Downtown Owl

In quirky but enjoyable 1983-based small-town dramedy "Downtown Owl" Lily Rabe (terrific) escapes her troubled marriage by taking a short-term teaching assignment (under Hamish Linklater) in the titular tiny Dakota town where she goes thru something of a drink fuelled breakdown while interacting with local characters like Ed Harris (still a class act), love interest (or not?) Henry Golding, and colleagues Vanessa Hudgens & Finn Wittrock. Linklater (on his movie writing debut) adapted the screenplay from Chuck Klosterman's novel, and also co-directed with actual gf (and fellow first-time director) Rabe - props to both of them for such an original & likeable film.

It's 1983. New teacher Julia Rabia (Lily Rabe) arrives in the tiny town of Owl, North Dakota. She is befriended by talkative fellow teacher Naomi (Vanessa Hudgens) who brings her to the local bar. She falls for bison farmer Vance Druid (Henry Golding). She is befriended by longtime resident Horace Jones (Ed Harris). There is an inappropriate teacher-student relationship and a surprise snowstorm.

I really like Lily Rabe. More and more, she reminds me of her mother. They have the same style and comedic tones. I like almost everybody here although a couple of them are trying too hard. It's quirky middle America. The story is too scattered. The main plot should be the underaged student affair. Julia should have more time with the quarterback and get more involved with that subplot. As for the snowstorm, it seems rather anti-climatic and a bit of a fake-out. I like this cast but the story needs work.

I didn't come to this movie with much expectations, since for the time being there aren't that many features that really manage to impress me, but I was taken by surprise... The cast was somewhat stellar (Lily Rabe, Vanessa Hudgens and last, but not least, Ed Harris)... But still I had my doubts... Nonetheless I kept watching it and I did get a good surprise.

Directorial debut for Lily Rabe, I cannot but congratulate her for it!

There are a lot of average movies around ("Late Night with the Devil" is just an example of how you can waste some time), but this one is a surprisingly good one.

I was just sorry it wasn't any longer.

Give it a try and I believe you won't be disappointed!

Downtown Owl is a film that struggles to leave an impression. Despite its intriguing premise, the execution feels lackluster, with a disjointed narrative and uneven pacing that make it difficult to fully invest in the story or its characters. The film fails to find a consistent tone, leaving it feeling scattered and incomplete.

However, amidst the chaos, Lily Rabe manages to shine. Her performance is heartfelt and genuine, a testament to her incredible talent. Lily is one of the most underrated actresses of all time, and even in a film like this, she proves her ability to bring depth and nuance to any role. Her presence is a rare bright spot in an otherwise disappointing movie.

Unfortunately, the film's overall shortcomings overshadow its few positive elements. The story lacks direction, and the characters, aside from Lily's, are underdeveloped. It's frustrating to see such a talented actress attached to a project that doesn't match her capabilities.

I was expecting a lot more from this one. And frankly, I was pretty disappointed. I should have taken the relatively low grade IMDb viewers gave it. The movie had so much potential.

Here are the main problems as I see it. The film really tried too hard to be offbeat. It ended up looking like it was directed by someone with ADD. It needed a lot more focus instead of trying to tell several, seemingly unrelated stories at the same time.

The acting from Lily Rabe while excellent, wasn't enough to save the movie. She deserved better material. And Ed Harris? Wow! What an utter waste of his talent here.

Maybe the director will have better luck on his next outing.

--MovieJunkieMark.