronounced
soundtrack and the like would have added to the experience. I found myself
growing bored with Terri and had a
hard time staying invested when Terri and Fitzgerald weren’t on screen
together. That’s a real shame because I really wanted to care about Terri’s
relationships with Chad, Heather, and his uncle but Jacobs story didn’t quite
give me enough reason to get there. With a little more focus, Terri would be a touching and possibly
even uplifting coming-of-age vision based around the Terri-Fitzgerald dynamic.
Instead, it becomes too dull and convoluted for my tastes and limited my
ability to stay connected.
Grade: C+
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.