The Playroom constantly states the obvious. For instance, nearly every time some finishes their drink, they proclaim, “I need a drink!” There is a also close-up of a newspaper article announcing the arrest of Patty Hearst, in case we didn’t catch that it takes place in the 1970s. More examples of this occur throughout the film, but said obviousness in direction quickly grows tiring – just give the audience some more credit. Directed by Julia Dyer, and scripted by her sister Gretchen Dyer, The Playroom tells the story of one evening in the lives of four suburban children, cared for chiefly by their teenage sister Maggie (newcomer Olivia Harris), as they are sequestered in their upstairs playroom while their parents Martin and Donna (John Hawkes and Molly Parker) get increasingly drunk and debaucherous downstairs with another couple, Clark and Nadia (Jonathan Brooks and Lydia MacKay). To disguise their feelings of abandonment, they...
- 2/8/2013
- by Caitlin Hughes
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Played Out: Dyer’s Sophomore Feature Overly Familiar and Underwhelming
Director Julia Dyer, again teaming with screenwriter sister Gretchen, mount their first project since their successfully received 1996 independent feature, Late Bloomers, with a 1970s sexual revolution period piece, The Playroom. While there are certain sensational and dramatic elements that may put one in mind of a cross between something like Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Flowers in the Attic, the feature, while it certainly avoids camp cliché, also avoids any type of practical engagement with its sordidly unhappy elements. While the adults in the Dyer sisters’ latest feature suffer the children, so do they suffer the patience of an audience desperately searching for a point of interest in the troupe presented to us here.
Opening with a group of four siblings in the Cantwell family, looked after by elder teen Maggie (Olivia Harris), the breaking newspaper headline on...
Director Julia Dyer, again teaming with screenwriter sister Gretchen, mount their first project since their successfully received 1996 independent feature, Late Bloomers, with a 1970s sexual revolution period piece, The Playroom. While there are certain sensational and dramatic elements that may put one in mind of a cross between something like Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Flowers in the Attic, the feature, while it certainly avoids camp cliché, also avoids any type of practical engagement with its sordidly unhappy elements. While the adults in the Dyer sisters’ latest feature suffer the children, so do they suffer the patience of an audience desperately searching for a point of interest in the troupe presented to us here.
Opening with a group of four siblings in the Cantwell family, looked after by elder teen Maggie (Olivia Harris), the breaking newspaper headline on...
- 2/8/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Title: The Playroom Director: Julia Dyer Starring: John Hawkes, Molly Parker, Olivia Harris, Jonathan Brooks, Lydia McKay, Alexandra Doke, Ian Veteto, Jonathon McClendon, Cody Linley Lovingly captured but rather dramatically inert, “The Playroom” is a slice of 1970s-era familial portraiture, with a special focus on wandering eyes and the secret lives of adults. If “The Ice Storm” was a band, think of this as its minor-chord, B-feature opening act, a boxed-in, presumably autobiographical tale in which a quartet of kids manage their mother’s alcoholism and nice-guy father’s enabling… With Imagination! Set in 1975, “The Playroom” centers on the home life of lawyer Martin Cantwell (John Hawkes) and his scotch-dependent, emotionally distant wife, Donna (Molly Parker). The couple has [ Read More ]
The post The Playroom Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post The Playroom Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 2/8/2013
- by bsimon
- ShockYa
The Playroom, starring John Hawkes and Molly Parker, will hit NY and La theaters on February 8th. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year, with standout performances especially from up-and-comer Olivia Harris, who plays Maggie in the film. If you are interested in speaking with the talent or reviewing the film, please let me know and I would be happy to coordinate. In 1970s suburbia, Maggie and her younger siblings spend the night telling each other stories in the attic. Downstairs, as their parents entertain guests over the course of a gin-soaked evening, truths are unearthed and betrayals come to light. With standout performances from John Hawkes, Molly Parker, and a cast of talented young actors, Julia Dyer’s second feature is an honest and challenging look at the reality behind the façade of a seemingly perfect American family. Follow Hollywood News on Twitter for up-to-date news information.
- 1/29/2013
- by hnblog@hollywoodnews.com (Hollywood News Team)
- Hollywoodnews.com
The ’70s-set family drama The Playroom, starring John Hawkes and the underrated Molly Parker premiered last spring at the Tribeca Fim Festival, but the first clip has newly arrived. Now we have the first theatrical trailer for the film which failed to get much traction.
Freestyle’s upcoming indie drama directed by Julia Dyer (Late Bloomers) is slated for a day and date release on theatrical and DVD/VOD February 8th, 2013. The film written by Julia’s sister Gretchen Dyer sees a family straining beneath a pleasant facade.
The film also stars Molly Parker, Cody Linley, Lydia MacKay, and Olivia Harris. It seems like one of Hawkes’ forgettable indies, but check it out for yourself and maybe you’ll feel differently.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Set in the suburbs during the 1970s, the story unfolds like a dream wrapped around a family drama,...
