Paddleton, 2019.
Directed by Alex Lehmann.
Starring Mark Duplass and Ray Romano.
SYNOPSIS:
An unlikely friendship between two misfit neighbours becomes an unexpectedly emotional journey when the younger man is diagnosed with terminal cancer.
2019 has thus far served up mixed results for Netflix’s avalanche of movies released under their Originals label, but mumblecore icon Mark Duplass and director Alex Lehmann (Blue Jay) have come to the rescue with this snappy, satisfying indie drama that’s perfectly at home on the streaming platform.
After Michael (Mark Duplass) is diagnosed with terminal cancer, his neighbour and pal Andy (Ray Romano) tries to help him deal, as they hang out eating pizza, watching bad movies and playing Paddleton, a Squash-like game they created. But when Michael decides to seek out medication which will allow him to end his life on his own terms, the gravity of the situation truly hits Andy for the first time.
Faithful to its low-key conception, Paddleton is a film that wastes not a moment of its screen time, bamboozling the audience with Michael’s grim diagnosis in its very first scene. This effectively gets the preamble – if you can call it that – out of the way quickly and allows Lehmann and his two leads to spend the entire rest of the movie digging into the human struggle of a terminal diagnosis.
Though pre-release materials suggested that the titular ball game would be a focal component of the film, it’s actually more of a backdrop on which the central existential conflict is projected. Paddleton itself might be taken as a neat – if obvious – metaphor for the philosophical back-and-forth between Michael and Andy, with the former craving dignity and agency in his final weeks, while the latter can’t help but view the nuclear option as simply giving up.
What Paddleton does best above all else is depict the anxiety that an immediately limited lifespan inflicts on both the sufferer and those around them. There’s some wonderfully well-wrought unspoken tension between Michael and Andy throughout the film, especially as Andy anguishes about his friend leaving, and finds himself conflicted about trying to control whether or not Michael remains on Earth until his last possible moment.
But Lehmann and Duplass’ script doesn’t hide its discussion of death behind sly innuendo; there are some incredibly frank, human debates about terminal illness and the effect it has on both the afflicted and their proximate social circle. Agreeably, it’s all shot through with a welcome dose of gallows humour, nimbly walking the line of good taste.
But through and through this is a film that really works because of its performers. Duplass is his typically solid self, bringing humanity to the most ultimate decision a person can make in their life.
But it’s Romano who shines the brightest, continuing to bolster his stock as an unexpectedly strong dramatic actor, following up his recent acclaimed work on The Big Sick (oddly enough, a movie with ballpark-similar material). While Michael is faced with the abyss, Andy wrestles with an arguably even more complex mess of emotions, as he attempts to extricate his own selfish feelings from the scenario and help his friend in his most pressing hour of need.
Terminal illness movies are a dime a dozen, of course, but Paddleton uncommonly avoids making a melodramatic, overwrought or dishonest hash out of its inevitable conclusion. Rather, the film’s upsetting climax delivers a devastating look at the immense courage of people who decide to end their lives with dignity, and the bravery of those who dare to guide them on that journey. After all, this is at its core a sickie movie shone through the prism of a bromance, and it impressively manages to be endearing without infantalising its two leads.
A sweet – if necessarily heart-rending – indie road movie with terrific performances from a finely-matched Mark Duplass and Ray Romano.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Shaun Munro – Follow me on Twitter for more film rambling.
