If you’ve read my work with any regularity, you know that I love writing about films with Ohio connections. Writer/director Colin West was born in my longtime hometown of Columbus and went to undergrad at the Ohio State University, my alma mater. His new film, Linoleum (debuting on digital platforms on April 17th), is also set in suburban Dayton. I can already hear you asking if it’s any good, though, so let’s get to that.
Affable comedian Jim Gaffigan is our lead, children’s science show host Cameron Edwin. Though he maintains a mostly positive attitude, middle age regrets and frustrations are beginning to take their toll. It also doesn’t help that his wife, Erin (Rhea Seehorn), wants a divorce. A series of events including a bizarre car crash, a doppelganger, and a spacecraft crashing into his yard leave Cameron determined to achieve his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut. Meanwhile, his teenage daughter (Katelyn Nacon) discovers love with the new kid in town (Gabriel Rush). We also get Amy Hargreaves as Cameron’s smug sister-in-law, Roger Hendricks Simon as an old man with Alzheimer’s, West Duchovny (daughter of David Duchovny and Tea Leoni) as a mean girl, and Elisabeth Henry as a mysterious woman with a connection to Cameron that is unclear at first. Michael Ian Black and Tony Shalhoub have small but pivotal roles, as well.
Performances are all strong and naturalistic. I came away highly impressed with Gaffigan’s work. I’ve always found him to be a fine comedian, though not among my favorites. However here he is the perfect mixture of warm and relatable, making for an underdog character that easily garners sympathy. I particularly enjoyed his scenes with Simon where we can see his inner struggles even while he tries to keep an upbeat attitude. Plus, his turn as the doppelganger Kent Armstrong makes for an engaging contrast. Nacon’s work is also laudable. Cinematic rebellious teens can sometimes be irritating or cliché, but she puts in a well-rounded effort.
West’s script for Linoleum is at its best when it’s focusing on its characters. Cameron is a compelling persona and his everyman struggles are what gift the film most of its flavor. The surrealist flourishes also land harder because of the changeup from this mostly believable world. Both of these aspects work in tandem to conceal the narrative’s sleight of hand. There’s an almost fairytale-esque timelessness that permeates most of the runtime, with West only revealing his intentions in a climax that mostly works. Mostly. Much of the film is understated, even when courting absurdity, that the bluntness of the reveal feels more like a punch in the face than an epiphany. That is to say, he doesn’t quite earn his ending. Structurally and thematically it’s sound though, and West’s writing is purposeful. His usage of the fantastic vs the rational in both dialog and subtext is a strong skeleton on which he drapes the plot.
Ed Wu’s lensing gifts some style to the picture. He makes enough unusual choices that the end result is anything but bland. The quirkiness of the story and visuals is allowed to breathe without being overwhelming. The production design is stellar. Though we understand that we are not necessarily in the present day, subtle clues as to what is actually happening pepper the onscreen action. Some of my favorite images are the interstitial sequences from Cameron’s science show that often act as segues or meta comments on what the characters are experiencing. Sets feel lived in and the Kingston, New York locations (doubling as suburban Dayton) deliver an authentically mundane backdrop.
Although the pacing is fine, the 101-minute runtime feels slightly constricted. The info dump during the big reveal would maybe benefit from a little more room. That being said, Keara Burton’s editing isn’t to blame. She guides us along the tale’s template and her efforts provide an organic rhythm. I should also mention Mark Hadley’s score. It’s almost whimsical, but it hits on some bittersweet notes. Overall, it’s distinctive and quite pleasant. He understood the assignment perfectly.
Colin West’s Linoleum may not quite land its ending, but it nevertheless shows that he is a visionary filmmaker that’s coming into his own. Additionally, Jim Gaffigan delivers an outstanding performance that should open up some doors for him. I’ll be looking forward to whatever both of these artists have for us in the future. Recommended for fans of Donnie Darko, American Beauty, and Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood.
Michael Cavender