Score: C+
Director: John Krasinski
Cast: John Krasinski, Margo Martindale, Anna Kendrick
Running Time: 88 min
Rated: PG-13
“It seems like you guys have some stuff to work out.” So says the doctor (Randall Park) to the Hollars family, crowded into a hospital room around their matriarch Sally (Margo Martindale). That vague line essentially sums up The Hollars, a well-intentioned dramedy with an impressive cast but forgettable script.
John Hollar (John Krasinski) is a man adrift in New York with his pregnant girlfriend Rebecca (Anna Kendrick) and a failing career as an animator when he gets the news that his mother has a brain tumor. Returning to his hometown, he finds his family in pieces – his mother in the hospital, his father close to bankruptcy and his brother divorced and living at home. Add in a former high school sweetheart (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and some comedic relief courtesy of her new husband Jason (Charlie Day), and you’ve got a classic dramedy set-up for tears of laughter and sadness.
Unfortunately, The Hollars fails to deliver much of anything. Krasinski (also the director) is once again saddled as the straight man, full of exasperated sighs and bulging eyes of disbelief. The first half of the film tries to stay light and funny but the jokes are old, predictable, and clunky. John’s father Don (Richard Jenkins) breaks into hysterical sobs at the drop of a hat but it’s not clear whether that should be funny or sad. John’s brother Ron (Sharlto Copley) stalks his ex-wife and children by lingering outside their house in his car – and it’s played for laughs. Oh, and if you’re keeping score, yes that is Don and his sons John and Ron.
The second half is only slightly better as things start to get serious. Margo Martindale is a treasure as the loving but tough Sally Hollar. Her scenes are a balm compared to the other bumbling sections of the story. Anna Kendrick does as much as she can with the very little she is given and you’re left wondering how someone as awesome as Rebecca could put up with John’s waffling and whining.
The Hollars is a story about a dysfunctional family dealing with illness and it’s something we’ve seen done better many times before. For much of the film, you can see the sausage getting made. Everyone, from the cast to the crew to the singer-songwriter soundtrack, is trying so hard for it to be good, but with jokes that don’t land and unoriginal characters, The Hollars is blandly watchable but quickly forgettable.
