Redville

Redville has all of the ingredients to parody coming of age movies such as Stand By Me or even Stephen King’s It. The film could have even maneuvered itself into a nasty black comedy along the lines of Very Bad Things. Alas, Redville aims for seriousness and results in just another self-important groaner.

Despite an energetic cast, especially the central man-quad, both young and adult, and obviously community-based origins (this is one of those movies where the entire cast and crew seems comprised of relatives or friends), Redville doesn’t manage to put an innovative spin on the coming of age scenario. Everything in the film, aside from the out-of-left-field twist ending, has been done elsewhere before, and with more attention to detail. For instance, why does no one advise Julian to at least wash his face after it is splattered with blood rather than allow him to sit bloodied around the kitchen table and chat with the guys? Also, during a scene where the friends dig a fresh grave at a cemetery, the activity is strangely lit from below. Is there a flashlight? If so, who is holding it? These sorts of technical oversights might appear minor, but they distract the viewer from their involvement in the story.

“…aims for seriousness and results in just another self-important groaner.”

Furthermore, the movie accelerates from zero to sixty, sometimes in the course of a single scene. Take, for example, when the core group pays a fraternal condolence call to Tony at his home. Upon Julian entering the house, Tony immediately pulls a gun on him.

However, director Sean Cranston excels in the ancillary aspects of Redville, such as the effective use of snowy locations and some terrific and realistic PSAs for Julian’s re-election campaign. The stark and wintry setting (it is never mentioned where, exactly, the story is taking place) lends bleakness to the proceedings that can, to some extent, be paralleled in the lives of these men and their craving for the warmth of friendship.

As a community-building exercise, Redville is excellent, and all probably had a great time at the premiere. As a narrative feature, however, its derivativeness brings it down.