'A Little Prayer' is just too small
Music Box Films
Have you heard the one about the women thinking about leaving their husbands, or the beloved son who might be a cheater? Oh my goodness, and how pregnancy might complicate all that? And — really! — that a seemingly harmonious family might not be so perfect after all?
If this sounds familiar that’s because it is, and “A Little Prayer” never turns common into compelling. Maybe writer-director Angus MacLachlan, best known for writing 2005’s Amy Adams-launching “Junebug,” imagined that the performances would do the work he didn’t do, and there are a few scenes in which the pleasures of watching actors like David Strathairn (always welcome in anything) and Jane Levy (give her more chances like this, please) nearly overcome the material. The final scene is just lovely.
The rest of the time? “A Little Prayer” coasts, not even trying that hard to make something memorable out of average ingredients as sheet metal factory owner Bill (Strathairn) figures out what to do about his son’s (Will Pullen) suspected affair and his daughter-in-law’s (Levy) future or his erratic daughter’s (Anna Camp) sudden arrival after her most recent departure from her significant other. The presence of Ramin Bahrani as executive producer suggests depth and the ability to find searing drama in humble lives, but nothing remotely comparable to “99 Homes” or “Goodbye Solo” occurs. Rather, MacLachlan seems to believe he’s poking through normalcy and busyness, both acknowledging stillness and the singing of the birds (or by a person who never can be found) and also the little moments that turn a minor imperfection into a crack desperately needing repair.
Yet elements dealing with PTSD or communication limitations feel unfinished alongside relationships struggling to break free of the film’s pacing, quiet, and narrow purview. Put this all on stage and perhaps “A Little Prayer” could more impactfully tap into the temporary emotional peaks and valleys that both feel larger and smaller as time moves on. On screen for a sleepy 86 minutes, the reaction is merely, “That’s it?”
C
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