‘Causeway’ is Good? A Campaign Brewing …

I have no idea what to expect from Lila Neugebauer’s “Causeway,” starring Jennifer Lawrence.

The A24 film had been involved in an ad nauseum amount of reshoots, not to mention production and release delays. A brief test-screening last year didn’t go well for the movie. It was originally called “Red, White and Blue,” I could go on and on …

However, word of mouth has changed a bit these last few weeks, with some who’ve seen it singling out Brian Tyree Henry’s supporting performance as Oscar-worthy.

Now we have EW’s Joshua Rothkopf showering “Causeway” with glowing praise and comparing it to a … Jonathan Demme film. What?!

Relaxed, dialogue-driven and deeply humane, this small-scale drama feels like the return of peak Jonathan Demme circa Melvin and Howard — it's directed by Lila Neugebauer of Broadway's 2018 revival of The Waverly Gallery, making her feature debut. Wrecked by an Afghanistan explosive and facing a daunting physical recovery ahead of her, a guarded Army veteran (extra-wiry Jennifer Lawrence, paring her craft down to a knife's edge) returns home to New Orleans, where she befriends her lonely mechanic (Bullet Train's Brian Tyree Henry, having the kind of year that actors would kill for). They don't dwell on their brokenness, making their time together an oasis. Once you see these two magnificent performances, you'll have the beginnings of an Oscar ballot, and maybe the end of one.

I guess I’ll have to catch up with it on Sunday and judge for myself. “Causeway” is set for release in theaters and on Apple TV in December.