Kajillionaire movie review by Movie Review Mom

Now available on video-on-demand and DVD

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour, 44 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: C

IN A NUTSHELL:

Directed by Miranda July, this quirky and sad film is being called a dark comedy. It’s not for everyone’s taste. There’s a budding lesbian relationship, crime, dishonesty, and crazy people. It kind of gave me a similar feeling to when I saw Napoleon Dynamite for the first time. Everyone in the theater was laughing hysterically at the movie, but I felt bad for Napoleon and didn’t think it was funny at all. This movie is being called a comedy, but I thought everything about it was really depressing. For what it’s worth, Napoleon Dynamite eventually made me laugh and now my family and I can recite many of the lines in the movie and they make us laugh every time. I’m not planning on watching this movie again, so I guess I’m going to have to miss out on the humor that is hidden in this movie.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

You see a topless woman nursing a newborn baby.
There’s a scene where a married man propositions a younger woman for a menage a trois.

THEMES:

Family
Relationships
Humanity
The magic of physical touch
Addictions
Dysfunctional families
Toxic relationships
Hope
Crime
Dishonesty

THINGS I LIKED:

Evan Rachel Wood is best known for her role in Westworld: Season 2 [Blu-ray] [2018], but she really shines in this movie. Well, “shine” may not be quite the right word for her character’s melancholy personality but her performance is excellent.
If you love Richard Jenkins in this movie, you’ll also love his performance in the movie THE LAST SHIFT. You can see my review of that interesting film by clicking here. Another co-star in both movies is Da’Vine Joy Randolph who was great in both. The massage scene with her was so heartbreaking.
I didn’t even recognize Debra Winger and haven’t seen her in years.
Mark Ivanir is great. Did you know he turned down a few job offers from Israel’s Secret Service and medical school to pursue a career as a clown?! Later, he decided to enter formal theatrical training and the rest is history.
I love Gina Rodriguez and am always happy to see her show up in movies. I thought she was great in her hit TV show Jane the Virgin, Season 1 and she was perfect for Miss Bala
Very good character and world-building.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

We’re supposed to feel sympathy for a family of con artists? There is no talk of mental illness, but there is definitely something wrong with them. I mean, who names their baby girl, “Old Dolio”? I guess that’s supposed to be funny, but I just thought it was too odd to laugh at.
Some people will be really bored and just think the entire story is nonsensical and depressing.
Some have criticized the characters as feeling more like cartoons than real people.

INTERESTING LINES: