Author: TitaniumGold
Lilly
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Written by: Kristen Wiig and Jason Reitman
Cinematography by: Paul Sarossy
Production Design by: Jefferson Sage
Costume Design by: Arianne Phillips
Editing by: Dana E. Glauberman
Original Score by: Danny Elfman
Cast:
Lilly Field - Kristen Wiig
Rose Field - Ellen Burstyn
Michael Field - Woody Harrelson
Daniel Cooper - Thomas Haden Church
Lilly’s Neighbour – Adam Driver
Jacob Samuels - Joseph Fiennes
Tagline: “You can’t choose your family”
Plot:
Everything is going wrong for Lilly (Wiig). Her lawyer husband Jacob (Fiennes) divorces her to start a family with his pregnant nineteen year old intern; after years of telling a nagging Lilly that he didn't want children. Through this divorce, Lilly, who is Jacob's secretary; loses her job, home and health insurance. She is forced to rent a cheap room in a tenement building and to work as a hotel cleaner.
She tries her best to get buy, but then one night, she returns home after a long day at work, to find her TV stolen by her heroin addicted neighbour (Driver). She sneaks into his room to steal it back, but he catches her whilst high and thinks she's stealing his; scared that he'd call the police and get her done for breaking and entering, she begrudgingly performs a sex act on him in return for the TV. Afterwards she realises that the electricity in her room has been cut off because she hasn't being paying for it ("I give that walking trashcan a hand-job and still I can't watch ‘Golden Girls'.")
It's in this desperation that she hatches a ruthless scheme, in which she will trick her mother Rose (Burstyn); a wealthy widow with Alzheimer's; into giving Lilly everything in her will. And so for the first time in years, she begins to visit her mother at her retirement home, much to the disappointment of Rose; who often mistakes her for a burglar and beats her to the floor with her walking-stick.
But over time they grow closer. This irritates Lilly's brother Michael (Harrelson); a doctor with his own successful private practice; with whom she hasn't bothered with since a fierce argument after Lilly accidentally took an ecstasy pill instead of a valium at their father's funeral five years before ("Remember when you stripped down to your underwear and started twerking at the wake. It was like Miley Cyrus was dying of botulism poisoning right in front of us.") He is angry that she left their mother's care completely to him.
Lilly is jealous because he's got everything she wants; a career, a sports car, and a big townhouse that he shares with his homicide detective husband Jacob (Haden Church) and their two adopted children. She also resents that Michael always was the favourite child. ("My brother is my Mom's favourite and he's gay. What does that say about me?") Lilly worries that she'll leave all her inheritance to him.
Lilly starts to enjoy seeing her mother; going as far as doing her makeup and taking her out shopping. She also starts telling her during her bad spells of dementia that Michael is bad and plans to kill her for the inheritance. Rose believes it, until she ends up being kicked out of the retirement home for having sex with other residents, when she moves in with Michael and Jacob. Michael, encouraged by Jacob begins to turn his mother (who has already forgotten the lies Lilly told her about Michael) against Lilly.
Just as Lilly's plan goes awry, she discovers that there's dry rot in her room, and so unable to afford another place ("Money? I'm so broke I put the room service leftovers in my handbag and save it for later."), pleads with Michael and Jacob to stay with them. Jacob protests, but Michael lets her have the spare room; believing she'll reveal her true colours to Rose.
One night when the children are up Jacob's parents and Rose is asleep; Lilly, Michael and Jacob get very drunk and start arguing; which descends from Lilly and Michael venting the bitterness they hold towards each other into them throwing pillows and taking petty shots at each other.
Unbeknownst to them Rose has watched the entire thing, and an increasingly rare moment of clarity bursts into tears. She tells them that it's all her fault and she's let them and their father down by creating divisions within the family. Lilly and Michael begin crying and along with Jacob comfort Rose. Lilly and Michael apologise to each other and decide to start afresh.
But a morose atmosphere hangs over the house; so just as Lilly and Michael take Rose back to bed, Jacob convinces them to go out for a drink to celebrate the new beginnings. Lilly and Michael think the idea is stupid but Rose agrees with Jacob. So the four go to Jacob and Michael's favourite sports bar and get drunk.
So drunk in fact that Rose demands they take her to a gay bar for the first time, so they all do, going to one called “The Birdcage”. They carry on drinking, Lilly gets so drunk she enters a drag queen competition singing “Mama” by the Spice Girls; and only comes second! This all makes Rose look the most happy and alive she’s been in decades.
