140 Character Movie Review – #140RVW
Gutsy character study by Kristen Wiig, who gives her most nuanced performance yet. Story doesn’t quite fill its run-time, but not a problem.
Spoiler-free Movie Review of Welcome to Me:
Kristen Wiig is clearly someone we’re going to have to watch very closely over the next few years. She’s always been a comic superheroine, but she has been taking on increasingly gutsy roles and just keeps upping her game.
Much as the title suggests, Welcome to Me is essentially a one-woman show, in which Wiig brings to life the complicated character Alice Klieg. Alice suffers from borderline personality disorder, a condition worsened when she stops taking her medication after winning the lottery. Alice has for years been obsessed with Oprah Winfrey, and her new found riches allow her to indulge her desire to host her own Oprah-style TV show.
This unlikely tale isn’t really that far-fetched and the subject of fame-seeking narcissists is far from virgin territory. What makes Welcome to Me unique is the low wattage of fame’s klieg lights. (The character’s name is almost certainly a nerdy screenwriting pun.) In correctly picking all of the lottery numbers, Alice has won a tremendous amount of money, $86 million, yet only courts fame after a chance opportunity to come up on stage during the filming of a low-budget infomercial. Her money can commandeer the entire struggling infomercial production company, whose principals cannot afford to veto any of her outlandish demands.
Welcome to Me distinguishes itself from other tales of lottery winners with its frank portrayal of a member of the noveau riche who isn’t being exploited by anyone. Wiig’s take on Klieg is wholly original, as is the character. Klieg isn’t seduced by the money, or letting it change her; she’s making her wealth work for her and create the opportunity to be exactly what she wants to be. It’s the people around her who have to toe the line of enabling Alice and exploiting her.
The supporting staff is marvelous, led by Rich (James Marsden) & Gabe Ruskin (Wes Bentley) as the brotherly team that own the company that becomes the launching pad for Alice’s two-hour show about herself – “Welcome to Me”. The show staff includes sympathetic director Dawn Hurley, typically well-played by Joan Cusack, and a blink-and-you’ll-miss-her Jennifer Jason Leigh as a disapproving set designer. Tim Robbins also has a great part as Alice’s therapist, Dr. Moffat. Alan Tudyk even drops by for a small but fun part.
The finest supporting part, though, is that of Alice’s best friend Gina, brought to life by the excellent Linda Cardellini. Gina isn’t swayed or jealous by her friend’s new fortune or fame; she’s eternally vigilant of her friend’s safety and best interests in what must be a very difficult friendship. Gina is a uniquely consistent character.
Because the only real trouble with Welcome to Me is that it somewhat puts you in the role of Gina, feeling protective of Alice. The movie is very entertaining and funny, but while Alice is a remarkably self-assured character in many ways, she is a troubled person, struggling with a serious disorder, and it’s not always clear if the picture is laughing with her. There’s an unsettling feeling at times that the outlandish and bizarre situations are coming at the expense of the protagonist and that we are perhaps being encouraged to laugh at the “weird” person.
It is this last uncomfortable feeling that keeps Welcome to Me from becoming something more than the amusing black comedy that it is. The writing from Eliot Laurence is smart, the direction from Shira Piven solid, but I can’t wholeheartedly recommend the film. Welcome to Me is entirely worth a watch, particularly for Kristen Wiig’s performance, but the weak third act and the sensation of unease keep it from being truly great.
Note: Welcome to Me was screened as a festival selection in the fall of 2014, before hitting extremely limited release on May 1, 2015. It is the first theatrical film to be released to library patrons via the Hoopla service at the same time as theaters. This may leave you with the impression that the studio is cutting bait. Sadly, I believe this to be exactly the case…
Poster:
Trailer:
https://youtu.be/by5J-vFX0jU
Bechdel Test:
Pass
The Representation Test Score: A (11 pts)
(http://therepresentationproject.org/grading-hollywood-the-representation-test/)
| Main Cast | Kristen Wiig Alice Klieg James Marsden Rich Ruskin Linda Cardellini Gina Selway Wes Bentley Gabe Ruskin |
| Rating | R |
| Release Date | Fri 01 May 2015 UTC |
| Director | Shira Piven |
| Genres | Comedy, Drama |
| Plot | When Alice Klieg wins the Mega-Millions lottery, she immediately quits her psychiatric meds and buys her own talk show. |
| Poster |  |
| Runtime | 87 |
| Tagline | Alice is going to be on TV whether you like it or not |
| Writers | Eliot Laurence (screenplay) |
| Year | 2014 |
