ReelBob: ‘Before You Know It’ ★★½
By Bob Bloom
“Before You Know It” is one of those New York stories about city dwellers who are not so much eccentric as off-kilter.
Rachel, portrayed by Hannah Pearl Utt, the film’s director, co-writer and stars, is the stage manager at her father’s little off-off-Broadway theater.
She is the practical one in a household of dreamers, which include her playwright father, Mel (Mandy Patinkin) and her loopy, self-centered actress sister, Jackie (Jen Tullock, the screenplay’s other writer).
The theater is a cash drain because Mel is one of those stubborn, uncompromising writers who refuses to allow others to critique or change his words. He also won’t let others rent the theater to stage productions.
He is preparing to put on his latest play when tragedy strikes the family.
In the aftermath of the event, Rachel and Jackie learn that the mother whom they presumed dead is very much alive and the star of a popular soap opera.
“Before You Know It” goes just where you think it will, with characters you realize you have met in other stories centered in the Big Apple.
As screenwriters, Utt and Tullock are content to simply showcase the foibles and idiosyncrasies of the movie’s characters without offering much depth or context to why they behave as they do.
Rachel is defined by her pragmatism, and Jackie is labeled by her neediness, inappropriateness and self-centered behavior.
Even in his brief role, Patinkin’s Mel is more caricature than a fully rounded individual.
The same goes for the wonderful Judith Light, who portrays soap-star Sherrell Gheathardt. Light does show some dimension as she acquaints herself with the adult daughters she hadn’t seen in since they were children, but she also displays the cliched, egotism of the career-minded mother-performer.
The movie’s foundation rests on Rachel and Jackie trying to save their father’s theater and accommodating his wish of having his play performed.
To do so, they have to develop a relationship with Sherrell, since she, unbeknownst to them, is the co-owner of the theater.
Utt and Tullock waste too much screenplay time finagling
their way into Sherrell’s good graces without even mentioning the situation
that brought them together.
“Before You Know It” feels scattershot and a bit incomplete, as if the
screenwriters ran out of ideas. It also feels as if Utt and Tullock did not
have complete faith in their material.
At times, the film drags and seems repetitious.
The movie’s tone also is inconsistent, ranging from near-farce to quirky and then to sad.
The film’s major asset is its warmth; the characters have their issues, but they are people you can connect with and — in most cases — become emotionally invested.
The cast, which also includes Oona Yaffe as Jackie’s precocious young daughter, Dodge, and Stephanie Berry as her equally intelligent friend, Siri.
The film shows areas of New York not often seen in films, and that also is a plus.
“Before You Know It” is a small and enjoyable family-based comedy that will make you smile and perhaps recollect some of the peculiarities of your own family members.
I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.com or on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
BEFORE YOU KNOW IT
2½ stars out of 4
Not rated, language