Jay Rohr
Reverse the Curse puts everything in scoring position. The quality cast embodies their roles and hits comedic notes. The script, though familiar, isn’t exactly a can o’corn leading to an easy out. Nor is it a home-run though. Whether or not the movie brings the winning run home is oddly up to the audience. They may have seen this game too many times already.
This is a story about an estranged son finding out his father is dying from cancer. Reuniting with the old curmudgeon initially causes friction. However, with the help of a friendly nurse, the two discover common ground. Old wounds heal especially once father and son embark on a road trip. And without much time left, the two can only be honest with one another.
That summation may not be entirely enticing since it sounds like several other movies. Kodachrome (2017) springs to mind, but so do Nebraska (2013), Winter Passing (2005), and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002). Tales of estranged children learning their parents are flawed human beings, embittered by their own lost and failed dreams, are a common course in fiction. One often followed by road trip pictures. Perhaps the main conceit in Reverse the Curse is what sets it apart.
See, the film follows Ted, a failing writer, when he goes back home to care for his definitely not dear old dad. His fading old man, Marty, is a die hard Boston Red Sox fan. As events unfold over the course of 1978, during one of baseball’s most famous pennant races, superstition abounds while both begin to believe that a championship winning season, breaking the infamous curse of the Bambino, will stop cancer from being a killer.
With that in mind, Reverse the Curse is as much a baseball movie as it is a tale of love, loss, and forgiveness. Based on the book Bucky F*cking Dent by David Duchovny (The X-Files), the actor turned author takes on the role of writer-director in addition to playing Marty. It’s no wonder he gets some of the best lines in the movie.
The charm of Reverse the Curse is some of the blunt dialogue throughout the picture. At risk of spoilers, Pamela Adlon helps open the film as a literary agent with a hilariously abrasive, albeit accurate, explanation as to why Ted is a peanut vendor not a successful novelist. It sets the tone for the movie in a number of ways. Not only is Reverse the Curse full of unfiltered commentary about people, but it drives many of its insightful points home comedically. That isn’t to say the film doesn’t have tender moments. Reverse the Curse is a smart blend never leaning too much in one direction or another. Comedy simply softens the seriousness of certain situations.
The downside is that the narrative is painfully familiar and the excellent cast can only overcome so many predictable plot points. As such, no matter how many smirks, laughs, or heartwarming delights, Reverse the Curse can never do more than get on base. Still, steady on, that can lead to a decent score.
Helping in that respect is a solid cast. David Duchovny is charmingly comic as a sour yet oddly lovable person with nothing left to lose except the burden of regret. Logan Marshall-Green (Upgrade) is an interesting blend of distant and defensive as a stoner in their thirties finally reaching adulthood. Finally, Stephanie Beatriz completes the trio portraying a hospice nurse named Mariana. She brings this walking wounded soul to life in ways that are humorous, touching, and tearful while always seeming genuine.
Rounding out the cast is a borderline reunion for recurring characters from the TV series Californication. Besides the aforementioned Adlon, there’s also Jason Beghe (Chicago P.D.) and Evan Handler (Sex and the City). Santio Fazio (The Accidental Husband) helps the latter two fill out Marty’s barbershop buddies. Around the horn so to speak, they help keep Reverse the Curse stay eccentrically lighthearted in their own ways.
Of course, adaptation means certain beats from the book are missing. For instance, the novel’s ties to Grateful Dead tunes are absent here, I would guess, due to the exorbitant cost of including such songs. Perhaps that’s why the road trip portions drag a bit. They lack the proper soundtrack to keep them energetic. There are also portions of the picture that seem as if they’d flow better on a page than on screen. The ruminations about life, reducing its totality to chunks of wisdom, work better when written. Here they often come across as opportunities for characters, Duchovny in particular, to deliver pearls of wisdom or chew scenery.
Reverse the Curse also begins dragging a bit midway through. That’s partly because the narrative offers little new when it comes to such a story. Drama takes the lead a little more than comedy and the film never really regains the steam it needs to find a powerful finish. The outcome of events, as predictable as a Chicago Cubs defeat in the 1990s, saps the punch from certain dramatic moments.
Still, this is an interesting look at generations trying to figure out how to communicate. Its carpe diem message may be a tad clichéd, but the way its characters arrive at that conclusion are individual and honest. More often funny than not, Duchovny and Beatriz help Reverse the Curse have charm as well as comedy. In addition, Duchovny shows he’s as good behind the camera as in front of it, at least adapting his own novel.
Some audiences may pass due to the overly familiar nature of the storyline, but they’d be missing out on some solid laughs. Reverse the Curse might walk in its winning run. However, a win is a win even if it isn’t a grand slam. What makes this film enjoyable is the chemistry between the lead performers, the honesty of its insights, and the way it reminds that the game isn’t over until your last breath.
