I'll Be Right There

I just have to say WOW. Found this by chance and decided to give it a watch bc I LOVE Edie Falco and the trailer sucked me in. I love finding hidden gem movies but honestly, this movie REALLY deserves proper advertising. I'm not here to give a breakdown of the movie as the trailer does it justice. I'm here to say that REGARDLESS of your age, what you've gone through or are going through, this movie hits home. It's funny, "real life" LOL funny, sweet, REAL, beautiful. Very full circle of emotions. I don't want to give to much away. If you are close with your family, functional OR dysfunctional, this is a treat.

Wanda (Edie Falco) is always there for her needy family. Her mother is diagnosed with leukemia but unlikely to die from it. Her pregnant daughter is getting married, but her ex-husband is withdrawing his half of the money. Her son keeps complaining about her to his therapist who promptly quits on him. Her family keeps calling on her and she keeps answering.

The movie could do something more to drive the drama and narrative. In many ways, Wanda is just moving from one scene to another and they are all essentially the same. She is being burdened with everybody else's problems. It's a little funny but repetitive. This may work better if she is running around all day preparing for the wedding. That would allow the story to have a cohesive plotline. More than anything, this shows Edie's great acting abilities in doing simple work.

In wonderfully warm blue-collar drama "I'll Be Right There" middle-aged mum Edie Falco struggles under the weight of constantly running around her NY-state small-town after her mum (Jeannie Berlin) and her two young-adult kids (Kayli Carter & Charlie Tahan) that ex-hubbie Bradley Whitford's no help with. She's also juggling romantic relationships with Michael Rapaport (always great), Sepideh Moafi, and maybe even Michael Beach... it's all a bit much! Thru Falco's terrific performance, Jim Beggarly's pitch-perfect screenplay, & Brendan Walsh's rich direction, it is a gentle triumph - but will probably become a largely undiscovered gem. Discover it - it rocks.

Like many women with families, Wanda (Edie Falco) is the glue that bonds her clan together. They bond around trips to the ice cream parlor. They bond around their wacky family history. They also bond together through their competitively dysfunctional behavior, as depicted in the new dramedy, I'll Be Right There.

Life in Pearl River, NJ, hasn't been easy for the family. Son Mark (Charlie Tahan) spends his time flitting from one illicit behavior to another - a little drug habit here, a little breaking and entering there, with mom on speed dial to bail him out of a jam. Daughter Sarah (Kayli Carter), almost nine months into her first pregnancy, while simultaneously prepping for her dream wedding, is a hypochondriac. She spends her time berating her spouse-to-be as not being the sharpest pencil in the box. Mom Grace (Jennie Berlin) is convinced she's dying of cancer. Dressing as if she's going to her own funeral, she's elated to find she 'only' has leukemia and lights up a cigarette in front of Wanda to celebrate the 'good news'. Ex-husband Henry (Bradley Whitford), now saddled with three young children in his newer family, is also saddled with huge debts and tells Wanda there's no way he can help pay for their daughter's wedding.

Constantly surrounded by a revolving series of dramas, Wanda's life is filled with needy people. While it exhausts her, she thrives on the chaos, believing that if she's not the ringmaster, the circus tent would fold up. She'd never admit that she enjoys controlling every situation, but she always dives in to help, even when that help is not being requested. It's been going on for years. Finally, now, while she's 'helping', she's also coming to the realization that, like many women in similar situations, she's lost track of who SHE is, what Wanda wants for herself. Grace recognizes that trait in her daughter and tells Wanda, "There are some things you have no control of."

Both kids, who have reached adulthood in years, while obviously not in emotional maturity, resent their father for leaving and having a new family, and blame him and their mother for their own failures. Wanda is currently involved in not one but two relationships outside her family, but is realizing that neither of them are fulfilling for her as a person. She is even offered help from both, but denies each offer. Wanda's reached a breaking point.

But what do you do when you believe you're one who has to be strong for everyone else? That everything will fall apart if you're not right there for them? Especially when, on the rare occasions that you ask for help, and that help is denied.

Mothers, and women in general, will see themselves in Wanda. Wondering if she made the right choices, wondering if the mistakes her kids make are her own fault. Has she done enough? Has she done too much? How Wanda is finally able to let go and move on with her own life is the crux of the film. I'll Be Right There shows how humanly imperfect most families are. Though viewers may not have this family's specific issues, they're sure to recognize and embrace the humanity of the characters.

Saw this at the 2024 Annapolis Film Festival. First time attending a film festival.

Appreciated this snippet from the program:

"We go to the movies to be entertained, educated, thrilled, horrified, to laugh or to cry and importantly, enjoy a respite away from our face-paced world"

This new favorite comfort movie of mine. It is incredibly charming and full with love. I really hope this gets a respectable theatrical release so I can show my mom. Really fun experience attending my first ever film festival. Thank you, Annapolis Film Festival.

Also, something cool-I sat in the row directly in front of Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco).

Edie Falco? Star. Charlie Tahan? Star. Jeannie Berlin? C'mon. Everything that you'd want from a heart-warming story-line filled with comedy AND more.