After a summer full of less-than-memorable blockbusters (i.e. the lack of film reviews I’ve written in recent months), I was able to watch a more memorable film in the form of a charming, indie romantic comedy. The film is called Dedication, written by lyricist and songwriter David Bromberg and directed by Justin Theroux, who can been seen in the American Psycho clip I posted earlier delivering the line “Jesus…that is really super. How did a nitwit like you get so tasteful?” Others may remember him as Brenda’s Nate-less lover in Six Feet Under.
The film begins in a New York porn theater (do these still exist in the city?), as Billy Cruddup and Tom Wilkinson are watching poorly projected 16mm smut to inspire their creative tasks as children books writers and illustrators, respectively. It is here that Wilkinson, the clear mentor to Billy Cruddup’s character, has an epiphany to write a Christmas story about a beaver. Continuing in the first act, the characters - most certainly Cruddup’s - are portrayed as deeply flawed and accentric. Their books go on to sell thousands of copies and they find the success they have, or have not been looking for.
Wilkinson’s health takes a turn for the worst and their editor, played by the always-great-in-that-role Bob Balaban, forces Cruddup to pick up a new illustrator to meet another Christmas deadline. The new illustrator is Mandy Moore, playing the typical starving-artist in New York who is not actually starving but being enabled by her mother to pursue a fourth talent in a line of three other failed talents. After much resistence, Cruddup agrees to work with Moore on the new book and ends up falling in love with her. Cruddup’s own paranoid and bizzare personality, coupled with Moore’s ex-boyfriend rolling into town to woo her back provide the conflict for the second and third acts.
At this point, the film becomes somewhat cliché although I struggle to cope with how a romance story is not inherently cliché. While Dedication starts and flows through a strong start, it does finish with a different tone, not quite as strong. Otherwise, the stylized editing and non-linear fashion are used with intelligence and consistency rather than purely for an asthetic. The film’s soundtrack is the other accentric character in the film; Deerhoof performs a classic and appropriate accompanyment to the characters and situations in Dedication, similar to the definitive soundtracks for Garden State and Rushmore.
With all of the film’s sums, I enjoyed Dedication and would recommend watching it. Theroux’s style could be compared to a very green Wes Anderson or Michel Gondry sans his fancy tricks. Billy Cruddup and Tom Wilkinson nail it, as they always do. While I suspect the casting of Mandy Moore was to offer more credibility and draw to the film with audiences, it is Moore who will end up with more credibility for doing this film in the long run. That is, unless License To Wed finds it’s audience on DVD.
I was just listening to Au Revoir Simone - Stay Golden
