Secondhand Reviews: "A Little Help"

Rated R for strong language, sexual situations and drug and alcohol use.

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In spite of major popular success and having your photo and interviews appear in virtually every national magazine, the big stars of hugely popular TV shows do occasionally long for something a little off their usual beaten path, an opportunity to play someone unlike the character they're known for on TV each week, in a story that doesn't resemble their usual series. Almost inevitably, they have to go to the land of Independent Film to do this, as Hollywood isn't generally interested in playing to anything but the usual. That's what "The Office" star Jenna Fischer (Pam) has done with "A Little Help", a movie that has barely received any sort of theatrical release and has gotten mysteriously lukewarm reviews from the critics who generally champion independent film. Let's just see if that response is justified.

Laura (Jenna Fischer) is a recently widowed mother with a young, hostile son who always preferred Dad and wants nothing to do with mom. She's a woman who had it all handed to her earlier in life, with all the advantages, and has never really had to grow up and assume adult responsibilities. She might also be right on the verge of alcoholism (if not quite all the way there). Her relatives are trying to direct her life because they feel she can't, she's fighting to break free of their influence, and her relationship with her son is deteriorating. Good luck, Laura.

Reviews seem to claim that this is just another little, independent film that plays to the usual indie cliches (I really had to search to find positive reviews to link to this hub) ... and, make no mistake about it, there ARE indie cliches just as surely as there are Hollywood cliches. But for the most part it seems to me like "A Little Help" quite nicely sidesteps them. It's true that the seriously underplaying acting style indie films are often noted for makes some cast members a little stiff (husband Chris O'Donnel is particularly bland, but fortunately he's only in the movie in the early stages). And Daniel Yelsky as Dennis, the son, could use more than the one rebellious note he's given in most of his scenes. But for the most part the cast handles things quite well, at least in the major roles. Fischer is downright heartbreaking as she struggles to achieve some happiness and balance in her life, but you're never allowed to view her ENTIRELY as the put-upon heroine, as there IS some truth to her relative's complaints about her selfishness and immaturity. It's quite a complex performance. Ron Liebman as her brother-in-law, the only relative who seems to understand her, is also very good.

What the movie does have are a number of scenes where the film SEEMS to be headed toward the traditional indie cliche plot developments. But here's the thing: every time it does, it takes a sudden turn before it quite goes down that road and winds up somewhere you didn't expect. Whether it's the scenes of Laura trying to develop new relationships after the death of her husband, the slow bonding that seems to be finally happening with her son, or the way that most of her emotional difficulties look like they're going to be neatly wrapped up in a little bow by the end of the movie (indie movies are often as guilty of that one as big Hollywood productions), this film never takes you where you expect it to.

There are a number of storylines throughout the film that seem irrelevant when they're introduced, too... I certainly was wondering why the movie pays so much attention to Warren (the brother-in-law) and his relationship with his frustrated wife, who can't understand why he's pushing his son to fulfill his ambitions to become a rock star (to the point of taking him out of school so he can meet and jam with musical legand Dion Demucci). But every time, it eventually ties in with some other story element and winds up making perfect sense (in the case of Warren's story, we're meant to understand that he shares many of the same somewhat immature personality traits as Laura, which is how he can sympathize with her so completely).It all makes sense in the end, but that doesn't mean it's all wrapped up... it's just like real life, in that Laura as well as all the other characters aren't going to solve all their problems in an hour and a half: they're going to be gradually overcoming them over the course of their whole lives. To reach a reasonable closure by the end of this section of their stories is as much as we can reasonably hope for.

The title, "A Little Help", refers to a request from a classmate back in high school ("I could use a little help here") which Laura blithely ignores because she's caught up in her own life... a way in which she's lived much of her life since then. That's the most interesting thing about this movie for me: it takes a group of likable, sympathetic characters, never letting you forget how flawed they also are, and puts them through difficulties that are at least partially their own fault, and leaves you eager to see them wake up to the cause of their problems, because you want the best for them in spite of those faults. that's the kind of thing Hollywood almost never does... they want you to either totally lovely or totally hate all the characters in each movie... but it's something you see a lot in indie films. And if that is what all those critics consider to be "the usual indie cliches", all I can say is bring on the cliches... more movies should have them! And more people should see this film, which is currently playing in Minneapolis as a Twin Cities exclusive at the Parkway Theater. Check it out, if you can.