A week goes by and they become like one big happy family; Rose grows closer to both her children and Lilly bonds with Michael, Jacob and their children; going as far to promise to be a female role model for their daughter (“Whenever you need to, just ring me up and I’ll give her the periods talk”.) But after this good patch, Rose deteriorates rapidly; she forgets her children; mistaking them for her own parents. Lilly and Michael try to tell her who they are, but as they slowly realise she’s dying, they go along with it, and when she asks for her husband, they don’t have the heart to tell her the truth.
One day Lilly finds the usually stoic Jacob locked in the bathroom crying uncontrollably. She kicks the door down and goes to comfort him. He admits that he hated her for being ungrateful for neglecting her family, because he was adopted himself and so desperate for a family. Lilly replies that he’s found his family now and hugs him. He cries more and apologises, admitting that he had nagged Michael all along not to bother with Lilly. She apologises to him for being such an awful sister-in-law and for forcing her mother onto him and Michael. They both agree that they love Michael and that he loves the both of them, and laugh as they realise that this was the longest they’d been together just the two of them.
Then one Saturday night, a now bedridden Rose kisses goodnight to her grandchildren and amazingly remembers Lilly, Michael and Jacob. She tells them she loves the three of them, and that she is happier than she’d been in years to see that her children were friends again. She then asks them to tell her stories as she falls asleep. They do so, and carry on throughout the last night, laughing as they reminisce about the good times they had.
Early the next morning, Rose passes away peacefully in her sleep. Lilly, Michael and Jacob are overcome with grief; Lilly in particular breaks down at her mother’s bedside.
Fast forward to her funeral. As they leave the church, Lilly thanks Jacob for organising the funeral and asks him what the top secret venue where the wake is being held is. He smiles, telling her Rose had stuck the requested venue on a sticky note on top of the will.
He then leads everyone to “The Birdcage” and they laugh. The final shot is of Michael, Jacob, their children and Lilly all holding hands as they walk inside; a happy nuclear family.
Awards Campaign:
Jason Reitman triumphs again. He has created an array of tragic but often very humorous films, but “Lilly” is no doubt both his most emotional and yet funniest. The script is collaboration between Wiig and himself; which seems like an odd pairing, but somehow it works magnificently; Wiig adds a feminine touch and an edgier type of humour. But the film still has a massive heart without being sickly and provides a raw portrait of a dysfunctional family.
Wiig herself astonishes, proving that she is not just a comedian, but an actress adept at both comedy and drama. She brings Lilly to life with such a raw exuberance, taking the boring stereotype of the bitter riches to rags divorcee and stirring it up and recreating it in her own unique way. She is highly complex, and at times very unsympathetic, but due to Wiig’s talent, she never loses the audience empathy. Wiig proves her range and skill; crying and laughing and everything in between, and she makes the audience do the same.
Ellen Burstyn is a scene stealer as the dementia suffering mother. She hasn’t done anything like this before, and you can just feel that she loves it; swearing like a trucker and shouting out the most horrifyingly inappropriate things. She is hilarious, but still provides a brutal but tasteful portrayal of this woman’s slow decline. She can make anyone cry when she looks at the camera with such absent eyes and asks where her dead husband is.
The men, much like the women don’t disappoint. Harrelson and Haden Church are like you’ve never seen them before; very adept in their portrayal of the proud family men hiding away bitterness. It’s refreshing to see that they don’t go for the imitating stereotypes; but instead play Michael and Jacob as people, not just gay people. Harrelson slices through his sharp put-downs to Wiig with ease, and happily flexes his comedic chops; whilst still give a frank, emotional performance as a child losing a parent. His face is like a canvas, such is his ability to portray any single feeling or thought and make it feel so real. Similarly Haden Church excels playing the shy but formidable brother-in-law. He is one of only a few actors who is equally captivating both when subtle and when loud. His big crying scene is a massive turning point, and massively affects the audience; such is his skill at inviting empathy without coming across as pathetic.
Lilly is a very frank and funny film, but it is its and ability to connect on an emotional level; in thanks to the outstanding performances and excellent script, under the watchful direction of Reitman that makes it not a forgetful dramedy, but a truly brilliant observation of family that can be enjoyed understood and related to by anyone who’s ever had one.
