Kaitlyn Dever

OUTSIDE IN: she finds herself finally ready

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Edie Falco in OUTSIDE IN

The fine director Lynn Shelton has died at age 54. Shelton’s drama Outside In begins when a man (Jay Duplass of Transparent) returns to his small town community after 20 years in prison.  Having been incarcerated since he was a teenager, he’s a bit emotionally stunted; he was a good kid who is now trying to be a good man.  He tries to negotiate his way among his not-so-supportive family, some former friends who share a secret and suspicious townspeople.

He’s free only because of a persistent campaign for justice by one of his high school teachers (Edie Falco).  The case has been an obsession for the teacher, much to annoyance of her blue-collar husband.  Now that the campaign has ended, the teacher must fill that vacuum with another passion.

There isn’t much passion in her marriage.  Shelton brilliantly depicts a husband who has expectations of their relationship and their future – he just doesn’t communicate them to his wife, or check to see if those expectations are shared.  He’s not a terrible person, and the relationship isn’t abusive – it’s just lapsed into staleness.

The freed convict and the teacher are comforted by each other.  There are several ways that this story could go, several of them trite.  Let’s just say that Shelton takes us in some unpredictable directions, while maintaining  authenticity.

Outside In is a story of self-discovery.  The teacher must assess what will make her happy and make some hard choices.  In a tour de force, Falco takes us through her confusion, dissatisfaction, longing, passion and, finally, determination.

Kaitlin Dever (Justified) is also excellent as the teacher’s teen daughter.  Outside In is an acting showcase for Falco, Duplass and Dever. Falco’s performance, however, is stunning.

I saw Outside In before its release at Silicon Valley’s Cinema Club.  It can be streamed on Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, YouTube and Google Play.

Stream of the week: SHORT TERM 12 – what a cast!

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John Gallagher Jr.,, Brie Larson and Rami Malek in SHORT TERM 12

My video pick this week is Short Term 12 because of its cast of then-emerging actors – Brie Larson, Kaitlyn Dever, LaKeith Stanfield, Rami Malek and John Gallagher Jr. – all before they became stars.

Here’s my original review of Short Term 12, which was high on my Best Movies of 2013.

Brie Larson

The Sacramento-born Brie Larson had a substantial career as a child actor – 19 screen credits before she turned 18, including 22 episodes of TV’s Raising Dad. As a young adult, she led up to Short Term 12 with superb supporting performances in The United States of Tara, Rampart and The Spectacular Now. Short Term 12 was the showcase for her capacity to carry a movie as an adult.

Still only 31, Larson has a Best Actress Oscar for Room and is printing herself money as Captain America. Larson has also made The Glass Castle and Just Mercy for Short Term 12 director Destin Daniel Cretton.

John Gallagher, Jr.

John Gallagher Jr., had delivered an achingly vulnerable performance in Margaret in 2005, but had the misfortune the film not being released until 2011 (and then barely at all) becuse of turmoil between writer-director Kenneth Lonergan and the studio. Gallagher is best know for the relatable Jim Harper in The Newsroom.

Kaitlyn Dever

Kaitlyn Dever just starred in Booksmart and was Golden Globe-nominated for Unbelievable. We got to see her grow up from age 15 to 19 as Loretta McCready in Justified. She had a great run of indies in 2013/2014 (The Spectacular Now, Short Term 12, Laggies), She’s still only 23.

LaKeith Stanfield

Short Term 12 was LaKeith Stanfield’s first feature. That got him in Selma. Stanfield was in two of the best recent films, Sorry to Bother You and Uncut Gems.

Rami Malek

Rami Malek, of course, won last year’s Best Actor Oscar for Bohemian Rhapsody.

Short Term 12 is available to be streamed from all the usual platforms.

BOOKSMART: fresh, smart and funny

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Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever in BOOKSMART Credit: Francois Duhamel / Annapurna Pictures

In Olivia Wilde,’s wildly successful comedy Booksmart, Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) play super-achieving kids who have followed every rule and refused to be distracted by high school frivolity; appalled to learn that their more conventionally fun-loving classmates have also gotten admitted to elite colleges, Molly and Amy decide to consume four years of teen fun in one night of graduation parties. This is an entirely fresh take on the coming of age film, and a high school graduation party romp like you’ve never seen.

Booksmart is the directorial debut of actress Olivia Wilde, and was written by Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel and Katie Silberman. The impact of the all-female creative team, to my eyes, is not in any particular scene or character, but woven throughout. These women have gotten the rare chance to make a movie, brought their talent and fresh eyes to it and knocked it out of the park.

Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever in BOOKSMART

Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein are special talents. Dever played one of the most compelling characters in TV’s Justified as Loretta McCready and was excellent in the Lynne Shelton drama Outside In. Feldstein sparkled as the protagonist’s high school best friend in Lady Bird. Here’s a particularly fun NYT interview with Dever and Feldstein.

Others in the relatively underseen cast – especially Diana Silvers, Molly Gordon, Billie Lourd, Austin Crute, Noah Galvin and the skateboarder Victoria Ruesga – bring interesting presences to the film. One wonders if Booksmart will become an American Graffiti/Animal House/Fast Times at Ridgemont High/The Breakfast Club phenomenon, and launch a cohort of movie careers.

Booksmart is smart, funny and a very fulfilling start to 2019’s slate of summer movies.

Stream of the Week: OUTSIDE IN: she finds herself finally ready

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Edie Falco in OUTSIDE IN

The fine Lynn Shelton drama Outside In begins when a man (Jay Duplass of Transparent) returns to his small town community after 20 years in prison.  Having been incarcerated since he was a teenager, he’s a bit emotionally stunted; he was a good kid who is now trying to be a good man.  He tries to negotiate his way among his not-so-supportive family, some former friends who share a secret and suspicious townspeople.

He’s free only because of a persistent campaign for justice by one of his high school teachers (Edie Falco).  The case has been an obsession for the teacher, much to annoyance of her blue-collar husband.  Now that the campaign has ended, the teacher must fill that vacuum with another passion.

There isn’t much passion in her marriage.  Shelton brilliantly depicts a husband who has expectations of their relationship and their future – he just doesn’t communicate them to his wife, or check to see if those expectations are shared.  He’s not a terrible person, and the relationship isn’t abusive – it’s just lapsed into staleness.

The freed convict and the teacher are comforted by each other.  There are several ways that this story could go, several of them trite.  Let’s just say that Shelton takes us in some unpredictable directions, while maintaining  authenticity.

Outside In is a story of self-discovery.  The teacher must assess what will make her happy and make some hard choices.  In a tour de force, Falco takes us through her confusion, dissatisfaction, longing, passion and, finally, determination.

Kaitlin Dever (Justified) is also excellent as the teacher’s teen daughter.  Outside In is an acting showcase for Falco, Duplass and Dever. Falco’s performance, however, is stunning.

I saw Outside In before its release at Silicon Valley’s Cinema Club.  It can be streamed on Netflix, Amazon, Vudu, YouTube and Google Play.