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Lymelife

Generally favorable reviews
Based on 19 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 13 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie >
Movie Info
Genre(s): Drama
Written by:
Derick Martini
Steven Martini
Directed by: Derick Martini
Release Date:
Theatrical: April 8, 2009
DVD: September 22, 2009
Running Time: 95 minutes, Color
Origin: USA
Summary
RATING: R for language, some sexual content, violence and drug use
Starring Alec Baldwin, Kieran Culkin, Rory Culkin, Jill Hennessy, Timothy Hutton, Cynthia Nixon, and Emma Roberts
Set in the late 70's, seen through the innocent eyes of a fifteen year old boy, Scott, "Lymelife" is a unique take on the dangers of the American Dream. This funny, sad, violent and sometimes tragic look at first love, family dynamics and divorce weaves an intricate tapestry of American life during a time of drastic economic and emotional change. (Screen Media Films)
Also On The Web: Internet Movie Database Official Studio Site
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
New York Post Kyle Smith
Lymelife, set amid marital decay and teen frustration, isn't quite the "American Beauty" of the 516 area code, but it'll do.
Read Full Review >Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
Lymelife doesn't have the sheer power of "The Ice Storm," but it's not just another recycling of suburban angst. By allowing their characters complexity, the Martinis spill open those tiny model homes as thoroughly as a dropped Monopoly game.
Read Full Review >Variety Rob Nelson
Intense perfs by Rory Culkin and Alec Baldwin are standouts in a movie that brims with vivid supporting turns.
Read Full Review >Rolling Stone Peter Travers
Even when the drama gets overcooked, Lymelife sends off sparks.
Read Full Review >USA Today Claudia Puig
It's a family drama that treads on well-worn middle-class territory but is redeemed by the complexity of the characters and the intriguing ambiguity of their actions.
Read Full Review >San Francisco Chronicle Reyhan Harmanci
A charming if unoriginal coming-of-age story.
Read Full Review >Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall
Thanks to a strong ensemble cast, it's poignant and funny.
Read Full Review >Washington Post Dan Zak
Directed by first-timer Derick Martini and produced by Martin Scorsese, balances grimness and levity with relative success. It stops short of quirk. It only flirts with "American Beauty"-style hyperbole. It falls somewhere in between, thanks to Martini's steady hand and a bunch of reliable actors working in good form.
Read Full Review >Salon.com Andrew O'Hehir
Lymelife offers charm and humor through its young central characters and pathos through its remarkable supporting cast, without pulling punches on its overall atmosphere of autumnal darkness and anomie.
Read Full Review >Los Angeles Times Michael Ordona
Scott's coming-of-age bumblings form the piece's narrative rhythm. But the most affecting moments come from Mickey's midlife machinations: Baldwin, who also produced the film, has his best role since "The Cooler."
Read Full Review >The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen
A period suburban rites-of-passage story with a pitch-perfect cast.
Read Full Review >The New York Times Manohla Dargis
Despite such floundering, Lymelife keeps you hooked, mostly through Mr. Hutton, Mr. Baldwin and Kieran Culkin as Scott's older brother, Jimmy.
Read Full Review >Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell
Lymelife is more shaggy character study than rewarding narrative; its fateful final moments are self-consciously ambiguous in a way that (to me) feel almost flip, given the long dramatic build that preceded those final moments.
Read Full Review >Film Threat Stina Chyn
Funny and well-acted, but it’s just shy of being compelling enough to be remembered.
Read Full Review >Village Voice Scott Foundas
Given how steeped it is in symbolic portent, Lymelife proves surprisingly watchable from moment to moment, thanks to the uniformly fine playing (particularly of the Culkin frères), evocative production design (by Kelly McGehee), and handsome widescreen photography (by Frank Godwin).
Read Full Review >The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey
There's a whole lot of "American Beauty" and "The Ice Storm" packed into Lymelife.
Read Full Review >Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten
Lymelife arrives with an impressive pedigree but, unfortunately, little originality.
