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Winter Passing

Director:
Adam Rapp

Cast:
Zooey Deschanel, Ed Harris, Will Ferrell, Amelia Warner, Amy Madigan

MPAA Rating: R for language, sexual situations, brief comic violence and some drug use.

Review:

Reese Holden(Zooey Deschanel) is an actress living in New York's Alphabet city area. She's a bar tender when not actually in a show, and her boyfriend Ray(Dallas Roberts) leaving the City. Salvation comes when a major book editor arrives and offers her a hundred grand for her dead novelist mother's letters to her novelist father, Don Holden(Ed Harris), who's now living as a burnt out recluse in northern Michigan.

So agreeing, she heads north and west, and when she gets there, she encounters her dad's bodyguard Corbit(Will Ferrell) and maid/literary assistant Shelly(Amelia Warner), who aren't really happy to see her. Her dad is, but not really much.

So what we have is a bunch of damaged people acting damaged and trying to get on with lives of quiet desperation. This is generally what's considered art nowadays. It's not that the film is a complete waste of time, Harris can do miracles with even the worst of parts

The problem with the film is that the main character is completely unlikable. She 's a sullen and mean, even after she's been in the house for a bit and begins to hit on Corbit, who's damaged himself, but in whole new ways. Unfortunately, this is a bit of a stretch for Will Ferrell, who I guess wanted to prove he could do drama. I'm not sure this will help him trying to find another un-silly part in the future. This isn't something that is all that entertaining, or even interesting. Give it a pass.

Eric Lurio