• Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

Flickering Myth

Geek Culture | Movies, TV, Comic Books & Video Games

  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles & Opinions
  • Write for Us
  • The Baby in the Basket

57th Chicago International Film Festival Capsule Review – C’mon C’mon

October 20, 2021 by Robert Kojder

C’mon C’mon. 2021

Written and Directed by Mike Mills.
Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Woody Norman, Gaby Hoffmann, Scoot McNairy, Molly Webster, Jaboukie Young-White, and Sarah Klein.

SYNOPSIS:

A radio journalist embarks on a cross-country trip with his young nephew.

There are real-life concerns about the planet’s future and the emotional struggles of a fictional estranged family in writer/director Mike Mills’s multilayered and poignantly observed road trip C’mon C’Mon. Which pressing global issue depresses a variety of interviewee children of all ages frequently comes up with makes for piercing insight considering the documentary-like radio reporter approach, as the uncle/nephew duo (masterfully played by Joaquin Phoenix, with relative newcomer Woody Norman stealing hearts as a socially awkward nine-year-old trying to get a handle on the gloomier aspects of the relationship between mom and dad) travel across hot-spot metropolises around the US for as many perspectives as possible (the film also does not take place during any form of the ongoing pandemic despite the numerous timely topical confessions).

With mom Viv (Gaby Hoffmann) away in Oakland to de-escalate that position, Johnny takes Jesse to New York on business. And while plenty of comedic shenanigans ensue, it’s the situations they unspool in that add a clever touch on usual tropes such as fitting in or acknowledging when things are not okay, but here without sugarcoating the ongoing terrors of the world.

Through it all, Joaquin Phoenix and Woody Norman are mesmerizing, delivering turns both preciously heartrending and balls of charming weirdness. The future might be fucked up indeed, so luckily, with C’mon C’mon, Mike Mills knows how to untangle that mess into unquestionably moving cinema.

C’mon C’mon had its Chicago premiere as part of the last night’s 57th International Film Festival, playing at the historic Music Box.

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com

 

Filed Under: Festivals, Movies, Reviews, Robert Kojder Tagged With: C’mon C’mon, Chicago International Film Festival, Gaby Hoffmann, Jaboukie Young-White, Joaquin Phoenix, Mike Mills, Molly Webster, Sarah Klein, Scoot McNairy, Woody Norman

About Robert Kojder

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association, Critics Choice Association, and Online Film Critics Society. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor.

FMTV – Watch Our Latest Video Here

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

Seven Famous Cursed Movie Productions

7 Forgotten 2000s Comedy Movies That Are Worth Revisiting

The Rise and Disappointing Disappearance of Director Richard Kelly

Knight Rider: The Story Behind the Classic 1980s David Hasselhoff Series

Dust in the Eye: Ten Tear-Jerking Moments in Action Movies

The Essential Richard Norton Movies

10 Essential Will Smith Movies

The Bourne Difference: The Major Book vs Movie Changes

10 Badass Action Movies You Might Have Missed

10 Essential Ninja Movies

WATCH OUR MOVIE NOW FOR FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

Top Stories:

Movie Review – The Thing with Feathers (2025)

Slow Horses Season 5 Episode 5 Review – ‘Circus’

Movie Review – Blue Moon (2025)

Comic Book Review – Star Trek: Voyager – Homecoming #2

Movie Review – Die, My Love (2025)

Movie Review – Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere (2025)

8 Great Films with Incompetent Heroes

Movie Review – Bugonia (2025)

Why the 80s and 90s Were the Most Enjoyable Era for Movies

Movie Review – If I Had Legs I’d Kick You (2025)

STREAM FREE ON PRIME VIDEO!

FEATURED POSTS:

The Essential Gene Hackman Movies

Gladiator at 25: The Story Behind Ridley Scott’s Sword-and-Sandal Epic

The Essential Action Movies of the 1980s

The Essential One Man Army Action Movies

Our Partners

  • Pop Culture
    • Movies
    • Television
    • Comic Books
    • Video Games
    • Toys & Collectibles
  • Features
    • News
    • Reviews
    • Articles and Opinions
    • Interviews
    • Exclusives
    • Flickering Myth Films
    • FMTV
  • About
    • About Flickering Myth
    • Write for Flickering Myth
    • Advertise on Flickering Myth
  • Socials
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Bluesky
    • Instagram
    • Flipboard
    • Linktree
    • X
  • Terms
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy

© Flickering Myth Limited. All rights reserved. The reproduction, modification, distribution, or republication of the content without permission is strictly prohibited. Movie titles, images, etc. are registered trademarks / copyright their respective rights holders. Read our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. If you can read this, you don't need glasses.


 

Flickering MythLogo Header Menu
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Articles and Opinions
  • Write for Flickering Myth
  • About Flickering Myth
  • The Baby in the Basket