FYC:
Best Picture
Best Director – Jason Reitman
Best Actress – Kristen Wiig
Best Actor – Woody Harrelson
Best Supporting Actress – Ellen Burstyn
Best Supporting Actor – Thomas Haden Church
Best Original Screenplay
Lilly
Directed by: Jason Reitman
Written by: Kristen Wiig and Jason Reitman
Cinematography by: Paul Sarossy
Production Design by: Jefferson Sage
Costume Design by: Arianne Phillips
Editing by: Dana E. Glauberman
Original Score by: Danny Elfman
Cast:
Lilly Field - Kristen Wiig
Rose Field - Ellen Burstyn
Michael Field - Woody Harrelson
Daniel Cooper - Thomas Haden Church
Lilly’s Neighbour – Adam Driver
Jacob Samuels - Joseph Fiennes
Tagline: “You can’t choose your family”
Plot:
Everything is going wrong for Lilly (Wiig). Her lawyer husband Jacob (Fiennes) divorces her to start a family with his pregnant nineteen year old intern; after years of telling a nagging Lilly that he didn't want children. Through this divorce, Lilly, who is Jacob's secretary; loses her job, home and health insurance. She is forced to rent a cheap room in a tenement building and to work as a hotel cleaner.
She tries her best to get buy, but then one night, she returns home after a long day at work, to find her TV stolen by her heroin addicted neighbour (Driver). She sneaks into his room to steal it back, but he catches her whilst high and thinks she's stealing his; scared that he'd call the police and get her done for breaking and entering, she begrudgingly performs a sex act on him in return for the TV. Afterwards she realises that the electricity in her room has been cut off because she hasn't being paying for it ("I give that walking trashcan a hand-job and still I can't watch ‘Golden Girls'.")
It's in this desperation that she hatches a ruthless scheme, in which she will trick her mother Rose (Burstyn); a wealthy widow with Alzheimer's; into giving Lilly everything in her will. And so for the first time in years, she begins to visit her mother at her retirement home, much to the disappointment of Rose; who often mistakes her for a burglar and beats her to the floor with her walking-stick.
But over time they grow closer. This irritates Lilly's brother Michael (Harrelson); a doctor with his own successful private practice; with whom she hasn't bothered with since a fierce argument after Lilly accidentally took an ecstasy pill instead of a valium at their father's funeral five years before ("Remember when you stripped down to your underwear and started twerking at the wake. It was like Miley Cyrus was dying of botulism poisoning right in front of us.") He is angry that she left their mother's care completely to him.
Lilly is jealous because he's got everything she wants; a career, a sports car, and a big townhouse that he shares with his homicide detective husband Jacob (Haden Church) and their two adopted children. She also resents that Michael always was the favourite child. ("My brother is my Mom's favourite and he's gay. What does that say about me?") Lilly worries that she'll leave all her inheritance to him.
Lilly starts to enjoy seeing her mother; going as far as doing her makeup and taking her out shopping. She also starts telling her during her bad spells of dementia that Michael is bad and plans to kill her for the inheritance. Rose believes it, until she ends up being kicked out of the retirement home for having sex with other residents, when she moves in with Michael and Jacob. Michael, encouraged by Jacob begins to turn his mother (who has already forgotten the lies Lilly told her about Michael) against Lilly.
Just as Lilly's plan goes awry, she discovers that there's dry rot in her room, and so unable to afford another place ("Money? I'm so broke I put the room service leftovers in my handbag and save it for later."), pleads with Michael and Jacob to stay with them. Jacob protests, but Michael lets her have the spare room; believing she'll reveal her true colours to Rose.
One night when the children are up Jacob's parents and Rose is asleep; Lilly, Michael and Jacob get very drunk and start arguing; which descends from Lilly and Michael venting the bitterness they hold towards each other into them throwing pillows and taking petty shots at each other.
Unbeknownst to them Rose has watched the entire thing, and an increasingly rare moment of clarity bursts into tears. She tells them that it's all her fault and she's let them and their father down by creating divisions within the family. Lilly and Michael begin crying and along with Jacob comfort Rose. Lilly and Michael apologise to each other and decide to start afresh.
But a morose atmosphere hangs over the house; so just as Lilly and Michael take Rose back to bed, Jacob convinces them to go out for a drink to celebrate the new beginnings. Lilly and Michael think the idea is stupid but Rose agrees with Jacob. So the four go to Jacob and Michael's favourite sports bar and get drunk.
So drunk in fact that Rose demands they take her to a gay bar for the first time, so they all do, going to one called “The Birdcage”. They carry on drinking, Lilly gets so drunk she enters a drag queen competition singing “Mama” by the Spice Girls; and only comes second! This all makes Rose look the most happy and alive she’s been in decades.
