“Weakness” was a pejorative as I grew up; people looked for
visible signs of it. It’s also the title of a recent dramedy by Michael Melamedoff,
and here’s another recent film that explores how teachers can get into trouble.
Josh (Bobby Cannavale) is a high school English teacher in
an older Long Island town. His gravely
ill mother reminds him to take care of his autistic younger brother Pete (Keith Nobbs)after she’s gone. And she does pass away. Josh tries to keep him in a group home and
Pete gets tossed out. Josh winds up
carrying for him physically (the film shows this). Family responsibility is not the result of
one’s own intercourse, but of other people’s (including parents).
Josh is actually married to Elizabeth (June Diane Raphael)
who, like Betty White’s famous 50s character, is not ashamed. She makes ceramic phalluses for flea
markets. Liz also believes in open
marriage, and decides Josh should fix up the 19th Century “this old house”
they inherited (along with Pete). Josh
falls off the roof (he, as my own mother once said, “is a climber” and not
afraid of ladders) and breaks his leg, although he seems to heal quickly enough
from it, enough to go to baseball batting cages. We learn he wanted to become a baseball
player but didn’t exactly have Bryce Harper’s genes.
During his recuperation, Elizabeth has a fling with the
handyman they hire (Daniel Sunjata), and Josh faces more romantic distractions
from his world as a teacher, even in the summer. Finally, he gets involved with a just
graduated (the previous June) senior (Danielle Panabaker) who had been a star
in his English class (with King Lear, I guess).
It gets around, and the school district suspends him with
pay. It’s not clear why this would be a
problem since the girl is no longer a student and is presumably over 18. From that point, all’s well that end’s well
(and read that in English).
The film is shot in 2.35:1, which may not have been
necessary.
The official Facebook is here.
The production company was Apropos,
distributor was Osiris. It’s available
for Instant Play on Netflix but not yet on DVD there. It was shown at the Austin Film Festival
(2011? SXSW?)
The film, in my own mind, would make a companion piece to “Margaret”.
Picture: belated St. Patrick's Parade, Ft. Hamilton section of Brooklyn NY (mine)
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