LOVE THE COOPERS
US, 2015, 107 minutes, Colour.
Diane Keaton, John Goodman, Ed Helms, Amanda Seyfried, Alan Arkin, Marisa Tomei, Olivia Wilde, Jake Lacey, June Squibb, Jon Tenny.
Directed by Jessie Nelson.
Sometimes, it is hard to – not all the Coopers love each other, at least on the surface.
This is a film for northern hemisphere Christmas release, full of family celebrations, but in winter, with many snowed in at airports and unable to travel, Christmas decorations everywhere, plenty of Santa Clauses, preparations of the family meals – and all the trimmings, but which, of course, do not go to plan.
One of the difficulties of the film is that it has almost too many characters, each demanding a percentage of the screen time, time that is not always there for their stories to develop. In fact, the film seems a collection of short stories mixed in together. Some of them get our attention more fully than others. Older audiences will be following the story of the grandparents and their gradual falling out of love with each other; younger audiences may identify with the tentative teenager, pimples and all, and his struggles with his first kisses.
As can be seen, the Cooper Family is fairly dysfunctional.
The film spends a lot of time introducing us to each of the characters and setting up particular stories. Some of them have comic elements. Some of them are romantic. Some of them dramatise hardships, divorce and job losses. Some of them have the touch of tragedy.
And the whole story is narrated by the family dog, Rage, whose story this is as well, voiced prominently by Steve Martin.
Diane Keaton, who is one of the producers of the film, has what might be called the villain’s role. She is the matriarch who is prone to smother with her love and care, something which she does not always see, something she always defends – and, we hope, that she will see the light by the end of the film, especially because her husband, a genial John Goodman, really loves her and experiences a growing disappointment in her alienation, criticism, proud declarations of her role as mother.
This is somewhat complicated by their daughter, Olivia Wilde, a playwright who is having an affair with a local doctor and feels pressure to make a good impression on her mother, not wanting her mother to give her “that look”. This character is better developed than others, sitting in the bar at the airport, not wanting to go home immediately, chatting with a soldier (Jake Lacey) who turns out to be something of her opposite, Republican, literal Christian, a good man who experiences her ups and downs of moods but eventually agrees to go home pretending to be her boyfriend. He is the catalyst for some of the changes.
In the meantime, her brother (Ed Helms) is separated, has lost his job as a photographer, goes through a failed interview, relates to his three children, a little girl who is not backward in being forward, a sympathetic young son who wants to help his awkward teenage brother (the one who gets involved in kissing). Their aunt, Marisa Tomei, is lonely, is arrested for shoplifting, and spends most of her part of the film involved in amateur counselling of a police officer, Anthony Mackie, whom she accuses of being a robot in his behaviour. His is one of the interesting characters, especially in his response to Marisa Tomei.
Then there is the great-grandfather, played nicely by Alan Arkin, who befriends a lonely waitress, Amanda Seyfried, and invites her to the Christmas dinner. And June Squibb is on hand as the friendly family aunt with touches of dementia.
Some have attacked the film as too formulaic – and, probably, it is. But that doesn’t mean that many audiences will not enjoy the formula, interested in some characters more than others, but watching how it will all turn out and whether there would be some change of heart and some Christmas cheer.
1. Christmas story? Winter season, cold, December, the decorations, the homes in the streets, Santa Claus, Christmas meals?
2. The musical score, the range of carols, the range of Christmas songs?
3. Pittsburg, the city, the views, the bridge, hospitals, the home for the elderly, homes and shops, the airport? The feel of Pittsburgh?
4. The structure: Rage and Steve Martin’s voice, the dog’s story, perspective, feelings, involvement? Drawing the morals?
5. The introduction to each story, the variety of stories, a group of short stories, bringing them together? The flashbacks for each story?
6. Charlotte and Sam, 40 years of marriage, Rage as a young dog, the gift? Their being together, their family, Charlotte and her mothering, smothering? Sam and his dream of the trip to Africa? The death of the little girl and the effect on each? Grief, living through the grief? Gradually growing apart?
7. Hank, as a character, the effect of the divorce, his photography job, the collage of photos, his being replaced by a machine? Going to the job interview, the young man and finding him too intense, his nought? His children, love for them? The visits of his wife, her nagging? Christmas, together at the meal, watching their son and his kiss? Angie offering the job at the school? Friendly relationship after the divorce?
8. The children, the little girl and her slang and rudeness, at the shop with her grandparents, getting lost? BJ and his wanting to help his older brother, looking for the gift, Charlie and his age, pimples, being nasty to his parents? At the store, his resolution to meet the young girl, at the counter, his approach, the kiss, awkward, BJ watching? BJ imagining the challenge, his being the superhero – and the reality of what really happened, his wounds? Charlie sending the text to the girl at the hospital, her arrival, the mistletoe, the public kisses, his parents watching?
9. Aunt Fishy, old, the touches of dementia, talking about Sam and his trip, whether he enjoyed it or not, Rage’s comments about her, the flashbacks to 1946?
10. Eleanor, her age, her plays, her attitude towards life, returning for Christmas, waiting at the airport, not wanting “that look” from her mother? Having the drink, meeting Joe Bailey, the conversation, teasing, the reactions? His being Republican, Christian, believing in evolution, his role in the army, his happy parents? Sharing, her insulting him? Her making amends, getting to know him despite her harshness? The proposal, the fiction, the plan, going home, his blurting out that they were engaged, Charlotte and Sam’s reactions? His walking out the door, return? His saying grace and the dog farting? At the hospital, leaving again, Eleanor chasing him? Reconciliation – the future?
11. Emma, age and alone, the accident when they were girls? Being alone, shoplifting, the brooch, the arrest, spitting it out? In the car with Percy, handcuffed, calling him a robot, lies, pretending to be a counselor, saying he was a robot and gay, the role-plays, his voicing his mother, coming out, his career, anger, her advice? His letting her go, his advice about the most expensive gift, late, at the children’s table, upset, at the hospital, talking and shouting with Charlotte, change, buying the gift, the shower seat, and Aunt Fishy saying it would be useful, BJ asking Emma to dance, her delight?
12. Newton, his age, at the diner, his friendship with Ruby, not liking the food, talking to her, she being interrupted by the young man and coffee? Her deciding to leave, telling Newton, his being upset? His feeling excluded, returning, the invitation to the family dinner?
13. The blackout, the effect, Newton’s stroke, in hospital, everybody present, his recovery?
14. Charlotte and Sam and their relationship, bickering, singing for the old people, taking the grandchild shopping? When to tell the family or not? The table, Charlotte’s hesitation? The analysis of their relationship and growing apart? Eleanor and Charlotte and criticism? The clash with Emma? Charlotte finding this hard but admitting the truth? At the table, Newton watching them? Rage and his comments?
15. Everybody dancing, hopes for the future, Charlotte agreeing to go on the trip, but a short and local?
16. The final credits and the singing?
