A Slipping-Down Life

Sort of warmed-over grits -- containing every trite character and expression that inhabits "Southern" storytelling down through O'Connor, Welty, Flagg, etc. None of the parts is more than one stereotype after another.

Therefore, the viewer is compelled to observe by contrast any small feature that redeems the larger picture. In this instance there is one that stands out: the versatility of actor Guy Pearce playing a weak, indecisive, and mushy musician whose impact lies solely in how he how he takes on an impossible role and somehow brings it to life.

How this Australian actor can master such a wide variety of theatrical work is something of a mystery to me. Lacking the "star" quality of such countrymen as Crowe and Gibson, he nevertheless steals every scene of every picture I have seen in which he appears, from "Priscilla" to "L.A. Confidential" to "Memento." Very impressive indeed. Worth watching this otherwise drab film.

Toni Kalem is a new voice that shows a lot of promise by undertaking to make this 1970 Anne Tyler's novel into a quirky film. "A Slipping down Life" was shelved after its 1999 debut at Sundance. The film was released last year and since it disappeared before we could see it, it was a surprise when it was shown on a cable channel recently. Ms. Kalem, who adapted the story got the blessing from Ms. Tyler; the finished product follows the original text in a great adaptation.

Evie, the lonely young woman living with her widower father, gets her entertainment through the radio. It's the early 1960s in a small town in North Carolina. The late night program Evie tunes to brings her perhaps the only satisfaction she gets all day long. Working in a children's amusement park, Evie doesn't seem to fit. Evie's only friend is the beautician Violet, who being overweight, is another misfit living in a small community.

The Decker household is dominated by Clotelia, the black maid who is the only one with any spunk. Mr. Decker is an aloof man who is more interested in listening to his short wave radio. His only complaint is about too much Spanish broadcasting.

The young woman discovers the songs of Drumstring Casey late at night. He becomes an obsession. Evie drags Violet to go watch this not too popular singer at a local hangout. Evie becomes completely taken by the music and the young man singing the songs she loves. As a token of her infatuation Evie cuts her forehead with the name YESAC, or CASEY spelled backward when she looks at herself in the mirror. Drum, as he wants to be called, resists Evie's attention at first, but eventually he comes to love her in his own fashion.

The role of Evie is played by Lili Taylor. This young actress is what make us care for Evie because we root for her happiness with Casey. She has a dreary existence living at home and basically staying by herself. Lili Taylor, one of the most versatile actresses working in films these days, makes a great impression on the viewer with her rendition of Evie.

Equally effective is Guy Pearce, an Australian actor, who makes Drumstring Casey come alive. It would appear to be the wrong casting, but in reality, Mr. Pearce looks a natural and the right choice for the role. His take on the singer offers another dimension in Mr. Pearce's range, an actor that is at home in drama and comedy.

Irma P. Hall, an excellent actress of stage and screen, appears as Clotelia. Tom Bower is seen as Mr. Decker. Sara Rue is fine as Violet, and Shawnee Smith is also good as Faye Jean.

A great debut for a new talent. Toni Kalem is to be congratulated for tackling the job of bringing this mostly unknown work of Anne Tyler to the screen.

Guy Pearce could have a career as a singer based upon what he does in this movie - the vocals he performs as "Drumstrings Casey" are phenomenal - and the always-brilliant Lili Taylor turns in another beautifully realized, multi-layered portrayal as Evie Decker, the film's center. What I liked most was how she wasn't a groupie or a pushover but rather a 3-dimensional person with a strong mind, and I liked how Pearce's character slowly came to realize that he needed her. Ideally, this should have been an overwhelmingly compelling film but it suffers from a weird kind of vagueness, which could have worked for the material but instead it pulls us away from it, so the ending isn't as satisfying as it could have been. Still worth catching on cable nonetheless, for the two brilliant central performances.

This film is an absolute gem. It was filmed in and around Austin, and I didn't even know it until I saw the landscape. Not to mention the cameo of our former mayor Kirk Watson!

What can be said about Lili Taylor that hasn't been better said by superior raters? She's simply amazing as Evie. I've read other reviews that claim she was too old for the part and I completely disagree. She brings a clear and clean strength to this role that was absolutely required for the part to shine as it did. She just simply glowed through the movie like a firefly. Guy Pearce made this viewer fall in love with him the way Drumstrings made Evie fall in love.

Evie's relationship with her father was warm and touching. Her soul is so strong yet so fragile because of it's capacity to love that at one point I caught myself saying to the screen, "Don't break her heart. Please don't break her heart". This movie is a special treasure.

A Slipping down life was shelved for many years, and the lack of real hipness or accessibility is probably to blame for this. Helmed by two indie stars Lili Taylor and Guy Pearce, this film was held back simply because neither person could conceivably carry this film.

But unlike some crappy movies that see a rebirth it didn't deserve, ASL was quietly pushed into the underground cinema and then quickly reborn on cable. And while this doesn't sound good on paper, ASL actually surprises you a little with some of the little nuances within each character's performance (with the exception of Sara Rue and Shawnee Smith---ugh!!). Lili Taylor exhibits yet another introverted woman who is somewhat shunned not just due to her nature but also her looks. Much like previous films Dog Fight and even The Haunting (where her character was visibly overwhelmed by Catherine Zeta-Jone), Taylor makes you believe she is her character rather than an actor. And some people say method acting is dead.

Guy Pearce is especially interesting in this film. I especially liked the transgression of him embodying all the things his father hates and then turning into his father near the end. It was a strange transformation but an effective one. And its even more impressive how he can cover up his deep Australian with an effective North Carlina twang.

While the plot was pretty random at best, at least these two performances added some life to a film that would have been altogether listless.