MY FIRST MISTER A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2001 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
Leelee Sobieski delivers the best performance of her career in Christine Lahti's MY FIRST MISTER. Both funny and touching, Sobieski plays Jennifer -- she prefers to be called simply J -- a character who's the complete opposite of the leader of the math nerds she played in NEVER BEEN KISSED. Like the highly acclaimed GHOST WORLD, MY FIRST MISTER concerns the world of rebellious teens. But for my money, MY FIRST MISTER is a much more accessible and successful film.
J is an angry and lost teen without friends of any age. Our first glimpse of Sobieski is a shock, since we think of her as the sweet girl-next-door type. She is dressed from head to toe in black, has most of her body pierced and metalled and is covered in tattoos. With a pair of binoculars, she uses them to spy with one end and to distort and make fun of her world with the other end.
Having long since given up on life, 17-year-old J finds her salvation in a clothing store owner, Randall (Albert Brooks). She calls him "boss man" and "sir" at first but later goes with just R. With great chemistry together, Brooks as the supportive straight man and Sobieski as the needy and sarcastic jokester, they form a relationship that's more than paternal but less than lovers. Certainly everyone, especially those at her favorite coffee place (Bourgeois Pig), figure that, at 49, he must be her father. She has a wacky mother and a taciturn stepfather (Carol Kane and Michael McKean) as well as a freeze-dried hippie, biological father (John Goodman), but she's never been able to communicate with any of them.
When R gives J a job in his store, he forces her to make herself more presentable. After a painful sequence watching her remove her body metal, we witness J's transformation from heavy metal rebel to a bit more sedate teen. Costume designer Kimberly Tillman is careful to give her a black look that shows she has changed but far from completely or necessarily permanently.
Jill Franklyn's script is sharp and dead-on in its humor and its pathos. "I'm old. I'm George Burns," R tells J when he tries to convince her that he's too old for her. "Who's George Burns?" she asks in reply. In truth, J and R are soul mates. Neither has any friends, and both have been miserable until they formed their bond. Other than the age and clothes, the main difference between them is that J contemplates suicide and engages in self-mutilation.
Lahti has a gifted touch with her material. We sympathize with both J and R, but we never feel manipulated by any cheap theatrics. You will laugh, you may cry and you will certainly be touched by this unusual story of these two, new best friends.
MY FIRST MISTER runs 1:49. It is rated R for "language and some sexual material" and would be acceptable for teenagers.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, October 12, 2001. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the Camera Cinemas.
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