Little Odessa (1994)

Idea: Joshua (Tim Roth) returns home after a long absence on a business assignment. He wishes to see his dying mother (Vanessa Redgrave) and his little brother, Reuben (Edward Furlong), but his father (Maximilian Schell) struggles to keep Joshua's influence out of Reuben's life.

I really didn't get this movie. Well, I might just be saying that.

As you know, I am a big fan of James Gray's The Yards. His writing and directorial debut, however, left me feeling uninspired.

With the exceptions of the scenes that Roth and Furlong share or the ones that Redgrave, Roth and Furlong share, there's nothing attention grabbing in this movie. And I mean that in a bad way. It's not understated; nothing's stated at all.

In fact, instead of concerning myself with the plights of the characters, I spent most of my time trying to figure out what the title referred to. Because Gray is possibly in love with the five boroughs, the movie is set in Brooklyn. Now, apparently, a large amount of Ukrainian immigrants must have settled there because the real Odessa is in the Ukraine.

Honestly, though, I can't think of much to say about this movie because it was so blah. It's a very bad thing when a movie leaves you feeling so null. C-