90 Feet From Home

The title 90 Feet From Home refers to the distance between home plate and first base while serving as a metaphor that you can never get too far from family, and you’re always drawn back. Scott is in a dangerous place, and he returns to his childhood home, where his father lives having served his prison term and found religion. Scott confronts his father and demands that he leaves the home left to him by his mother. The rest of the film follows Scott as he pieces together his family issues and finds some kind of peace in whatever form it can be found, good or bad.

The rest of the film plays out more like a thriller than a family drama. Scott carries a long-range rifle and stalks his father through the scope. On the other hand, Thomas is on the skids at his job and feels the responsibility to babysit his brother in case he tries something stupid. Trouble comes when Jimmy is confronted by two thugs after church. Scott has to step into the situation and ultimately kills both thugs, claiming he didn’t do it for his father, and to make matters worse, he pulls Thomas into the mess helping him dispose of the bodies. Ah, good to be back home, right?

“…must ultimately make a decision about whether exacting justice on his father will bring him peace.”

I’ll be honest, 90 Feet From Home starts a little rough. During the first act, when Scott and Thomas are young, the acting is not exactly the best. I’ve been a fan of Shawn Michaels as a teen during his WWE days, but his portrayal as the abusive step-father comes off noticeably forced. The tone of the entire film is slow and measured which doesn’t help. Thankfully, Michaels performance as the repentant sober father later in the film is much better.

The real performances to watch are from the main leads Hampton and Hallum, who solidly support the main body of the film and keeps it from falling into melodrama, coming dangerously close. That said, it’s important to understand 90 Feet From Home is essentially a western-noir. Set in Texas, with the wide-open feel of a small town, not obsessed with cellphones and the internet the focus is on characters and relationships. The noir aspect just says that the plotline for the protagonists will get increasingly and slowly worse before/if it ever gets better. Scott must ultimately make a decision about whether exacting justice on his father will bring him peace. This decision is complicated by a Dean Cain cameo as the father of the two girls killed by Jimmy, who stand clear on exacting justice. Jimmy’s quest for peace plays out in an unexpected way and remains engaging even throughout.

90 Feet From Home (2019) Written and directed by Brett Bentman. Starring Adam Hampton, Thom Hallum, Shawn Michaels, Chase Pollack, Jaren Lewison, Eric Roberts, Dean Cain.

6.5 out of 10 stars