Freestyle’s upcoming indie drama directed by Julia Dyer (Late Bloomers) is slated for a day and date release on theatrical and DVD/VOD February 8th, 2013. The film written by Julia’s sister Gretchen Dyer sees a family straining beneath a pleasant facade.
The film also stars Molly Parker, Cody Linley, Lydia MacKay, and Olivia Harris. It seems like one of Hawkes’ forgettable indies, but check it out for yourself and maybe you’ll feel differently.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Here’s the official synopsis:
Set in the suburbs during the 1970s, the story unfolds like a dream wrapped around a family drama,...
- 1/18/2013
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
Watch the trailer for Freestyle Releasing's The Playroom, starring John Hawkes and Molly Parker, as well as Olivia Harris, Jonathan Brooks, Cody Linley In 1970s suburbia, Maggie and her younger siblings spend the night telling each other stories in the attic. Downstairs, as their parents entertain guests over the course of a gin-soaked evening, truths are unearthed and betrayals come to light. With standout performances from John Hawkes, Molly Parker, and a cast of talented young actors, Julia Dyer's second feature is an honest and challenging look at the reality behind the façade of a seemingly perfect American family.
- 1/18/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Watch the trailer for Freestyle Releasing's The Playroom, starring John Hawkes and Molly Parker, as well as Olivia Harris, Jonathan Brooks, Cody Linley In 1970s suburbia, Maggie and her younger siblings spend the night telling each other stories in the attic. Downstairs, as their parents entertain guests over the course of a gin-soaked evening, truths are unearthed and betrayals come to light. With standout performances from John Hawkes, Molly Parker, and a cast of talented young actors, Julia Dyer's second feature is an honest and challenging look at the reality behind the façade of a seemingly perfect American family.
- 1/18/2013
- Upcoming-Movies.com
The Playroom, an upcoming drama which comes from director Julia Dyer, is set to open in limited theaters next month. Today, we finally have the first trailer for the whole thing, and I’m sure you’re going to love this short video. Why? Well, ’cause they already describe it as funny, wise and powerful story set in 1975. And, do you know where your parents are?
Directed by Julia Dyer, the movie is set in the suburbs during the 1970s, and the story unfolds like a dream wrapped around a family drama, one in which all members of the Cantwell family struggle to find their way in a rapidly changing world.
Starring John Hawkes, Molly Parker, Olivia Harris and Cody Linley, The Playroom is set to hit limited theaters on February 8th, 2013.
Maggie is a vulnerable yet tempestuous teenager who acts as big sister and surrogate mother to her three younger siblings.
Directed by Julia Dyer, the movie is set in the suburbs during the 1970s, and the story unfolds like a dream wrapped around a family drama, one in which all members of the Cantwell family struggle to find their way in a rapidly changing world.
Starring John Hawkes, Molly Parker, Olivia Harris and Cody Linley, The Playroom is set to hit limited theaters on February 8th, 2013.
Maggie is a vulnerable yet tempestuous teenager who acts as big sister and surrogate mother to her three younger siblings.
- 1/8/2013
- by Jeanne Standal
- Filmofilia
Freestyle Releasing and Freestyle Digital Media have released the first poster for The Playroom starring John Hawkes and Molly Parker.
Set in the suburbs during the 1970s, the story unfolds like a dream wrapped around a family drama, one in which all members of the Cantwell family struggle to find their way in a rapidly changing world. Maggie (newcomer Olivia Harris) is a vulnerable yet tempestuous teenager who acts as big sister and surrogate mother to her three younger siblings. Upstairs in the attic she tells them fantastical stories, but only to mask what is happening downstairs. As her hard-drinking parents, Martin and Donna (Hawkes and Parker), entertain guests, Maggie grapples with their flawed choices and is thrust into a world she might not be ready for.
Directed by Julia Dyer (.Late Bloomers.), the movie premiered in the gala/spotlight section of this year.s Tribeca Film Festival and was...
Set in the suburbs during the 1970s, the story unfolds like a dream wrapped around a family drama, one in which all members of the Cantwell family struggle to find their way in a rapidly changing world. Maggie (newcomer Olivia Harris) is a vulnerable yet tempestuous teenager who acts as big sister and surrogate mother to her three younger siblings. Upstairs in the attic she tells them fantastical stories, but only to mask what is happening downstairs. As her hard-drinking parents, Martin and Donna (Hawkes and Parker), entertain guests, Maggie grapples with their flawed choices and is thrust into a world she might not be ready for.
Directed by Julia Dyer (.Late Bloomers.), the movie premiered in the gala/spotlight section of this year.s Tribeca Film Festival and was...
- 12/20/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Freestyle Releasing and Freestyle Digital Media announce today that they have acquired theatrical and all DVD and VOD rights to The Playroom, the critically acclaimed drama directed by Julia Dyer (.Late Bloomers.), which stars Academy Award-nominee John Hawkes (.Winter.s Bone,. .The Sessions.) and Molly Parker (Dexter, The Firm). The film, which premiered in the gala/spotlight section of this year.s Tribeca Film Festival, was produced by Stephen Dyer (.Hysteria.) and Angie Meyer (.Wuss.), and is slated for a day and date release on theatrical and DVD/VOD February 8th, 2013.
