FilmFemme

Usually, when a movie comes out with a couple of star actors – especially two that I happen to be fairly fond of — I hear about it.  And if I don’t, it’s normally a very bad sign, not only in terms of poor marketing and disappointing box office, but also in terms of the quality of the film.

 So when I was browsing around looking for a movie to see on Saturday and saw a picture of Mark Ruffalo, had to dig around on Rotten Tomatoes for ten mintues just to figure out what movie he was in (and then saw that it was co-starring Amanda Peet and Ethan Hawke!) I wasn’t expecting the moon when we decided to go to the true crime drama, What Doesn’t Kill You (great title, eh?)  But lo and behold, for once in all of my cynical grumbling, I was pleasantly surprised.

The film, written and directed by Brian Goodman (with writing assistance from Paul T. Murray and Donnie “NKOTB” Wahlberg) tells a fictionalized account of Goodman’s life (through the surrogate Brian Reilly, played by Mark Ruffalo) as a South Boston criminal, from stealing cigarettes to roughing up deadbeats and eventually his descent into a world of drug peddling, addiction and debt at the expense of his two sons and his long-suffering wife, Stacy (Amanda Peet).  Always by his side and egging him on through these trials and tribulations is his best friend Paulie McDougan (Ethan Hawke).

Beginning as down on their luck kids, apparently homeless, and quickly earning their places as trusted thugs for local crime boss Pat Kelly (a supporting role for Goodman), Brian and Paulie grow up taking care of themselves and each other with petty crimes.  The dissolve from teenager to adult finds Brian with a wife and two young sons, Paulie a perpetual bachelor, and both feeling cheated out of their youth.  They do all the work and take all the risk but Pat always gets a huge cut.  As Brian’s life starts to spiral out of control, he is faced with a choice of how he is going to continue to live: ekeing by doing unskilled labor, struggling to pay bills and drinking his nights away or with one last score that will keep him set for life.

What Doesn’t Kill You is a showcase for Ruffalo’s brooding talents.  As Brian gets more confused and hopeless, Ruffalo’s face visibly droops.  He chews his lip and talks out of the side of his mouth as he gets sucked further into the life he has chosen.  Likewise, Hawke’s physicality embodies the hardened criminal that Paulie becomes.  He face is deeply lined and it seems that he has aged decades since I last saw him in a movie.  Nearly hairless and believeably suave, it’s easy to see why Brian is swayed and compelled by him.  Amanda Peet…well, she sure did practice her South Boston accent.  She’s fine as the stock suffering wife, with nowhere to turn, but isn’t given much to do but cry and yell.

The movie is dreary, shot on location in South Boston where it seems to be winter for years at a time.  If you’re generous, it’s a metaphor.  If not, it’s a budget issue.  Grainy, gray and at times a little amateurish, it is not a work of cinematic brilliance.  It is, however, a compelling story, with solid acting and strong writing, both things that I am not apt to say about many movies.  Towards the end, it drags on a bit and without giving anything away, the ending itself was disappointing in a very specific way.  Still, I recommend What Doesn’t Kill You.  It’s a contemporary crime drama, shot with low budget, no over the top chase scenes or explosions, just a small, real story about real people and their real problems.

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