Bad Behaviour

Jennifer Connelly and Ben Wishaw both give great performances in a film that is just unfortunately too unfocused. Alice Englert (who also stars as Dylan in the film) makes her directorial debut here with a lot of style. The camerawork was very unique and interesting. The comedy at times I think works quite well and I actually think the film could have benefited from having more of it. The problem is I couldn't tell what the film wanted to be. Serious character study or comedy? It seems that she wanted both but fell short in both avenues. I think her heart was in the right place while making this and it even felt like it was probably personal to her. It's just a shame that I felt at arms length throughout the runtime and could never fully connect with the characters.

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"Bad Behaviour boasts an all-in, powerful performance from Jennifer Connelly, but it's too messy, tonally unbalanced, and narratively all-over-the-place to connect with. It wastes too much time being nonsensical before the mother-daughter relationship gets interesting. Disappointing.

I'm unaware of how much of a personal project this is or even if it's personal at all. Still, Bad Behaviour is one of those films I just couldn't connect with in any shape or form. There's a layer of exaggeration and overdramatization that makes it all feel fictional and less grounded. And that, to me, turns into a massive obstacle to overcome. I hope others can feel the opposite."

Rating: D+

My first solo film of 2024. Just me in a cinema and after half an hour I was beginning to understand why! "Lucy" (Jennifer Connelly) is trying to have a phone conversation with her daughter "Dylan" (auteur Alice Englert) whilst en route to a remote Oregon retreat. She's thousands of miles away in New Zealand and we get the distinct impression that she's not especially interested. That's a feeling that's quite contagious as we all now endure her experience at the spiritual "Loveranch". A supposedly tech-free place run by "Elon" (Ben Whishaw) that encourages people to open their hearts, their souls and their brains to meaningless waffle about finding yourself. Now insofar as this is supposed to be a parody of this kind of rip-off facility, it sort of works - especially with the arrival of model and DJ "Beverly" (Dasha Nekrasova) to whom "Lucy" takes not just an instant dislike but also the leg of a chair! Meantime the daughter has an incident of her own on the whacky film set where she is stunt artist. That results in her losing her job and racing home to be by the side of her now incarcerated mother. If you weren't bored already, then the best is yet to come - a positively nauseating tale of family discord, a suicide attempt involving some pills and the shallow end of a swimming pool and, finally, some meaningful conversations amidst the forest with running water gently trickling a-foot! Can they salvage the relationship? Does it need savaging? Do we care? Perhaps this read better as a script, and there are times when I felt the wrath of "Lucy" emanating from the screen, but for the most part this is the stuff of a really poor stage play that reminded me again that Ben Whishaw is no great shakes at all on the big screen - indeed, I wonder if he was actually acting at all! As "Yoda" might have said - one fun scene does not a movie make.

'Lucy' takes herself off to an enlightenment weekend and we see how she navigates that and her relationship with her stunt performer daughter.

I struggled really to see what this film was actually about. There was very little about the mother/daughter relationship in the film, except for bad feeling and rushed messages and each not really caring for or listening to the other. But there's no context for that or explanation or resolution.

At the retreat the dialogue is stilted, meaningless, bizarre at times and completely empty in terms of narrative or story context.

The acting now and again was fairly good, but I don't think that was as a result of good direction: I think it was sheer luck that the actors had found something to bite on. Other times it was almost painful to watch as they floundered around not really knowing where the film was going, nor what their part in it was.

Not one single character in the entire film was likeable. Most weren't even pitiable. So the film left me throughout it's excruciatingly long run time feeling bereft of any order, or value, or context, or humanity. It was just a boiling pot of mish mashed emotions and nothingness disconnected form anything else and to be very truthful, I hated it.

An intriguing, challenging, at times brilliant, sometimes veering off track exploration of mental health, mother/daughter relationships, finding direction and so much more. I won't pretend to have completely made my mind up about this film, or claim to have fully delved into trying to understand every aspect. It is one of those films that is due discussion, and raises questions and self reflection.

I totally understand this is definitely not a film for the majority/masses who like big blockbusters. But I think if you appreciate indie films, and those that look at personal experiences and the impact these have upon one's reactions and perception, relationships and sense of self ,then youll find there is a lot to appreciate.

Jennifer connelly is outstanding, of course. But so too are Ben Whishaw, and in particular, the actress who plays her daughter. There is much to admire and credit this film for. There are scenes that I think are incredible and it is (sorry to use this term but it is the best descriptor) brave. The characters are flawed and we constantly observe them unflinchingly. It can be uncomfortable and frustrating.

With all the above said, the 'star rating' feels inadequate, but I just feel it was a very cold watch, which at times lost its flow and almost tried too hard, too it's detriment. Saying that, it's packed with talent and despite a lot of darkness/the cold I felt, it is streaked with black humour and I'd definitely call it a 'dark comedy'.