Yesterday, the New York Film Festival announced the films that would be part of its Spotlight section. An assortment of high-profile films will be part of this sidebar section; those include Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune,” Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch,” Maggie Gyllenhaal’s “The Lost Daughter,” Sean Baker’s “Red Rocket,” and, most intriguingly, Mike Mills’ “C’mon C’mon,” starring Joaquin Phoenix.
According to the detailed synopsis “C’mon C’mon” has a documentary filmmaker (Phoenix) having to care for his young nephew Jesse (Woody Norman) as they both travel across the country doing interviews for a news piece. A special bond develops on the road.
I’ve heard mixed-to-positive reactions for “C’mon, C’mon”, which was shot in black & white by DP Robbie Ryan and was test screened in NYC earlier this week. The 11-year-old Norman is getting most of the attention, and, I’m told, overshadows Phoenix for much of the film. It’s a loudmouth/smartass performance akin to the style Tatum O’Neal brought to her Oscar-winning role in “Paper Moon.”
Supposedly, the main thematic proponent Mills tackles here is “what does the future hold for Gen Z’ers?” Since Phoenix plays a documentary filmmaker, Mills keeps interjecting the narrative with real-life interviews of children speaking directly to the camera about their future.
Jeffrey Wells has basically heard the same things I did about the film: “black-and-white road trip movie…moody, very arty, very euro, tons of voiceover.” The words “twee” and “cutesy”also popped up a few times in the reactions.
If you’re feeling adventurous, there’s also a peculiarly written but, seems like it, legitimate user review on Letterboxd.
Joining Phoenix and Norman in the film are Gaby Hoffmann, comedian/Twitter sensation and Jaboukie Young-White. A24 has yet to announce a release date for “C’mon C’mon.” The Film is set to have its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival on Labor Day weekend before heading to New York in late September.