[usr 3]
Middle-aged siblings feud over possession of their father’s estate in this sibling rivalry dramatic comedy.
Do arguments over “logging rights” and property ownership get your heart racing? When you think of piano-driven nostalgic flashbacks of siblings reading a book, as their father smiles on, does it bring tears to your eyes? Does a slow-moving, American deep-country milieu blaze through your mind when you imagine the dream cast of Anjelica Huston, Bill Pullman, David Morse, and Julie Stiles? If the answer is “yes” to all these questions, then you may find Theresa Rebeck’s granola pseudo-melodrama “Trouble” rather enjoyable indeed.
Maggie (Huston) and Ben (Pullman) fight over the land left behind by their deceased father. Neither one is going to back down, even if takes a bullet to the lung, a backhoe, or the help of some farm boys and the clueless sheriff Logan (Brian d’Arcy James). Of course, there’s a tacked-on subplot of Maggie’s romance with Gerry (Morse), and a semi-tragic “twist” about an hour in – and so on and so forth. Deep inside, though, they all love each other.
It’s all rather inconsequential, rendered relatively pleasant by the game cast who seem at their most relaxed – well, except Huston perhaps, who counterbalances the monotony with her explosive charisma. There’s a moment when Maggie shoots Ben with a rifle – only Huston could pull off being so unapologetic and likable at the same time. There are a few mildly amusing moments, some involving Jim Parrack’s dunce farmer Curt, others Julia Stiles’ dim-witted clerk Rachel who, while funny, seemingly wandered in off a different, quirkier set… Makes one wonder how potent this small-town dramedy would have been if a more skilled director, with a firmer tonal grasp, were behind the reigns.
Because, well, what is “Trouble?” An exploration of a sibling relationship? A satire of small-town folk? A country “War of the Roses?” The film sort of just meanders on enjoyably enough from scene to scene, be it Ben lounging with his hick crew in the woods, or Gerry pining for Maggie, or Maggie squaring off against Ben and the eventual – gasp! – bonding. There’s little actual drama, not much is ever at stake. While “Trouble” doesn’t stir any ruckus, at least it gives its actors an opportunity to shine.
Now playing in select theaters
