Standing Up, Sitting Down
Standing Up, Falling Down
WRITTEN BY Peter Hoare
DIRECTED BY Matt Ratner
RATING: R
RUNTIME: 91 minutes
Watching an actor do something unexpected can bring a welcome frisson to almost any project. Consider Daniel Craig’s rollicking turn as a redneck thief in Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky, (my seatmate didn’t even realize she was watching Craig until the closing credits of the film) or Gene Hackman, in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein as the lonely good Samaritan looking to share cigars and espresso with Peter Boyle’s monster. It’s thrilling to see a performance that makes you realize how versatile some performers are and how their work livens up what could be an ordinary film. To the list of actors looking to broaden their range, we can now add Billy Crystal. Far removed from the days of such of his monster hits as City Slickers, When Harry Met Sally and Analyze This, Crystal has spent much of the aughts as a still-in-demand talk guest and touring with 700 Sundays, the one-man show that he wrote with Alan Zweibel. No matter the scope of the film, though, Crystal is still a welcome presence whenever he shows up. And he truly does show up in Standing Up, Falling Down, a charmingly modest dramedy about what we want from life and what it chooses to let us have. Set on Crystal’s native Long Island, Standing Up, Falling Down is the story of two guys who find friendship amid the relative wreckage of each of their lives. When we meet Scott (Ben Schwartz, House of Lies) he’s performing standup in an L.A. coffee shop in the middle of the day. Returning to his hometown and sheepishly moving back in with his parents, 32-year-old Scott lacks direction, motivation and has nothing more than the tight five that he can work at local open-mic nights. While his mother (Debra Monk, Mozart in the Jungle) is thrilled to have him back, Dad (Kevin Dunn, Veep) is less enamored of his grown, jobless son bunking at the homestead. Enter dermatologist Marty. Jovial, but emitting a whiff of loneliness, Marty frequents a local watering hole where he kibitzes, flirts and pesters the regulars. Marty and Scott become fast friends, with talk of regrets and disappointment leavened by joints and Jaeger bombs. Like an old comedy team, the lanky, angular Schwartz, with a blast of hair that appears to add three inches to his height, and the elfin Crystal, working without his hairpiece, are physical opposites, but emotional doppelgangers, who play off each other with a relaxed brio that reveals how vital each is becoming to the other. The edgy Scott is dealing with his first big disappointment, while resigned, melancholy Marty is navigating only the latest one in his own life and their May-December bromance is a soothing salve to the knocks each man has endured. While Peter Hoare’s script for Standing Up, Falling Down follows a linear and somewhat predictable path, Matt Ratner's direction keeps the film from veering too far into melodrama. In keeping the movie to a tidy 90 minutes, though, Ratner gives short shrift to performances which appear to have ended up being nearly excised; Jill Hennessy (Crossing Jordan), whose penetrating gaze and sweet, smoky voice are always welcome, is onscreen for only about a minute. Too, Nate Corddry (Fosse/Verdon), as Marty’s resentful son, isn’t given much to work with. However, Grace Gummer (Mr. Robot) makes the most of her screen time as Scott’s snippy and equally underachieving sister. The wintry Long Island locales give Standing Up, Falling Down a crisp look and center the film and its characters; you can see why Scott wanted to get out as much as you can understand what makes Marty stay. In addition, the setting reinforces the somewhat cliché plot thread of Scott once again pursuing the girl who got away – or, in this case, stayed home during Scott’s failed west coast sojourn. Though its story doesn’t break new ground, Standing Up, Falling Down is a welcome vehicle for Crystal, portraying a guy numbing the numerous pains in his life with a little pity and a little more booze. A true pro, Crystal never overplays for the audience’s sympathy – Marty owns his mistakes and the results of them, but he never stops trying to fix them. Crystal depicts a character struggling to maintain his dignity even as he tries to make amends to those close to him. Watching him do so is a reminder of the range of his abilities and what a winning performer he’s always been. Despite its flaws, Standing Up, Falling Down is a winner, with Ben Schwartz and Billy Crystal delivering observant, incisive and funny performances as two guys who take the lemons life gives them and grab the bittersweet zest from them.
