Robert Zemeckis said that if he had known that he was going to make sequels to the original Back to the Future, he wouldn’t have had Jennifer go into the future with them, and believed that the two sequels suffered because of it. Similar regrets have probably plagued the sleep of most directors, but then again, Todd Solondz isn’t most directors. Taking several characters from his most notorious film (Happiness, the 1998 film most notable for Dylan Baker’s sympathetic portrayal of a pedophile), transports them to Florida, and recasts them with slightly more recognizable actors. It’s an experiment, to be sure, as to whether or not such a stunt can really add any meaning to the original film, but here, the results are entirely inconclusive. After viewing Life During Wartime, it seems like such a thing could be done, but Solondz himself, one of few directors who would ever try such a thing, has perhaps lost the sense of gravity that would make it truly successful.
Trish Jordan (Allison Janney) is still reeling from the failure of her marriage to Bill (Happiness’s pedophile, played here by Ciaran Hinds), but looks to be getting herself back on track with Harvey Wiener (Michael Lerner), another older Jew frightened of dying alone. Before she can seal the deal, though Harvey has to earn the trust of Timmy (Dylan Riley Snyder), who, though unmolested by his father, is similarly unable to build new relationships due to the trauma of that experience. The ironically named Joy Jordan (Shirley Henderson) is having plenty of problems of her own, struggling with her marriage to Allen (Michael Kenneth Williams), while still haunted by visions of the man who committed suicide over her rejection (Paul Reubens). Meanwhile, Bill has just been released from prison, and is seeking to make amends with his other son, Billy (Chris Marquette), who is now in college and living in Oregon.
Life During Wartime establishes itself pretty early in the game, by having its title card sequence nearly identical to that of Happiness, and setting up a dinner scene in virtual facsimile of that film’s prelude to suicide. The conclusion is different, and the awkward banter is shared by Joy and Allen (played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman in the original) this time around, but Joy’s presence, as well as the almost unbearable shell of personal angst that both are working through, is constant. It’s hard not to tell a Todd Solondz film when you first see one: imagine the dry reading and color palette of Napoleon Dynamite delivered with a greater dose of sarcasm and disdain. Solondz’s New Jersey has always been a place where only the naïve survive (and even then it’s not a given), as everyone else has seen into an abyss where psychiatrists fear to tread. Here, his characters have left Jersey in the hope of brighter Astroturf, but they haven’t escaped the supposed void at the center of their existence. Florida, it seems, is just another broken promise in a long series of broken promises.
Why, then, recast the whole movie in a move so distracting that it can’t help but define any conversation about the film? Solondz has been experimenting with the role of the actor for several films now (most notably Palindromes, where races, like here, are exchanged), but he doesn’t seem to have found a singular effect for which to put it to use. It comes across, as much as anything, that he did it to shake off the creative shackles of being loyal to the characters and actors that made his name, despite the fact that he clearly wasn’t done with them. Happiness painted in broad strokes, but Life During Wartime is more specific, to the American Jewish experience in general and of Florida in particular. There are off-hand references to Israel and to the war on terror, but it is not a political film; as in his previous work, his shock effects (frequent dropping of socially forbidden words) have always been almost entirely apolitical, directed at watchdog conservatives and over-sensitive liberals alike.
There are those moments in Life During Wartime, but there are distinctly fewer of them, and they don’t carry the impact that they once did. In perhaps the film’s affecting scene, Bill makes love to a divorced woman (Charlotte Rampling) in a motel room, and is then admonished by her for not treating her like the monster she believes herself to be. It’s an ironic moment, and one that reminds us what a jagged edge Solondz can have when he’s not coating everything in a protective veil of detachment. There are a few of those moments in Life During Wartime, but sadly not enough of them. If he were to approach these characters with the same directness and cruelty that he approached Dawn Weiner in Welcome to the Dollhouse, it might almost be too painful to stand. It’s a credit to the actors (particularly Hinds) that Wartime retains the juice that it does, and justifies its existence as a separate entity from Happiness, but a lingering doubt remains that Solondz could have invoked a more significant effect here. His dryness used to be a hallmark of his anti-culture modus operandi, but anymore it just feels like pulled punches.
Bonus Features
The Criterion Collection has continued its proud tradition of quality (in most cases) over quantity, selectively targetting the aspects of the film that merit attention after the fact. The most unique contribution is the "Ask Todd" feature, in which Solondz answers questions sent in by readers. He is a candid speaker, though people expecting some kind of demented madman could well be disappointed. The same could be said of the actors and of director of photography Ed Lachmann, who reflect on their experiences working on the film and with Todd. The film's theatrical trailer is also included.
"Life During Wartime (The Criterion Collection)" is on sale July 26, 2011 and is rated R. Drama. Written and directed by Todd Solondz. Starring Allison Janney, Claran Hinds, Michael K Williams, Michael Lerner, Paul Reubens, Chris Marquette, Dylan Riley Snyder.
