Never Falling Through the Ice
Movie Review of 'Milwaukie, Minnesota'
Volume four, Issue 22 | June 02 - 08,
2005FILMMILWAUKEE,
MINNESOTADirected by Allan
MindelDistributed by Tartan
FilmsOpens Jun.
3Angelika Film
CenterCOURTESY
TARTAN FILMSTroy Garity plays Albert
Burroughs, a mentally retarded young man and a champion ice fisherman challenged
by the death of his overprotective mother, with Alison Folland as Tuey, a woman
who along with her brother tries to con Albert, before she too builds a
protective instinct toward
him.Never Falling Through the
IceAllan Mindel
features Troy Garity in the role of an inevitable
tortoiseBy SETH J. BOOKEY
In the film “Milwaukee,
Minnesota,” Troy Garity plays Albert Burroughs, a mentally retarded young
man adept at following the myriad rules his overprotective mother (Debra Monk)
doles out. As a result, Albert never goes too far from home but he demonstrates
an extraordinary talent for winning high-paying ice-fishing tournaments, which
involves his knack for “talking to the
fish.”Garity resembles a young
Dustin Hoffman; in fact, when his character repeats his mother’s rules to
himself, Garity seems to be channeling the older actor’s
“Rainman” vocal
stylings.Albert’s mother dies in a
hit-and-run car accident, after which he falls prey to a brother-sister team of
con artists, Stan and Tuey (Hank Harris and Alison Folland). Stan pretends to be
dying of cancer, while his sister talks a good media rap—“Retarded
orphan wins fishing tournament! People just love that!” Tuey is pretty
enough to make Albert forget his mother’s admonition not to stare at
girls; the woman mesmerizes him.Jerry
James (Randy Quaid) arrives on the scene to announce he is Albert’s
long-lost father, and the young man, inherently kind and compliant, does not
resist the intrusion. Albert gradually becomes disturbed, however, as Jerry
starts rummaging through the house in search of all the money Albert has won ice
fishing.Hollywood often insists on
endowing people with disabilities with some extraordinary special quality, as if
to compensate for their more prosaic disadvantages. In “Rainman,”
the autistic Raymond was able to calculate numbers mentally with disarming
accuracy. The title character of “Forrest Gump” was presented with
an unknown, but unmistakable malady, but also the ability to follow orders to
the nth degree and achieve uncanny successes. Among the most famous of the
“fool” variety of disabled characters is the Emperor Claudius, who,
in the television mini-series “I, Claudius,” was hobbled by a bad
ankle and a stammer but sat patiently and wisely behind his perceived
“idiocy” and charted a path to become the fourth potentate of
ancient Rome.Albert fits comfortably in
this tradition of heroes with limitations that marginalize them but nonetheless
have that something extra that sets them above as well as
apart.The story unfolds slowly and
follows the sure-to-succeed tortoise that Albert surely is. It is unpleasant to
watch two people conning a retarded young man, and a group of five people left
simultaneously during my screening, perhaps due to that or maybe because of the
film’s pace. In time, Tuey comes to a change of heart about Albert and
becomes protective of him against the predatory efforts by a red-faced Jerry
(read Devil), who makes his biggest mistake by assuming that Albert is merely
stupid. If the young man learned anything from his late mother it is that his
home is his fortress and that lesson serves him
well.While story elements such as the
transvestite hooker and her silk-stockinged pimp (Josh Brolin) seem gratuitous,
the film’s major performances are strong. Quaid manages to be evil and
look evil without his portrayal going over the top. Bruce Dern, as Mr. McNally,
Albert’s one-time boss at a copy shop, cuts an appropriately disheveled
figure. But Garity and Folland turn in the strongest performances and the growth
in their relationship is a bright spot in the
movie.Despite a deliberate plot,
director Allen Mindel keeps his camera work interesting, showing us his
characters mostly in close-up, so you get to know them, and using long shots to
dramatic advantage more sparingly. Mindel lights Quaid in such a way that his
shadow reveals a hunchback.Some will see
“Milwaukee” as another movie of the wise fool who outwits his
opponents despite his disabilities, but the film is more about people who get
burned by unduly low expectations of those who are different. Albert is not
necessarily smarter than his tormentors here; he is able to wisely keep his
mouth shut and let them sabotage themselves despite their best
machinations.“Milwaukee,
Minnesota” is a slow film and it’s not meant for everyone, but if
you hang in, you will be awed by the experience, particularly the final shot
which is breathtaking and perfect for the more contemplative
moviegoer.
Posted: Fri - June 3, 2005 at 10:45 PM
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Published On: Jun 20, 2009 07:04 PM
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