Does this sound weird enough for you? Well, if it doesn’t, there’s definitely more than enough strange and hilarious action in Kajillionaire to entertain those who enjoy something different than your average comedy. Just the mannerisms and style of dress of the family of would-be con-artists is something to behold. Evan Rachel Wood’s clothes, in particular, are absolutely hysterical. Richard Jenkins shines as an extremely paranoid technophobe who thinks “THE BIG ONE” (earthquake) is going to happen any minute and kill everyone. He also just so happens to be extremely afraid of airplanes. Debra Winger’s Theresa is cold, detached, and methodical, exactly like Old Dolio.
Instead of further trying to explain a very complex and eccentric plot, I’ll just say that there’s one thing missing from this movie, and that is Miranda July herself. This is the first film that she’s directed in which she wasn’t the star. While it makes sense that she wouldn’t necessarily be in the movie, I can’t help but wish that she was. Almost like with early Spike Lee and Woody Allen movies, there’s something better about the movies that star the director. However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the hell out of Kajillionaire. It has an underlying message of friends being the family you choose for yourself. Additionally, it tells us that just because people are your family, doesn’t mean it’s healthy for you to be around them or that they have your best interest in mind.
“…an underlying message of friends being the family you choose for yourself.”
All in all, I would say that I liked Kajillionaire, and I want to see it again to pay more attention to the intricacies of the plot of which there are plenty. The performances are all fantastic. Evan Rachel Wood is especially incredible and totally unrecognizable as Old Dolio. The script is brilliant, but that’s pretty much a no-brainer for Miranda July. It is leaps and bounds above the average boring status quo comedies, and it is exceptionally well-crafted. It wasn’t what I expected, and I’m pretty sure that’s a good thing. I just can’t help but miss Miranda in front of the camera. But as long as she’s still behind it, something unique, crazy, and ultimately heartfelt will always be the result. That is definitely good enough for me.
Kajillionaire screened at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
"…an extremely paranoid technophobe who thinks "THE BIG ONE"...is going to happen any minute"
