THE MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING: *** OUT OF ****
United States, 1996 U.S. Release Date: beginning 10/97 (limited) Running Length: 1:33 MPAA Classification: R (Sex, profanity, mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Noah Wyle, Julianne Moore, Roy Scheider, Blythe Danner, Michael Vartan, Laurel Holloman, Hope Davis, Brian Kerwin, Arija Bareikis, James LeGros Director: Bart Freundlich Producers: Mary Jane Skalski, Tim Perell, Bart Freundlich Screenplay: Bart Freundlich Cinematography: Stephen Kazmierski Music: David Bridie, John Phillips U.S. Distributor: Sony Pictures Classics
In the movies, the holidays are times when dysfunctional families come together, air their differences, then renew their closeness so that everyone can go home happy. It's frequently a melodramatic and cloying process, and, even when there are gifted actors involved (such as Holly Hunter in the Jodie Foster-directed HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS), watching such a film can be a dull, uninvolving process. With THE MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS, however, writer/director Bart Freundlich has scored a coup: he has created a low-key holiday drama that's refreshing not only because it lacks the big discovery melodrama of most similar movies but because it's entirely believable.
THE MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS begins with the familiar process of the family re-assembling at Mom and Dad's New England house during Thanksgiving week. The only one who still lives with her parents (who are ably portrayed by Roy Scheider and Blythe Danner) is Leigh (Laurel Holloman), the sprightly youngest child who has a boundless well of enthusiasm and good cheer. The same cannot be said of most of the returning children. There's Warren (Noah Wyle, from TV's ER), who hasn't been home in three years since breaking up with his high-school sweetheart (Arija Bareikis). The perpetually-cranky Mia (Julianne Moore, currently in BOOGIE NIGHTS) arrives with her latest significant other, therapist Elliot (Brian Kerwin), in tow. Their relationship is clearly on the rocks, and Mia's fascination with an old grade school pal (James LeGros) doesn't help matters. Jake (Michael Vartan) shows up with his flighty girlfriend, Margaret (Hope Davis), who amuses Jake's Mom by insisting that she and her boyfriend share the same bed.
At its best, THE MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS is a sensitive, intelligent examination of the dynamics of a dysfunctional family (note: families in movies like this must always be dysfunctional, otherwise there wouldn't be much of a story). At its worst, which isn't often, Freundlich's feature debut runs into difficulties with cliches: the overbearing father who has left his "fingerprints" on the lives of each of his offspring, the search by various couples to rekindle the old flame, etc. One of the most atypical aspects of THE MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS is that it isn't loaded with "shocking" revelations – everything is pretty much as it seems and the friction between the characters is the result of normal causes rather than motion picture contrivances. Plus, in true slice-of-life fashion, hardly anything gets wrapped up over the course of the picture. We see a few small dramas play themselves out, but the larger story, which began long before the picture's opening credits, is not cleanly closed.
Freundlich has a good sense of what makes for absorbing drama – a quality that consistently applies to THE MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS. Through strong, well-focused writing and with the help of a uniformly effective cast, the director gets us to care about every member of the family in a remarkably short span of time. The dialogue is also thoughtful and insightful, rather than trite. Examples include Warren's explanation for why he's going home this year for Thanksgiving: "It's been long enough that I can't quite remember that I shouldn't go," and Mia's observation that family members are "the first people you're supposed to be hostile to."
THE MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS contains a number of noteworthy scenes, including some strangely quiet dinners and awkward moments between estranged siblings. But the best sequence occurs early in the film, on the night when everyone has finally assembled under one roof. One-by- one, the various couples begin to make love, and the concert of moans, thumps, and squeaks creates an atmosphere that is both poignant and funny, especially as we observe Warren's reaction to all the noise around him.
Nothing much happens during THE MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS, but that's the point. For 90 minutes, Freundlich opens a window into the lives of a few characters, and our perspective is so clear that we feel we get to know them. So, although the material is not especially challenging, the results are among the best for an American film of this genre. For those who appreciate this sort of simple drama, THE MYTH OF FINGERPRINTS is worth a trip to the theater.
Copyright 1997 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net
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