Read Full Review >Boston Globe Wesley Morris
Like so many of these farm-raised films, this one looks polished, but takes no risks, offers no surprises, and contains a final sequence that's laughable for its lack of courage.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this movie is 7.6 (out of 10) based on 13 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Flaneur gave it a9:
Subtler, better-written, and less stagy than 'The Ice Storm' or 'Igby Goes Down'--this cuts deeper than any other film about the Sick Soul of Suburban Life.
Alison R gave it a10:
My favorite film of the year so far. Touching, mean, funny and very very real. The cast is great, especially Rory and Kieran Culkin playing brothers. The smartest casting I've seen in a film in a very long time. This one broke my heart and left me wanting more after its extremely misleading and well crafted ending. Gosh, what a film. My heart is still fluttering.
Aaron S gave it a10:
Let's not pull any punches here..this is the best "cinema" I've seen in 09. Acting, writing, directing are all top notch. My big concern is the powerhouse performance Baldwin gives and Rory Culkin and the amazing Timoth Hutton delivers will be forgotten at award time. This is a Screen Media release. How in god's name did it end up there? It is a Miramax, Searchlight film all the way. It is what independent film is all about. It is exactly how I felt when I went to see Resivior Dogs or Hard 8 or Bottle Rocket. The big difference is Lymelife stomps Hard 8 and Bottle Rocket to death. Maybe not Dogs, but that's a tall order. And forgivable. QT is the man. But PT and Wes A better look in their rearview mirrors. There's a new sheriff in town folks, and his name is Derick Martini. Fearless, blunt, beautiful, hilarious and twisted. Needless to say I am utterly impressed.
Penny M gave it a10:
The first great indy of the year. Delicate, beautiful, absorbing performances. Several darkly hilarious split your pants scenes. Took 5 or 10 minutes for me to latch on to Rory Culkin as the lead, but once I did, I kept being reminded of my first boyfriend. And there are a lot of firsts in this film. It's like the director/screenwriter took a whole series of "first times" for Culkin and, with brute force, drags us through each painful, hysterical, awkward moment. All the kiddies are splendid, including Emma roberts and Kieran Culkin. Even the stereotypical bully is handled in a perversely funny and sad way. The "adults" in the film are also splendid. Every adult has a clear desire that is not being fulfilled. Ironically, my favorite scene, and one of the best "revenge scenes" in film history, has nothing to do with the kids. Alec Baldwin and Timothy Hutton at a bar could have played out like every cliche in the handbook. However, like everything else in the film, the scene is handled in a unique and brilliant fashion. The way Hutton screws with Baldwin's mind is nothing short of sheer genius. Although Baldwin is getting a well deserved comeuppance of sorts, you can't help but feel for the guy. And the beauty of the scene is that it turns into a demented torturous scene with one, barely audible, whispered word. Baldwin's face, the sweat on his upper lip, his silence, says it all in a way some silly drivel of words could ever do.
Andre F gave it a2:
cliche... like a mix of the Squid and the Whale and the Ice Storm and everything indie filmmakers love to rip-off from Scorcese and P.T.A. But the filmmakers get an "A" for effort apparently the film was shot in only 22 days on a low budget and with a very interesting cast. well done.
Phil L gave it a10:
Saw it in nyc. Made me laugh way too many times than an ordinary drama about suburbia should have. You can call it a dark comedy, or a dramedy. Brutal in its sense of honesty though. When it's time for the drama, watch out. Don't know how but by the middle of the movie, after I spent a bunch of time playfully laughing along with Rory Culkin's character, everything became very tense. Every scene that followed had me laughing, crying or hanging on to my seat. That tension was infused in every scene up until the very end when bang, it was over. I'm going to add this to my dvd collection, it's a see twice movie to try and figure out how they had me so absorbed.
Bill L gave it a10:
Cool movie. Like everything Revolutionary Road should have been. This was awesome. Cool ending too. Made my stale mind think.
