Welcome to the Rileys (2010)

Bella and Tony Soprano, on a laundry date?

People Who Matter:  

James Gandolfini :  Doug

Melissa Leo:  Lois

Kristen Stewart:  Mallory 

I am continuing my creative interest (that sounds so much better than newfound obsession, doesn't it?) in Kristen Stewart with what very well may be her best role yet.  Welcome to the Rileys is a drama with a few too many cliches, but some of the best acting all the way around I've seen on my screen in a long time.  With Melissa Leo, James Gandolfini, and Kristen Stewart leading the way, you really can't go wrong.  And it doesn't.  This film is sensational. 

While this film was shot two years ago, it premiered in 2010 at Sundance.  Coincidentally, Kristen Stewart pulled overtime this year as The Runaways premiered there as well.  The Runaways is a very good movie that showcases Stewart's acting ability.  Welcome to the Rileys is an incredible movie that showcases how to act out a wide range of emotions.  The kicker:  the girl was only 18 when this was shot.  An 18-year-old that is "just Twilight" (cue sarcasm), yet is getting critical acclaim for her acting skills.  It's so fashionable to hate on Stewart because she stars in a teeny-bopper vampire "saga."  But honestly, playing Bella Swan isn't really the best way to show a range of... well anything.  There's Happy, In-Love-Bella, and there's Scared, Holy-Shit-They-Are-Trying-To-Kill-Me-Again-Bella.  And this is coming from someone who has read all the books and seen all the movies, so don't call me biased.  It's the material that she is working with.  It has nothing to do with Stewart herself. 

Anyways (rant over), in case you couldn't tell, I was enamored with this movie.  Basically, and bear with me now because it sounds lame just from a brief overview, there's this guy Doug, who is married to this lady, Lois (not Superman's wife, as it was determined in the film) and they suffered a horrific tragedy when their daughter died in a car crash a few years before.  Needless to say, their marriage took a bit of a tumble.  Doug starts sleeping with a waitress at a pancake house, and Lois finds herself unable to leave the house (not even to go to the mailbox... she has a friend drive across town to get her mail while Doug is away).  Cue yet another tragedy, and Doug jets off to New Orleans to get some much needed time off.  While there, he meets an adorably charming young lady who brings he and his wife back together.  JK, he meets an angry bitch of a stripper (who is 16, BTW) who reminds him so much of his deceased daughter that he is drawn to her and feels this need to help her out, no matter what jacked up, crazy situations she finds herself in.  

And there are some doozies.  Mallory (the stripper) also doubles as a prostitute ("If you ain't working, you ain't eating") and not all of her customers leave happy.  She gets robbed and mugged on what seems like a fairly regular basis, since she carries all of her cash around with her all the time.  Strippers don't need banks.  Some of them even "put their money in their cooters."  Safe keeping, I suppose.  Although... nevermind.  That's just too easy.  

The thing I noticed very early on (at least after Mallory made her first appearance) was the language.  I understand why they did it... it adds even more to the character of Mallory.  Since we're not given much back story about her other than the fate of her mother, we're mostly left to wonder what made her so fucked up.  Because, my God, that girl is fucked up.  She's living by herself in NOLA at 16-years-old, stripping and pulling tricks to make ends meet.  Her attitude is terrible, which is understandable.  I don't think the girl has ever gotten a hug in her life.  The creepy guys she "entertains" stop by at all hours of the night, and she seems all too willing to continue that path.  

In her first meeting with Doug, the amount of her emotional trauma is apparent.  He is trying to talk to her, get to know her (cause that's what all guys at strip clubs do, right?) and she is very aggressively throwing herself at him, offering him sexual favors (which he turns down, by the way).  I'm not gonna lie... even with Taylor Momsen makeup and bruises everywhere, Stewart looked hot in that VIP room.  Yes, it was oversexualized and something I haven't ever seen from her before, but she worked it.  Pardon the pun.  The super fun time is cut short when Mallory thinks Doug is a cop and she throws his money at him and bolts.  

Of course, they meet up later that night and begin an unlikely friendship.  While Mallory still tries to throw herself at him, he always refuses, instead trying to help her get on her feet.  He fixes things wrong with her house, gives her $100 a day so he can stay at her house (presumably to keep an eye on her), and rescues her from whatever crazy situation she has landed herself in that night.  

All the while, Doug finds a buyer for his company and calls to tell his reclusive wife he will be staying in NOLA for a while (he leaves out his hooker roommate), prompting her to travel all the way from Indianapolis to New Orleans to save their marriage.  The way Melissa Leo acts this out is amazing.  The reclusive, depressed, pill-popping housewife can't be the easiest role to play, but Leo does a sensational job of making it believable, and making you pity and gawk at her.  There is a scene right before she leaves for her roadtrip where she literally forgot how to drive a car.  Accidental hilarity ensues.  Then she gets hit on at a restaurant in one of the flyover states, and her shyness is incredibly believable.  It's no wonder she has been nominated for an Oscar.  

It's a little strange to see Gandolfini outside of his Sopranos role.  He was a badass as Tony Soprano.  As Doug, he is a huge, intimidating-looking guy, yet is kind and considerate.  He shows more compassion to Mallory than she has ever seen in her life (and she does not know how to handle it).  Yes, he was cheating on his wife, but when she came down to NOLA, he rushed to be with her, even getting his car towed to make sure she was safe.   He loves his wife, he just didn't know how to handle the death of their child and his wife's sudden reclusive behavior.  

Stewart... well... everyone seems to be making this a movie about stripping, but that's not what it is at all.  Truth be told, there's only one scene where you see her doing her work of the night.  The rest of it is a serious drama in which a girl is struggling with growing up at far too early an age, without any parental guidance or monitoring, in one of the worst cities of sin in the country.  It's no wonder Mallory is such a freaking trainwreck.  The stars have aligned to give her the biggest clusterfuck of them all.  

I don't agree with 99% of Mallory's actions, however, Stewart portrays it in a way that you can kind of understand why she's making them.  The ending is very indie - an ending I have seen many times before and will see many times again.  That's not to say it was a bad ending.  In all actuality, I just finished this film and I already want to watch it again.  It's that good.  I watch 2-3 movies a day (I don't sleep... ever) and this one is on my Top 10 list.  Fantastic film.  Do yourself a favor and check it out.  

9 out of 10