A week goes by and they become like one big happy family; Rose grows closer to both her children and Lilly bonds with Michael, Jacob and their children; going as far to promise to be a female role model for their daughter (“Whenever you need to, just ring me up and I’ll give her the periods talk”.) But after this good patch, Rose deteriorates rapidly; she forgets her children; mistaking them for her own parents. Lilly and Michael try to tell her who they are, but as they slowly realise she’s dying, they go along with it, and when she asks for her husband, they don’t have the heart to tell her the truth.
One day Lilly finds the usually stoic Jacob locked in the bathroom crying uncontrollably. She kicks the door down and goes to comfort him. He admits that he hated her for being ungrateful for neglecting her family, because he was adopted himself and so desperate for a family. Lilly replies that he’s found his family now and hugs him. He cries more and apologises, admitting that he had nagged Michael all along not to bother with Lilly. She apologises to him for being such an awful sister-in-law and for forcing her mother onto him and Michael. They both agree that they love Michael and that he loves the both of them, and laugh as they realise that this was the longest they’d been together just the two of them.
Then one Saturday night, a now bedridden Rose kisses goodnight to her grandchildren and amazingly remembers Lilly, Michael and Jacob. She tells them she loves the three of them, and that she is happier than she’d been in years to see that her children were friends again. She then asks them to tell her stories as she falls asleep. They do so, and carry on throughout the last night, laughing as they reminisce about the good times they had.
Early the next morning, Rose passes away peacefully in her sleep. Lilly, Michael and Jacob are overcome with grief; Lilly in particular breaks down at her mother’s bedside.
Fast forward to her funeral. As they leave the church, Lilly thanks Jacob for organising the funeral and asks him what the top secret venue where the wake is being held is. He smiles, telling her Rose had stuck the requested venue on a sticky note on top of the will.
He then leads everyone to “The Birdcage” and they laugh. The final shot is of Michael, Jacob, their children and Lilly all holding hands as they walk inside; a happy nuclear family.
Awards Campaign:
Jason Reitman triumphs again. He has created an array of tragic but often very humorous films, but “Lilly” is no doubt both his most emotional and yet funniest. The script is collaboration between Wiig and himself; which seems like an odd pairing, but somehow it works magnificently; Wiig adds a feminine touch and an edgier type of humour. But the film still has a massive heart without being sickly and provides a raw portrait of a dysfunctional family.
Wiig herself astonishes, proving that she is not just a comedian, but an actress adept at both comedy and drama. She brings Lilly to life with such a raw exuberance, taking the boring stereotype of the bitter riches to rags divorcee and stirring it up and recreating it in her own unique way. She is highly complex, and at times very unsympathetic, but due to Wiig’s talent, she never loses the audience empathy. Wiig proves her range and skill; crying and laughing and everything in between, and she makes the audience do the same.
Ellen Burstyn is a scene stealer as the dementia suffering mother. She hasn’t done anything like this before, and you can just feel that she loves it; swearing like a trucker and shouting out the most horrifyingly inappropriate things. She is hilarious, but still provides a brutal but tasteful portrayal of this woman’s slow decline. She can make anyone cry when she looks at the camera with such absent eyes and asks where her dead husband is.
The men, much like the women don’t disappoint. Harrelson and Haden Church are like you’ve never seen them before; very adept in their portrayal of the proud family men hiding away bitterness. It’s refreshing to see that they don’t go for the imitating stereotypes; but instead play Michael and Jacob as people, not just gay people. Harrelson slices through his sharp put-downs to Wiig with ease, and happily flexes his comedic chops; whilst still give a frank, emotional performance as a child losing a parent. His face is like a canvas, such is his ability to portray any single feeling or thought and make it feel so real. Similarly Haden Church excels playing the shy but formidable brother-in-law. He is one of only a few actors who is equally captivating both when subtle and when loud. His big crying scene is a massive turning point, and massively affects the audience; such is his skill at inviting empathy without coming across as pathetic.
Lilly is a very frank and funny film, but it is its and ability to connect on an emotional level; in thanks to the outstanding performances and excellent script, under the watchful direction of Reitman that makes it not a forgetful dramedy, but a truly brilliant observation of family that can be enjoyed understood and related to by anyone who’s ever had one.
FYC:
Best Picture
Best Director – Jason Reitman
Best Actress – Kristen Wiig
Best Actor – Woody Harrelson
Best Supporting Actress – Ellen Burstyn
Best Supporting Actor – Thomas Haden Church
Best Original Screenplay