Mighty Fine (2012)

Undescribable Perfection

To all those who have watched it: I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.

The first must-see film of the year.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Mighty Fine focuses on a Jewish-American family in the 1970's after they move from Brooklyn into a luxurious new home in New Orleans. The head of the family is Joe Fine, played by veteran actor and one of my favorite leading men Chazz Palminteri, accompanied by his wife Stella (Andie MacDowell), his oldest daughter Madie (Rainey Qualley), and his younger daughter Natalie (Jodelle Ferland). Joe and Stella are beyond excited for this new change - even Natalie, the young writer of the family holds some dearly strong optimism. The one who objects the most is Madie, who sees her father's allegedly kind gesture as an act of inexcusable selfishness as she had to drop everything, leave her friends, and now assimilate to a culture she doesn't remotely hold interest in.Just when you think this takes over and becomes the facile plot-point of the film, the curve-ball is thrown. We see Joe's descent into madness, with stress at work boiling over his head, family disconnect, and bottled-up rage coming through like never before. He becomes verbally and physically abusive towards his wife and children, threatening violence, embellishing every little mistake, etc. All while Natalie captures her thoughts through diary entries.Mighty Fine is a semi-autobiographical tale of writer/director Debbie Goodstein's childhood, which was surrounded by success with her writing and heartbreak with her father's mental instability. It's admirable to see that the film never seems to channel the lines of self-indulgence or self-satisfaction. It's surprisingly conducted on a small-scale and never seems overreaching. The film is so small-scale, at times, it feels like a TV pilot - a competent one, at that. We get to know the characters, we see their hardships, then when the credits finally role, we realize we wouldn't really mind seeing them again anytime soon.However, at seventy-nine minutes, it feels as if Goldstein was handed the runtime prior to shooting and told to make a film that wouldn't go a minute over eighty. Mighty Fine seems to casually go about its runtime for the first forty to forty-five minutes, then rushes to include the plot-points of stress escalation, characters with mental states on the tipping point, suicidal thoughts, fights, etc in the last thirty minutes. The biggest problem is that this is all happening way too quickly, with certain little plot-strands being abandoned right after they're brought up.Fortunately, Might Fine at least rebounds with its competence and gentle, well-articulated craft of storytelling and focus. The family is given a wide-range or interaction with each other, and Goldstein is essentially filming on an open range with several characters to look at, doing a fine job (or a mighty fine job) of giving them all their own time to shine. This is simple, genial fare, but it remains impressive given its lack of indulgence or mediocrity in tone.Starring: Chazz Palminteri, Andie MacDowell, Rainey Qualley, and Jodelle Ferland. Directed by: Debbie Goldstein.

The movie is loosely based on writer/director Debbie Goodstein's childhood experiences with her family, so it's kind of based on actual events. Joe Fine (who is Chazz Palminteri's character) has a great sense of pride for himself and his family and that pride can take the turn for good and bad since he sometimes lashes out at his family. His wife, Stella (Played by Andie MacDowell who I also love) is constantly defending her husband's behavior since he is the provider for the family and it takes a tole on the children since they feel their Mother is kind of like a door mat since she acts like their father can do no wrong.They have two children, two girls to be exact, named Maddie and Natalie. The oldest daughter is not afraid to speak her mind about her dislike for their father's behavior towards the family, while the younger daughter takes after her mother and constantly forgiving and defending him. The movie deals with the families struggle with their conflicting personalities and dealing with their relationship and bond as a family and the strain that Joe's personality and treatment of the family has on them. Chazz Palminteri is honestly amazing as this character and his performance truly makes the film shine.

Mighty Fine tells the story of a 1970's family, who move from Brooklyn to New Orleans in search of a better, more prosperous life. The movie paints the picture of Joe Fine's (Chazz Palminteri) love for his wife (Andie MacDowell) and daughters (Jodelle Ferland and Rainey Qualley, Andie MacDowell's daughter in real life) in the beginning of the movie. Joe comes off as being articulate, free-hearted, charismatic, and funny to onlookers - classic signs of a potential abuser. However, a different story gradually and painfully unfolds behind closed doors, especially when it seems like Mighty Fine Fabrics, his business, is about to go under. The oldest daughter refuses to be oblivious, provoking her to rebel against her dad. The mother, on the other hand, tries to pacify her husband, not being aware that she's causing more emotional distress for her daughters. This poignant independent film is based on writer and director, Debbie Goodstein's childhood experiences. It gracefully touches a controversial, yet important subject that regards an abusive parent. It will hit close to home for those who have experienced this traumatizing and enigmatic behavior from someone in the past, especially if it is a family member. Also, this film makes the connection between economic uncertainty and its impact on people whose mental health is already precarious. I enjoyed watching this film, but it was a little disheartening to watch the dad have his family endure an emotionally exhausting and excruciating journey. Each person played their role superbly, bringing their character to life. The only thing I didn't like about the film is that it has verbal (with a small portion of visual) obscenities strewn throughout it. Therefore, I wouldn't consider or advise watching a movie like this with young children.

I recently watched an earlier premiere of Mighty Fine courtesy of Mom Central Consulting. Many of us were able to enjoy a chat while watching the movie as well as a Q&A with the film's actors after wards.Mighty Fine follows a family on the move from Brooklyn to their new home in New Orleans. Joe Fine, played by Chazz Palminteri, is eager to impress his uprooted family with a fine home and extravagant gifts, but when a his business venture and subsequent financial choices take a turn for the worse.Will Joe's wife, played by Andie MacDowell, find the courage do what is needed? Who was my favorite character? I'd have to say Maddie Fine, played by Rainey Qualley. Why? Because she was strong as best as she could be and doesn't back down easily.Mighty Fine premieres in theaters on May 25th. Since it is only showing in select theaters, please check to see if there is a theater near you.***I participated in a campaign via my site Momma Young at Home on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Mighty Fine and the distributor. I received access to an online showing of the film and a promotional item to thank me for participating.***Like any truthful film it is a hard pill to swallow, but still a great story.