Janet Planet

11 year old Lacy is exceedingly close with her single mother Janet (Julianne Nicholson). It's 1991. She threatens suicide to get out of summer camp to be home with her mother.

This is not for everyone and I'm not sure that it is for me. This movie is slow. The scenes are long and extended. Some of it is like watching paint dry. You do get to live inside this world and with this family. There are some fun ideas like the cult. The men are mostly forgettable. In the end, this is just too slow for the general public. It takes a specific audience and I can't give this a generalized recommendation.

Greetings again from the darkness. Mother-Daughter relationships have been the theme for many fine movies throughout various genres over the years. Some of the best that come to mind include: LADY BIRD (2017), THE FLORIDA PROJECT (2017), MAMMA MIA! (2008), LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE (2006), THE JOY LUCK CLUB (1993), TERMS OF ENDEARMENT (1983), MOMMIE DEAREST (1981), CARRIE (1976), and going back many years, the classic MILDRED PIERCE (1945). The common thread here is the complicated, yet unbreakable bond between mother and daughter. Writer-director Annie Baker, who won a 2014 Pulitzer Prize for her play "The Flick", has managed to create a film with a mother-daughter relationship that fits right into the above list, while also bringing a unique perspective.

Eleven-year-old Lacy sneaks out of her summer camp cabin, and through the darkness makes her way to the office payphone. The first line of dialogue we hear is Lacy (Zoe Ziegler) saying, "I'm going to kill myself if you don't come get me." The next morning, mother Janet (Julianne Nicholson) arrives and a packed up Lacy discovers she actually had made a friend, but since it's too late to remain at camp, she questions why mom had to bring boyfriend Wayne (Will Patton) along. "Wayne" is the first chapter of the story, but as we learn, single mom Janet has had a revolving door of lovers and friends. It's 1991, the summer between fifth and sixth grade for Lacy, and as an outcast in her age group, she desperately wants to be close to her mom.

Their rural home is surrounded by nature, and Janet runs her acupuncture business while Lacy hikes to piano lessons ... when she's not asking if she can sleep in mom's bed. Wayne doesn't last long, and Chapter 2 "Regina" bounds in next, thanks to a local art colony performance that allows old friends to reconnect. Regina (Sophie Okonedo) appreciates the free room and has some nice moments with Lacy - except for the shampoo and long stints in the shared bathroom. When Regina moves on, Chapter 3's "Avi" (Elias Koteas) begins getting close to Janet. By now we understand that everyone loves Janet, and that's an emotional hurdle for young Lacy.

The adults are a bit tiresome, and Janet even confesses that she worries about her parenting approach. Yet, those concerns don't impact her free-wheeling ways, and we see she's as lonely and broken as her daughter. Lacy says, "I don't have any friends", and we don't doubt it. As an outsider she's very observant, if not a bit depressed. Julianne Nicholson is exceptional as always, and first-timer Zoe Ziegler is a rare find. We can only hope she finds her way into a Wes Anderson movie before she grows out of this stage. Cinematographer Maria von Hausswolff has a style that perfectly complements director Baker's slow pacing and the unusual setting. As the summer turns to "The Fall", a local square dance provides the perfect ending ... and reinforces all that we've learned about mother and daughter. Another little gem from A24.

In select theaters on June 21, 2024 and nationwide on June 28, 2024.

I have really enjoyed Annie Baker's plays & was looking forward to seeing her feature film debut with JANET PLANET. And while I always admire Julianne Nicholson's work (she is incredible in everything from I, TONYA to MARE OF EASTTOWN) this film & Baker's script just moves along with no structure or no drive. I have no problem with films that take their time, or move slowly as long as there is some kind of emotional or cerebral pay off but sadly, I did not think this film had one. There are small nice, very real moments between some of the characters and I liked Sophie Okenedo's scenes but overall the story is not compelling and yes, the character's keep others at arms length but the viewer wishes they could get a bit closer to the characters and their thoughts and emotions. Overall, a rather lackluster summer coming of "age" from a very talented playwright.

I am pretty baffled by the critical response to this movie, as I usually see pretty eye to eye with them. This thing was so dry and boring that I could hardly believe it. There is hardly any moment that breathed any kind of life or spark, apart from an admittedly sweet and nostalgic JC Penny's sequence - which felt more like it benefitted from just being a trip down memory lane than anything else.

There is hardly any story movement, and what few lines of dialogue can be heard are almost completely useless. Half of them are just the little girl asking basic questions which don't get answered. And lines like "I'm going to kill myself if you don't come pick me up" and "It's funny, every moment of my life is a living hell" are just obnoxious in this day and age.

Now granted, the AC was broken in our theater so that may have also had something to do with our discomfort. But we still walked out of the theater after 40 minutes. The filmmaker is talented I'm sure, but this one just wasn't for me at all.

Janet Planet encourages the viewer to bask in the hazy summer afternoon feel of lounging and allowing observation to be a better tool than explanation. The writing is conversational and also sparse in terms of plotting, where you watch the characters lives unfold like a poem. There are few twists and turns but more contemplation and quiet celebration of independence, motherhood, and adolescence. There was a lot of wisdom in the casual observations, something that added to the realism of dialogue. Conversations you could have with a mother or a friend. Janet Planet has no big climactic moment, in fact I would call the ending it's climax and leaves you pretty clear on what the message was. It is a satisfying film if you are patient with it.