Linoleum, 2022.
Written and directed by Colin West.
Starring Jim Gaffigan, Rhea Seehorn, Katelyn Nacon, Gabriel Rush, Amy Hargreaves, West Duchovny, Michael Ian Black, Tony Shalhoub, Elisabeth Henry, and Roger Hendricks Simon.
SYNOPSIS:
When the host of a failing children’s science show tries to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut by building a rocket ship in his garage, a series of bizarre events occur that cause him to question his own reality.
The first major feature from Colin West (Double Walker) immediately announces him as a major talent, delivering a tricksy, full-hearted existential drama that makes the most of a strong ensemble cast led by Jim Gaffigan and Rhea Seehorn.
Cameron (Gaffigan) is basically the definition of a sad sack; the middle-aged host of a kids’ science TV show that’s aired at midnight and therefore seen by few. His marriage to Erin (Seehorn) is in its death throes as she files for divorce, and Cameron’s father Mac (Roger Hendricks Simon) ekes out his dementia-riddled final days in a nursing home. But Cameron’s listless middle-class Ohio existence changes overnight amid as a series of increasingly strange events.
A red car falls out of the sky in front of Cameron’s house containing a man, Kent Armstrong, who bears a notable resemblance to Cameron himself (and is also played by Gaffigan). Soon enough, Kent is angling for Cameron’s job and moves in across the street, all while Kent’s son Marc (Gabriel Rush) makes friends with Cameron’s daughter Nora (Katelyn Nacon).
It gets weirder still when an apparently Russian satellite crash-lands in Cameron’s yard, and utterly dissatisfied with his life, he hatches a plan to build a rocket ship that’ll take him away from his problems and help him realise his lifelong dream of becoming an astronaut.
It’s an undeniably oddball stew, and one which in lesser hands could’ve felt like one of hundreds of quirky festival indies unleashed upon audiences every year. But there’s a nimbleness to West’s vision, for a good portion of the picture leaving viewers unsure quite how far – or in which direction – he’s going to take Cameron’s journey.
Without giving too much of the game away, this is a film that owes as much to Donnie Darko as it does A Serious Man, and certain other films too spoiler-specific to even namedrop. This is a left-field black comedy about regret, aging, and the chaos of the universe, and also a Book of Job-like search for meaning. Just as the Coen brothers’ aforementioned film had Michael Stuhlbarg consulting a trio of vague rabbis in his pursuit of answers, here Cameron speaks with a nursing home doctor (Tony Shalhoub) who speaks only in existential metaphors.
Linoleum is a film that needs to be discussed carefully given its central narrative conceit, the symbolic allusions to which aren’t remotely subtle and yet still build to a sharply affecting finale. Predictability need not hobble a film much if the dramatic particulars are compelling regardless, and that’s certainly the case here.
Though the focus is primarily on Cameron attempting to make sense of his lot in life, there are also meaningful subplots afforded to his wider family; Erin in particular gets a lot of time to deal with her own disappointment at her unremarkable career as a science museum employee, while daughter Nora wrestles with her sexuality and then literally wrestles with an obnoxious classmate.
West’s riskier dramatic gambles pay off largely due to the confidence of his filmmaking and the sharp efforts of an easily likeable cast. Gaffigan is terrific in the dual role of Cameron and Kent, brilliantly underplaying his miserable protagonist in a way that feels entirely believable rather than cartoonish. Seehorn also brings real presence to the part of Erin, a character with her own potent, meaningful arc, while Katelyn Nacon steals numerous scenes as their sardonic-yet-sweet daughter.
The performances help the more heart-warming underlayer emerge in an organic way despite the daring of Linoleum’s big reveal, yet West also crucially never lets go of the melancholy, ensuring his film settles not for being mere comfort food but something more honest and true, no matter the more surreal divergences.
This is also a technically sharp picture; DP Ed Wu’s rich, gorgeously lit lensing accentuates both the more grounded drama and heightened sequences, and the scuzzy, VHS-style slivers of Cameron’s Bill Nye-esque science show feel spot-on for the era they’re trying to evoke. The aesthetics are also rounded out nicely by a peppy yet occasionally unnerving electronic score from Mark Hadley.
Colin West confirms himself a filmmaker to watch with this stylish, affectingly offbeat dramedy which also offers a ripe starring role for the great Jim Gaffigan.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Shaun Munro – Follow me on Twitter for more film rambling.
