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 Levity
 
Starring: Billy Bob Thornton, Morgan Freeman, Kirsten Dunst
and Holly Hunter
Directed/written by: Ed Solomon
Normally I adore slow movies that unravel to expose delightful
characters riddled with layers of delicate personalities or subtle
compassions, but frankly, Levity is just kind of dull.
There I've said it. Billy Bob Thornton plays the title character,
Manual Jordan, so calmly it could induce sleepy-woo-woo if you're
already a bit tired.
Story
goes… Manual (BB Thornton) has just gotten out of prison
after 21 years. He was in for the mindless murder of a young liquor
store clerk whose picture he still carries with him.
You
instantly get the feeling died all those years ago on that fateful
day as well. He is soulfully remorseful and has condemned himself.
Upon
his release, having no place to go, he decides to live in the
neighborhood of his past ghosts. He looks up the sister (Holly
Hunter) of the man he killed and kind of stalks her. He means
no harm, but the whole scenario is a tad creepy. Eventually -
in the silliest of meetings - the two develop a physical relationship.
It's both cruel and truly not believable- even if she is not aware
at the time Manual killed her brother.
Manual
goes by the liquor store where he murdered and stares into its
windows. As he does the pay phone in the parking lot begins to
ring. He answers and meets an odd "preacher" named Miles
(Morgan Freeman) who hires him for some mysterious job across
town.
The
job turns out to be a car lot attendant and fixer up guy for a
wayward community center for wayward teens. The spot is across
from a Devil's punchbowl of dancing and dating. The late night
emporium houses ecstasy dropping rich kids. The Preacher lets
the Kids Park for free in his lot provided they listen to a fifteen
minutes religious sermon.
Through
this automobile club of sinners, Manual meets Sofia, (Kirsten
Dunst). She eventually starts to blossom as a human through all
her oh-so-typical- youth angst act. Who cares? We should but Levity
is just too monotonous, too dead pan, and all Manual's meetings
and sad "friendships" continually seem unlikely and
never develop enough for us to grasp on to emotionally our selves.
Loved
the concept the technical direction and the premise but people
are more complicated then director /writer Ed Solomon paints them.
He asked us to watch slowly and learn but he left out the details
and the realistic hues that paint well-defined characters an audience
will follow.
Snack
recommendation: Vegetable soup and unsalted saltines
BLUNTLY
SPEAKING:
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