Enjoyable small filmBy John DeSando, "It's Movie Time," "Cinema Classics," and "On the Marquee"
"She's not Emily!" Lois to Doug
Welcome to the Rileys is not a great film, just a small, sometimes good one that depicts a forlorn couple befriending a 16 year old hooker in what might be a hope of bringing back their 15 year old daughter killed in an accident.
Doug (James Gandolfini) is a married businessman who loses his lover and figuratively has lost his wife Lois (Melissa Leo) probably as long ago as their daughter has been dead. On a business trip to sin city New Orleans he hooks up with hooker Mallory (Kristen Stewart) and takes care of her.
No, they never get it on even though she offers as a matter of business; he is far too concerned with her welfare to cross any imaginary social lines. Although their dialogue is sparse and their emotional range limited, Gandolfini carries the scenes with a slowly solid care that rings authentic. On the other hand, Stewart does her usual Twilight scowling and brooding all the time while looking at least 21, certainly not 16. Her "f-bombs" and "cooters" can't erase the image of the virtuous Bella.
When Lois drives to New Orleans to see her estranged husband, the drama comes alive as she comes to terms with her husband's eccentric behavior and catches the child care fever that has revived him. I like the idea that not very exciting people can be resurrected by the smallest acts of love, and I favored from the beginning that he would not engage in sexual activity with Mallory, giving an original variation on the old reform-the-prostitute motif.
Director Jake Scott, from the famous Ridley and Tony lineage, gives an authentic sense of New Orleans, seedier than you would expect and less rambunctious than you usually see. What you do see is redemption at a slow pace, a couple of great actors, and variations on some old themes sometimes moving and always interesting.
John DeSando co-hosts It's Movie Time, Cinema Classics, and On the Marquee for WCBE 90.5. The shows can be heard streaming at http://publicbroadcasting.net/wcbe/ppr/index.shtml and on demand at http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wcbe/arts.artsmain Contact him at JDeSando@Columbus.RR.com