Blu-ray Review Every Day
Directed by: Richard Levine Cast: Liev Schreiber, Helen Hunt, Carla Gugino, Brian Dennehy, Eddie Izzard Running Time: 1 hr 33 mins Rating: R Due Out: March 8, 2011
PLOT: A comedy about a New York City couple (Schreiber and Hunt) in a romantic crisis.
WHO'S IT FOR? Fans of Writer/Producer/Director Richard Levine, AKA fans of Nip/Tuck.
MOVIE: Imagine a family with all the quirks a family could possibly have, then amp all those quirks up a few notches, and what you'll end up with will greatly resemble the family that Every Day centers upon. There's plenty of comedy here, but so is there stress. It's a full-on dramady in that respect.
With the many true-to-life conflicts presented here, one typically has two choices -- to laugh or to cry. Every Day chooses to laugh, and the many serious subjects -- a heterosexual father's struggles with having an openly gay son, having to live with an extremely irritable terminally ill father-in-law, having to write scum-filled stories for a cable television program, to name a few -- are all handled with successfully penned levity. This film excels at establishing, realistically, many quirky and sometimes awful situations, though laughter is the escape route Director Richard Levine most often takes. I found that to be a commendable approach, as it could have easily gone the other direction and gotten bogged down in sentimental mopiness.
I'd never before seen Liev Schreiber in main character mode, only as supporting cast, and usually not of the 'good-guy' variety. It was refreshing here to see him center stage, and as a good-hearted man wanting only to see his family protected, cared for and well-loved. He made for a heroic character in the end, deftly juggling all the chaos life had hurled his way. Schreiber's comedic timing was excellent too, which was surprising to me, as I'd never before seen him in such light. I erupted in laughter many times, in his dealings with his openly gay son's constant pleadings regarding his attendance to the upcoming 'gay-prom.'
The rest of the cast was good too. Helen Hunt portrayed a tired, end-of-her-rope wife, very well. Carla Gugino was alluring as per usual, and played a perfect temptress. Brian Dennehy perfectly captured the essence of the slowly dying, bitter curmudgeon, and Eddie Izzard nailed the role of sleazy television producer. All the roles were well-written, and the general feel, pacing, and message of this film were all adequately crafted and delivered. Nothing too exciting or original took place in this film, but it was a decent "one and done."
MOVIE SCORE: 5/10
EXTRAS
Cast Interviews Deleted Scenes Trailer