Set in the suburbs during the 1970s, the story unfolds like a dream wrapped around a family drama, one in which all members of the Cantwell family struggle to find their way in a rapidly changing world. Maggie (newcomer Olivia Harris) is a vulnerable yet tempestuous teenager who acts as big sister and surrogate mother to her three younger siblings.
Set in the suburbs during the 1970s, the story unfolds like a dream wrapped around a family drama, one in which all members of the Cantwell family struggle to find their way in a rapidly changing world. Maggie (newcomer Olivia Harris) is a vulnerable yet tempestuous teenager who acts as big sister and surrogate mother to her three younger siblings.
- 12/18/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Freestyle Releasing and Freestyle Digital Media have acquired theatrical and all DVD and VOD rights to “The Playroom,” directed by Julia Dyer. The drama, which premiered at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival, is scheduled for a day-and-date release on theatrical and DVD/VOD Feb. 8. John Hawkes, Molly Parker and Olivia Harris star in the story of a suburban family during the 1970s comprised of a pair of hard-drinking parents and the teenaged daughter desperately trying to keep her three younger siblings distracted from the chaos. Stephen Dyer (“Hysteria”) and Angie Meyer (“Wuss”) produced. “Julia Dyer has created a beautiful time machine back to the ’70s,” said Freestyle president Susan Jackson. “The film is a bird’s eye view of a tumultuous period told from the perspective of children.” Jackson, head of acquisitions Chris Charalambous and Bill Straus of Bgp and Jonathan Gray of Gray, Krauss Stratford...
- 12/17/2012
- by Jay A. Fernandez
- Indiewire
At the end of each month, the Sound On Sight staff will band together to write an article about their favourite scenes in films released. Here are our favourite scenes from the month of April.
Warning: Of course, spoilers are in full effect here!
Rebelle - Friendly ghost warning
There are a host of wonderful moments in this picture, but it is those which spoke to the film’s pseudo-supernatural nature that I remember most fondly. The protagonist’s connection to the spirit world has see see the ghosts of the dead at various moments. The nondescript actors portraying the spectres are painted in white from head to toe and their eyes are equipped with some strange contact lenses, thus perfectly whitening them as well. The ghosts are not scary per say, but definitely a creepy, odd addition to the picture, with their first ever appearance being the most effect,...
Warning: Of course, spoilers are in full effect here!
Rebelle - Friendly ghost warning
There are a host of wonderful moments in this picture, but it is those which spoke to the film’s pseudo-supernatural nature that I remember most fondly. The protagonist’s connection to the spirit world has see see the ghosts of the dead at various moments. The nondescript actors portraying the spectres are painted in white from head to toe and their eyes are equipped with some strange contact lenses, thus perfectly whitening them as well. The ghosts are not scary per say, but definitely a creepy, odd addition to the picture, with their first ever appearance being the most effect,...
- 5/3/2012
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
We’ve all seen stories about the effects alcoholism has on children — for better, worse, and often somewhere in that underwhelming middle ground. And while I’m not averse to this mold, so long as it’s crafted with care, one of the main pleasures to be found in The Playroom is director Julia Dyer‘s tendency to — sometimes in a literal, visual sense — put the perfunctory conflicts and confrontations that would typically stem from this in the background, opting to place the children of a troubled husband and wife at the center of things.
Set almost exclusively in a suburban home in the fall of 1975, The Playroom revolves around four children (Olivia Harris, Ian Veteto, Jonathon McClendon, and Alexandra Doke) living in a household run by two parents (John Hawkes and Molly Parker) who, though not dysfunctional on the surface, are slowly pulling themselves apart with the trappings of alcohol.
Set almost exclusively in a suburban home in the fall of 1975, The Playroom revolves around four children (Olivia Harris, Ian Veteto, Jonathon McClendon, and Alexandra Doke) living in a household run by two parents (John Hawkes and Molly Parker) who, though not dysfunctional on the surface, are slowly pulling themselves apart with the trappings of alcohol.
- 4/26/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
It’s hard to write about Julia Dyer’s The Playroom without writing about the passage of time. It’s been sixteen-years since Dyer’s previous (and first) film, the Sundance hit Late Bloomers, and Dyer has finally crafted a proper follow-up. But beyond that, the film itself is quite concerned with the changes in attitude and perspective that time renders. Set in 1970s suburbia, The Playroom tells the story of a dysfunctional, alcohol-fueled dinner party, while also showing the same night through the eyes of a group of kids upstairs in the house’s attic. Premiering this week in Tribeca’s Spotlight section, the film features an especially strong ensemble that includes John Hawkes, Molly Parker, and Olivia Harris.
Filmmaker: Obviously it’s been a long time since Late Bloomers. In your eyes, how has the independent film landscape changed since that movie was released?
Dyer: In many ways,...
Filmmaker: Obviously it’s been a long time since Late Bloomers. In your eyes, how has the independent film landscape changed since that movie was released?
Dyer: In many ways,...
- 4/19/2012
- by Dan Schoenbrun
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
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