Summary
7 tech score
“I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore” (Netflix)
First off let me say I am a dedicated Melanie Lynskey fan. I have been following her career for years and she never disappoints. She can play dramatic roles, comedic roles, and best of all quirky roles. In “I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore” she is at her quirkiest and the film is all the better for it. She is in just about every scene and each one she is in has that extra pop to it. She is able to inject true heart and humor into this movie and make it one that will probably reach cult status.
The film deals with a woman named Ruth who is a nursing assistant at a local hospital. She is single and pretty much friendless, which makes for a dull and depressing life. She is constantly having people be rude to her or take advantage of her. This reaches a boiling point when she comes home one day and her home has been robbed. She is missing among other things her computer and her grandmother’s silverware.
She reports it to the police but they basically tell her it is her own fault because she can’t remember if she locked her back door or not. Since they won’t take any action she decides to take matters into her own hands. Believing she needs some backup she enlists the help of one of her neighbors, an eccentric fellow by the name of Tony (Elijah Wood). With more luck than pluck this determined duo are able to track down some of Ruth’s stuff. This is when the fun begins.
This movie features one unique character after another. The best of the lot is a woman named Meredith (Christine Woods), who is the stepmother to one of the crew that robbed Ruth. Meredith is in only a couple of scenes but thanks to Woods’ talent she is outstanding in both. The joy of discovering this actresses’ talent is another reason to watch this film.
Lynskey and Wood play off each other well. Lynskey is like a younger Margo Martindale in that she can elevate the acting in a scene just by being there to react to what is going on. Wood is a good supporting actor for all of the craziness that occurs around her in the movie. The unexpected happens over and over and over.
The film is unrated but would probably be and R due to profanity and violence.
Once you have come under the spell of Melanie Lynskey in a movie you will be a fan for life. She flourishes in small independent movies that allow her to throw some quirky on a role. “I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore” certainly does just that.
This is a Netflix original movie so it is available to watch NOW!
I scored “I Don’t Feel At Home In This World Anymore” an outside 7 out of 10.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
