A suicidal man, who finds that he has been left a large inheritance from an old aunt, sets off on a journey of self-discovery along with a single mother and her daughter in The Enormity of Life.
We get to watch and review many independent films here at Screen Critix headquarters. From shorts to features, from no budget to low budget, from first-time directors to established auteurs; we have seen all kinds. One thing the majority have in common is that they feature characters performed by either up-and-coming actors or actors who still need to hone their performing skills a little more. They say that casting can make or break a movie, and it is true. A movie could look and sound excellent, the script could be en-point, but if the casting is all wrong, then all that other good work by the crew and writers means little.
Luckily, with The Enormity of Life, director Eric Swinderman, alongside his producers (there are thirteen of them credited) had the sense to cast some well-known faces to perform the main roles. Breckin Meyer and Emily Kinney join forces as Casey and Jess, and not only do their names add some weight to the production, but their acting skills help raise the quality of the film by many levels.
Known for such films as Road Trip, Clueless, and Rat Race, Breckin Meyer is very likable as Casey. As soon as the film starts, we are introduced to him via a voice-over as he writes his suicide note. Getting up on the chair with the noose on his neck, his answering machine picks up a call from a lawyer’s office asking to see him. His attempt at “ending it all” fails miserably, and he soon finds himself in the lawyer’s waiting room, a red noose mark visible on his neck. He is soon told that his recently deceased Aunt, whom he hasn’t seen since he was a child, has left him her money, due to them both being kindred spirits (gay), though he insists that he is straight.
With a cheque for a quarter of a million dollars in his back pocket, Casey treats himself to an evening meal at a local diner, where he is served by his neighbor Jess. What starts as a pleasant chat soon turns to mayhem as Casey accidentally causes Jess to lose her job after an argument breaks out between them both and Jess’s rather abusive and unpleasant boss.
A friendship is soon forged between Jess and Casey, and the latter starts to divulge his hardships to the single mother, regarding his childhood being raised by a psychopathic mother who tried to kill him eleven times. We even get to meet Casey’s older sister, a drug addict who has had multiple failed marriages – she worms her way back into Casey’s life after learning of his inheritance.
After around fifty minutes of getting to know the two main characters, we are finally introduced to Jess’ young daughter Jules (played by Giselle Eisenberg) who is remarkably intelligent for her age. She is quick-witted and knows an awful lot about public shootings, though this knowledge affects her to the point of having a breakdown in a burger joint. Eisenberg, who has already performed in movies such as The Wolf of Wall Street, Danny Collins, and A Most Violent Year is quite remarkable here, the young starlet will surely have a successful career if she continues to perform as she has.
Shot in an almost quirky manner, The Enormity of Life reminded me a little of a Wes Anderson movie, with a little of Alexander Payne thrown in, mixed with a bit of Napoleon Dynamite too. Even with the talent of the main cast, it still looks like a small-budget independent movie, but with Eric Swinderman’s directing choices, the film is enjoyable and comes recommended, especially for the performances of Meyer, Eisenberg, and Emily Kinney (The Walking Dead). We believe it is being released on Apple TV this May 12th. Get it watched.