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October 10, 2005
The Talent Given Us (2005) *** 1/2
Andrew Wagner’s deeply original, even awe-inspiring The Talent Given Us defies classification, another mongrel marvel traducing the boundaries of documentary and fiction. (Although there are obvious allegiances with Cassavetes, Woody Allen and Mike Leigh.) Allen and Judith are a couple in their advancing years who decide to drive from New York to Los Angeles to visit their son, Andrew. They’re joined by their raucous grown daughters, Emily and Maggie. Yes, they share a surname: Wagner. Made with a script and shot on video on a $30,000 budget by the invisible Andrew—making the movie we’re watching—invites speculation about journalist boundaries, the nature of fiction and even good taste, but the most important thing is how emotional, how funny, how crazy-great this family circus is. And why not? They’ve got an unusual credential for screen actors: they’ve been rehearsing for forty years or more. The Wagners are bracingly, enchantingly, dizzyingly, stupefyingly confessional and you’d think, genuinely batshit crazy. I don’t have any grandiose claims to make for The Talent Given Us other than its talent… offered to us. 97m
Posted by pride at October 10, 2005 06:40 PM
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