Michael Mayer’s A Home At the End of The World is another film that is based on the Michael Cunningham’s novel of the same. The film is essentially a romantic melodrama charting the growing up of Bobby Morrow over three decades from the late 1960s to the 1980s.
The start of the film is amusing and touching. Bobby ( Andrew Chalmers) is just a child when he walks in on his brother bonking his girlfriend. Bobby looks up t his brother, aspiring t be like him, trusting him completely. His first taste of LSD is amusing, if a little far removed from the actual effects (I’ve never had a subtle LSD trip). However, after the tragic death of his brother (which I can only describe as a hilarious in my opinion), Bobby’s life fast forwards to the 1970s.
He befriends Johnathon (Harris Allan), a typical nerd/geek lookalike. Bobby (Erik Smith) introduces both Johnathon and his mother (Sissy Spacek) to weed, much to their enjoyment. These scenes are particularly amusing, and show the good side of smoking the green, green grass.
As they grow up together, they also begin to explore each other sexually, feeding their curiosity. What develops between them is an intimate male friendship, verging on a homosexual relationship. Bobby doesn’t particularly swing in any direction, and prefers to go with the flow – an honest kid, who just wants to do what feels right. It’s quite obvious, however, that Johnathon prefers the company of men.
Fast forward another decade, and it’s the age of the free expression of homosexuality and the awareness of Aids. Johnathon (Dallas Roberts) is now in New York, living with a new friend Clare (Robin Wright Penn) and Bobby comes to join them as Johnathon’s parents are leaving for Arizona.
The best part of the film is perhaps when the two guys are in their teens. Harris plays a confused and curious nerd, and Erik Smith is excellent as the kid who will do anything if he wants to. He’s a free spirit, not tied to anything, not phased by any problems, and always looking to find the good in people.
When the film switches to the adults, the pace of film also changes. There’s a dragging emphasis on the threesome relationship that develops between John, Bobby and Clare and the so-called dilemma that springs up. It seems to borrow much from other films; Six Degrees of Separation and My Private Idaho are just two that spring to mind. It was an enjoyable second half, but not as entertaining as the first half.
All due credit to Colin Farrell. My expectation was that he would pull another crappy performance, having been in so many pathetic action films, it was fantastic to see him to take on not just a serious role, but a role which required some dedication on his part. He doesn’t seem too shy about kissing other guys or being intimate, and I think this was great to see from someone like Farrell.
This is perhaps the film that’s made me think, he’s not just a good looking, one trick pony. At times, however, he comes across as wooden, as he tries to express emotions such as concern, and you see his square eyebrows just flatten and fold like an arch. It’s quite hilarious, but he does do his best, and I have to praise Farrell for a fairly average performance, even if some of the more emotional scenes come off as comic.
Robin Wright Penn is great as the equally free spirited Clare. She’s unintentionally looking for love, and thinks she’s found it in Bobby. The distinctive red hair, her care free attitude works really well. I enjoyed the bedroom scene where she starts to take control; it was a touch and amusing scene. Dallas Roberts, however, comes across as a hell of a drama queen. Now, whether or not he’s gay, he manages to pull off the camp acting with much aplomb. His irritating behaviour is perhaps a testament to his acting skills, as he plays the reclusive and isolated loner very well.
Sissy Spacek as the mother is great to see again. She’s both a sympathetic and fun character to watch. Trying to struggle with the possibility that her son Johnathon and Bobby are sexually involved, while attending to her sick husband (Matt Frewer), and also trying to be a mother is heart warming to see.
The film doesn’t tread any new ground; it’s not revolutionary in anyway, and offers nothing that you probably haven’t seen in a film about a threesome relationship between three straight people. What it does do, however, is delicately manage the complex relationship that forms between the three individuals, and how they try to cope with the reality rather than the fantasy.
I admit though, the latter half of the film does start to bore a little, as it start to become incredibly repetitious, and we see yet another hissy fit about how things can’t work out. You already know with the introduction of the female character what the eventual problems will be and that it doesn’t look likely to happen. The most annoying, corny scene in the entire film involves the three of them in such an annoying situation. You don’t know whether to laugh at the bad acting, or cry at the poor scripting. It comes off as ludicrous as you raise your hands in the air with a very large “What the fuck?”.
Overall, I think this film is not bad. It’s modestly enjoyable, and it’s been a while since I’ve seen a film that carefully manages to deal with the topic of love and relationships in a more serious manner, be it straight or gay. In the end this film is about love, rather than the issue of sexual preference of the individual, that’s what all the characters are looking for. There is, however, too much ground to cover for a 90 minute film, and it does feel often disjointed and fragmented. Still, it’s a reasonable effort and worth a rental.
Verdict: Decent, if unoriginal, debut from Michael Mayer delicately dealing with the quagmire of love