From the mind of “The Mind of the Married Man” creator Mike Binder comes a smart, funny and at times heartbreaking look at one family’s struggle to reinvent itself in the wake of a father’s sudden, unexplained departure. Joan Allen is extraordinary as Terry Wolfmeyer, embittered matriarch of a newly broken suburban Detroit home. Terry’s convinced her husband split with his Swedish secretary and has taken to dousing her flaming heart with whiskey as she misdirects her anger at her four dishy daughters. They are: Hadley (Alicia Witt), the eldest and least involved in the proceedings; Emily (“Felicity” star Keri Russell), an aspiring ballerina with an eating disorder; sexpot Andy (Erika Christensen of “Traffic”); and Popeye (Evan Rachel Wood), who serves as the film’s narrator.
Filling the male void is laid-back neighbor Denny Davies (Kevin Costner), a retired Big Leaguer turned sports radio host who becomes Terry’s drinking/bedroom buddy, as well as surrogate dad to the girls. And although some of you might balk at the notion of seeing Costner play yet another ballplayer, I must tell you that his work here ranks among the best performances of his career. Denny is a character in every sense of the word, and Costner’s rendering is near pitch-perfect. His sweet but ungraceful courtship of the Wolfmeyers is the highlight of this engaging and emphatically human dramedy. (Rated R for language, sexual situations, brief comic violence and some drug use. Running time: 118 minutes)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 11, 2005. Read the original PDF.