LINOLEUM (2023)

LINOLEUM (2023)

Tagline: None.  

(Drama, Sci-Fi, Let’s Build A Rocket) [PG-13]

Note: This thing wasn’t given an MPAA rating so I am just going to say it’s PG-13 due a bit of langage.

Remember when we used to talk about doing something fantastic…what ever happened to that?

In this one Cameron Edwin is hosting a children’s science TV show and ends up getting relegated to being a marketing guy for his replacement. His replacement just happens to look like a younger version of him. Having dreams of wanting to go into space he ends up deciding to use the parts from the rocket that landed in his backyard to accomplish his goal. Meanwhile a set a strange events happen around him to cause him to question his reality. 

One thing that stands out about this movie is the sort of light and fluffy soundtrack that almost sounds like one of those spinning music toys for toddlers at times. The color pallet comes across as very 1970’s. The ads are calling it a comedy, but there aren’t really any funny moments in this. It’s more of a whimsical drama for the most part that gets bogged down by the time the credits finally role. The film touches on subjects of age, contemplating divorce, coping with your own past and other people around you aging as well, and a rocket, all while presenting it through Cameron’s himself. 

When it comes to the performances Jim Gaffigan (13 GOING ON 30) is superb as per freakin usual. I can see how his character would have his wife concerned, but overall Cameron is a delightful character that you just really want to see things go well for. Rhea Seehorn (Better Call Saul) is also solid and gets some character growth which is always nice to see. Cameron’s daughter in the film Nora is played by Katelyn Nacon. She is best known for playing Enid on “The Walking Dead”, but she absolutely crushes this role. The relationship between her and Marc carries a lot of this film. Marc is played by Gabriel Rush (THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL) and he does a pretty solid job but some of his quarks feel like a something you would need years of therapy to fix. 

Where this thing gets really janky and Godophobic is when it comes to Marc’s father (Cameron’s replacement on the TV show) who is portrayed as an ultra-sadistic religious individual who kind of lives a double life. I have to defer to Rainn Wilson’s comments awhile back about how there seems to be some sort of rule in Hollywood where you are never allowed to portray a Christian as being a good solid individual. It’s kind of crappy that this sewage is seeping into the storylines of indie films also, but I guess its par for the course when you are dealing with anti-faith writers that have sticks up their...

Ears, I was going to say ears. Anyway, this movie did make me want to sneak down into Cameron’s basement and fix the tile squares in his roof. I can appreciate how these characters all come together and I won’t give away the ending, but overall this is a pretty thought provoking and intriguing film that reminded me quite a bit of ROBOT & FRANK only less fun in its totality. 

Overall I can see why not many people are talking about this thing. It is well directed, but that doesn’t fix the wildly interesting concept being broken down to “what the crap did I just watch” in the final 5 minutes. This was a rough one for me, and as of the writing of this review it’s definitely one of the worst films of 2023. I feel bad for the cast, because they did an amazing job and the production was solid. The storyline and some of the underlying messages were the problem and for those reasons I have to give this thing a 2 out of 7. 

You can’t serve up with kind of bs even in a subtle way and have me not call it out. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF BRAIN SCRATCH PRODUCTIONS AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY.