Retro DVD Round-Up: "Primal Fear" Starring Ed Norton and "Parenthood" Starring Steve Martin

Primal Fear (1996)

The Basics - Psychological thriller focusing on the alleged murder of a priest by a young man, Aaron Stampler (Ed Norton), who may be suffering from mental illness.

Reasons to Watch - The superb cast is led by Richard Gere, as Aaron's attorney, Martin Vail, and the aforementioned Ed Norton. The supporting cast features the considerable talents of Laura Linney, Frances McDormand and Alfre Woodard. The screenplay, by Steve Shagan and Ann Biderman, is fascinating and allows for character development of the principal characters, who are all complex.

The Bottom Line - The performances more than make up for the problems associated with the motives behind the killing of the priest and the endless and melodramatic sidebars that occur in the courtroom. Ed Norton is convincing as the unpredictable Aaron, who be smarter than the more established professionals he encounters. The extended run time is the result of a few unnecessary scenes with disposable minor characters, but overall, Primal Fear is a solid film.

Parenthood (1989)

The Basics - Ensemble comedy centering around an extended family whose imperfections make them likable, for the most part. The various characters struggle with divorce, gambling, adolescence, and the many problems associated with raising children.

Reasons to Watch - The talented cast is led by Steve Martin, who proves that he is still a wild and crazy guy. The supporting cast features fine work from Jason Robards, Mary Steenburgen and Diane Wiest and the younger cast members (at the time) include Martha Plimpton (Raising Hope), Leaf/Joaquin Phoenix and Keanu Reeves. The late Helen Shaw provides the emotional heart of the film, as Grandma.

The Bottom Line - Entertaining and well acted film that features relatable characters who are all being challenged to rise above their problems and find a way to keep the family unit together, with mixed results. Parenthood holds up well after nearly a quarter of a century and that can be partially credited to director Ron Howard.

Gus Van Sant and Matt Damon Reunite for "Promised Land"

Matt Damon re-teams with his Good Will Hunting director, Gus Van Sant, for the socially conscious drama Promised Land, which centers around the efforts of an energy company to purchase natural gas drilling rights from residents of a small farming town. Damon portrays Steve Butler, a rising star in his company, Global Crosspower Solutions, who partners with another employee, Sue Thomason (Frances McDormond), to secure the land rights quickly and with limited cost to their employer. Initially, their efforts are well received, but during a town meeting, a science teacher, Frank Yates (Hal Holbrook), expresses skepticism about the dangers of extracting the natural gas through a process known as fracking. Steve is not prepared for Frank's educated opinion and has trouble addressing his concerns, which seems to trouble the other residents. As a result, the locals decide to take a vote after they have had time to educate themselves about fracking. Soon thereafter, an environmental advocate, Dustin Noble (John Krasinski), arrives in town and works to convince the residents not to sell their land to Global because of the possible contamination of the water supply and the dangers posed to the animal population from fracking. Dustin's easy going, friendly demeanor helps endear him to the locals, who believe what he has to say, thus causing roadblocks for Steve and Sue to successfully purchase the land. 

Promised Land was filmed in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania which is a fracking hot spot these days. The fracking debate that is addressed in the film is not a new one and was the focus of a 2010 documentary, Gasland, which was nominated for an Academy Award. While the debate on the pros and cons of fracking continues, the farming industry continues to struggle, which is prompting more and more people to sell their land and reap the rewards. That reality is captured throughout the film, as Steve tries to convince the land owners that farming is a thing of the past and that their only real option is to sell. That may be an oversimplification, but Steve is trying to further his career, after all. Even though he tells the residents that he is not the bad guy, his inability to be completely honest with them suggests otherwise. However, Steve is likable and comes from similar small town roots, so he can relate to the people that he is trying to coax into selling their land. At times, Steve appears conflicted about his job, which becomes even more complicated when he knows that the promises that he is making may not come to pass for the residents, who are essentially being manipulated and not necessarily receiving a fair price for their land and the natural gas resources.

The screenplay, by Matt Damon and John Krasinski, starts off strong but loses momentum during the second half of the film, when I found myself becoming distracted during a few dialogue heavy scenes. When Promised Land stays focused on Steve's internal conflicts, the film works well, but when a needless potential romance develops between him and a local resident, Alice (Rosemarie DeWitt), the film veers off course. The romantic angle is never fully realized because the characters do not spend enough time together. In fact, viewers know next to nothing about Alice, so why should they care about her potential romance with Steve? Furthermore, there are too many characters introduced throughout the film, which is distracting at times and at least two of them, portrayed by the aforementioned and always outstanding McDormand and Holbrook, simply do not have enough to do. On the other hand, Damon and Krasinski play more substantial roles and deliver strong performances. Krasinski is particularly effective in a bar scene during open mic night when Dustin is trying to sway the residents against selling their land. He ends his speech by belting out Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark," which solidifies his "everyman" status with the locals. 

My expectations for Promised Land were high because the film features two of my favorite actors, Matt Damon and Frances McDormond. In addition, Gus Van Sant is one of my favorite directors and the aforementioned Good Will Hunting is one of my all-time favorite films. Unfortunately, Promised Land does not live up to its potential. While I appreciated the effort put forth by the considerable talent that has been assembled for this project, I cannot fully recommend this film. However, there is much to like about Promised Land, if you can overlook its shortcomings. For instance, small town life is perfectly captured, the music is well considered, humor is used well to offset the drama, and the main characters are realistically portrayed by exceptional actors. Of course, depending on where viewers fall in the fracking debate is likely to be crucial to their enjoyment of the film, which does an admirable job at looking at both sides of the issue, but ultimately appears to be saying that the potential dangers associated with the process need to be examined more closely. While that is reasonable, I suspect some viewers may not feel the same way.