Family gatherings can be rough even when the only things to fight about are the age old grievances borne from childhood conflicts and parental resentment. Add in one of the siblings writing an expose on the messed up lives of all the family members and the backbiting and name calling reaches new heights. Peep World tells the story of one such family; a family that already hated one another for various personality quirks and failings, only to have said faults written out for the world to read. The film makes an interesting statement about the harmful effect of bringing the wrong kind of attention to delicate matters while also commenting on our culture that places value on behind-the-scenes access even if it ultimately harms how relationships play out. Director Barry W. Blaustein’s dark comedy couldn’t have asked for a better cast, but it can’t keep up the flow of comedy necessary to really make Peep World a must-see flick.
The tensions in the Meyerwitz family have always run deep, but the youngest sibling Nathan (Ben Schwartz) brings it all to the surface when he writes a tell-all novel thoughtlessly tossing their dirty laundry out onto the public lawn for all the world to see. As Nathan revels in his success, traveling from one book signing to the next with his assistant Meg (Kate Mara), the rest of the family quietly stews as their lives fall to pieces in the aftermath.
Jack (Michael C. Hall) sees his architecture firm crumble to the ground as the pressure of being the responsible member of the family grinds him down further, making his already strained relationship with his pregnant wife (Judy Greer) that much worse. Joel (Rainn Wilson) on the other hand, has had his life in ruins for awhile with each plan to get it all back on track ending in failure, even as he enjoys the constant support of his new girlfriend (Taraji P. Henson). Then there’s Cheri (Sarah Silverman), an actress and the most incensed of the three, who intends on filing a lawsuit for the lies in the book. They’ve never gotten along all too well, and the book has exacerbated things, coming to a head at the birthday dinner for their emotionally distant and critical father (Ron Rifkin).
There’s not a single performance here that isn’t spot on. Michael C. Hall deserves the most credit as the sibling bearing the brunt of the familial pressures even as his younger brother usurps his role as the golden child. Hall’s breakdown sits at the center of the sibling story lines, and without him and Greer, who strays convincingly from her typically comical roles, the story wouldn’t have worked as well as it did. Like Greer, Rainn Wilson also takes a bit of a step away from the kinds of roles that have propelled him forward thus far. There’s still a hint of his goofy disposition, but it’s balanced with the damaged confidence of a man who’s become accustomed to failure as he watches his siblings rise around him.
Silverman delivers her typical hyper-dramatic performance for the manic sister, and it works, but it never feels as fresh a take as her co-stars offer up. Considering Ben Schwartz carries a third of the film, he ought to be commended for his work, though his ability to pull off some of the cheaper physical gags wavers from one take to the next, with the occasional flash of brilliance paralleled by moments of mediocrity. His scenes with Kate Mara on the other hand display a great back and forth and it just might be one of Mara’s best turns in a comedy.
The audio and video are nothing special and don’t get a huge boost from the Blu-ray presentation. The film is definitely worth checking out, but there’s no real reason it needs to be in HD versus standard definition.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
The disc is unfortunately sparse in the extras department with the trailer and some deleted scenes as the only supplements.
"Peep World" is on sale July 19, 2011 and is not rated. Comedy, Drama. Directed by Barry W Blaustein. Written by Peter Himmelstein. Starring Judy Greer, Kate Mara, Michael C Hall, Rainn Wilson, Ron Rifkin, Sarah Silverman, Taraji P Henson, Ben Schwartz.