WRITTEN BY Peter Hoare
DIRECTED BY Matt Ratner
RATING: R
RUNTIME: 91 minutes
Watching an actor do something unexpected can bring a welcome frisson to almost any project. Consider Daniel Craig’s rollicking turn as a redneck thief in Steven Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky, (my seatmate didn’t even realize she was watching Craig until the closing credits of the film) or Gene Hackman, in Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein as the lonely good Samaritan looking to share cigars and espresso with Peter Boyle’s monster. It’s thrilling to see a performance that makes you realize how versatile some performers are and how their work livens up what could be an ordinary film. To the list of actors looking to broaden their range, we can now add Billy Crystal. Far removed from the days of such of his monster hits as City Slickers, When Harry Met Sally and Analyze This, Crystal has spent much of the aughts as a still-in-demand talk guest and touring with 700 Sundays, the one-man show that he wrote with Alan Zweibel. No matter the scope of the film, though, Crystal is still a welcome presence whenever he shows up. And he truly does show up in Standing Up, Falling Down, a charmingly modest dramedy about what we want from life and what it chooses to let us have. Set on Crystal’s native Long Island, Standing Up, Falling Down is the story of two guys who find friendship amid the relative wreckage of each of their lives. When we meet Scott (Ben Schwartz, House of Lies) he’s performing standup in an L.A. coffee shop in the middle of the day. Returning to his hometown and sheepishly moving back in with his parents, 32-year-old Scott lacks direction, motivation and has nothing more than the tight five that he can work at local open-mic nights. While his mother (Debra Monk, Mozart in the Jungle) is thrilled to have him back, Dad (Kevin Dunn, Veep) is less enamored of his grown, jobless son bunking at the homestead. Enter dermatologist Marty. Jovial, but emitting a whiff of loneliness, Marty frequents a local watering hole where he kibitzes, flirts and pesters the regulars. Marty and Scott become fast friends, with talk of regrets and disappointment leavened by joints and Jaeger bombs. Like an old comedy team, the lanky, angular Schwartz, with a blast of hair that appears to add three inches to his height, and the elfin Crystal, working without his hairpiece, are physical opposites, but emotional doppelgangers, who play off each other with a relaxed brio that reveals how vital each is becoming to the other. The edgy Scott is dealing with his first big disappointment, while resigned, melancholy Marty is navigating only the latest one in his own life and their May-December bromance is a soothing salve to the knocks each man has endured. While Peter Hoare’s script for Standing Up, Falling Down follows a linear and somewhat predictable path, Matt Ratner's direction keeps the film from veering too far into melodrama. In keeping the movie to a tidy 90 minutes, though, Ratner gives short shrift to performances which appear to have ended up being nearly excised; Jill Hennessy (Crossing Jordan), whose penetrating gaze and sweet, smoky voice are always welcome, is onscreen for only about a minute. Too, Nate Corddry (Fosse/Verdon), as Marty’s resentful son, isn’t given much to work with. However, Grace Gummer (Mr. Robot) makes the most of her screen time as Scott’s snippy and equally underachieving sister. The wintry Long Island locales give Standing Up, Falling Down a crisp look and center the film and its characters; you can see why Scott wanted to get out as much as you can understand what makes Marty stay. In addition, the setting reinforces the somewhat cliché plot thread of Scott once again pursuing the girl who got away – or, in this case, stayed home during Scott’s failed west coast sojourn. Though its story doesn’t break new ground, Standing Up, Falling Down is a welcome vehicle for Crystal, portraying a guy numbing the numerous pains in his life with a little pity and a little more booze. A true pro, Crystal never overplays for the audience’s sympathy – Marty owns his mistakes and the results of them, but he never stops trying to fix them. Crystal depicts a character struggling to maintain his dignity even as he tries to make amends to those close to him. Watching him do so is a reminder of the range of his abilities and what a winning performer he’s always been. Despite its flaws, Standing Up, Falling Down is a winner, with Ben Schwartz and Billy Crystal delivering observant, incisive and funny performances as two guys who take the lemons life gives them and grab the bittersweet zest from them.
Comments