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Lymelife

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Lymelife (2009)

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Reviews Counted:73

Fresh:40

Rotten:33

Average Rating:6/10

Consensus: Lymelife features sharp performances, but the story lacks the emotional depth or focus worthy of its talented cast.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for language, some sexual content, violence and drug use.

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Apr 8, 2009 Limited

Synopsis: It’s 1979 on Long Island, New York. Change is in the air -- the promise of a better life luring a new immigration from the city to the suburbs. In this world, real estate development is like... It’s 1979 on Long Island, New York. Change is in the air -- the promise of a better life luring a new immigration from the city to the suburbs. In this world, real estate development is like winning the lottery, and money means success. The rest of the world may sit on a precipice -- the Falkland War looms and before long American hostages will be taken in Iran -- but on Long Island the future is bright, vulnerable only to that which sucks ones soul, much like the contagious Lyme disease ironically found on the picturesque deer that populate the island.

15 year-old Scott Bartlett is at the precipice as well…but he’s unlikely to notice what with his mom duct tapping him up as protection against the dreaded scourge (a disease, she would be quick to note, they don’t have back in Queens) and his dad busy with building the American Dream in the guise of a planned community called “Bartlettown”. Scott does know he is definitely in love with 16 year-old Adrianna next door, but she may or may not have noticed, it’s hard for Scott to read the signs and her family has her a little preoccupied anyway -- her father has the disease and can barely face each new day as her mother now has to head out to work to earn their living by selling new homes in Bartlettown.

When Scott’s brother, Jimmy, returns home for a brief stay before shipping out to the Falkland Islands, Scott is relieved to have a ready champion who can fight his battles, help diffuse their parents fighting, and generally keep an eye out for him. But when even Jimmy has had enough, Scott is forced to look at his world through a different set of lenses.

In a world where money drives men and happiness is delayed until after the success, Scott is about to discover the pedestal he’s built for his idols can barely support the weight of his own youthful innocence, let alone sustain those he places on top. A bright story about the dark side of suburban paradise, Lymelife stars Alec Baldwin, Kieran Culkin, Rory Culkin, Jill Hennessy, Timothy Hutton, Cynthia Nixon and Emma Roberts. Written and Directed by Derick Martini and Steve Martini, Lymelife is directed by Derick Martini. --© Screen Media Films [More]

Starring: Alexander Rae Baldwin, Kieran Culkin, Rory Culkin, Jill Hennessy

Starring: Alexander Rae Baldwin, Kieran Culkin, Rory Culkin, Jill Hennessy, Timothy Hutton, Cynthia Nixon, Emma Roberts

Director: Derick Martini

Director: Derick Martini
Screenwriter: Derick Martini, Steven Martini
Studio: Screen Media

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Reviews for Lymelife

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
10/22/09
Film Threat

...there is only so much they can do covering such familiar territory.

Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
08/27/09
John J. Puccio
John J. Puccio
DVDTown.com

Lymelife doesn't bring much new insight to bear on the topic of the horrors of suburban existence.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment 1 Comment
06/10/09
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

The performances are strong. ... But to anyone who saw "The Ice Storm" or "American Beauty" or a dozen other tales of suburban angst, there's nothing here you haven't seen before.

Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
05/22/09
Sean Means
Sean Means
Salt Lake Tribune

While the performers do what they can with the material, we've seen this premise done too many times, especially recently.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
05/21/09
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

The Martinis are not filmmakers, and I wish they had paid more attention in their Production 101 classes.

Full Review Source: Goatdog's Movies | comment Comment
05/16/09
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr.
Goatdog's Movies
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Entertainment Insiders | comment Comment
05/14/09
Jonathan W. Hickman
Jonathan W. Hickman
Entertainment Insiders

[Good acting] can certainly help, and for the most part Lymelife is functionally competent and barely familiar enough to be dull.

Full Review Source: Antagony & Ecstasy | comment Comment
05/11/09
Tim Brayton
Tim Brayton
Antagony & Ecstasy

Deserves recognition as one of the best independent films released so far in 2009.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Spectrum | comment Comment
05/08/09
Keith Cohen
Keith Cohen
Entertainment Spectrum

The movie's appealing as a rambling actor showcase: As with the better mid-range indies, you enjoy spending time with these people even if a few elements of the movie let you down.

Full Review Source: Oregonian | comment Comment
05/08/09
Mike Russell
Mike Russell
Oregonian

Fueled by great performances, keen observations of human behavior and a streak of dark comedy, Lymelife is a coming-of-age movie with a kick.

Full Review Source: Kansas City Star | comment Comment
05/08/09
Robert W. Butler
Robert W. Butler
Kansas City Star

Lymelife is small and uneven, but it works.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
05/08/09
Liz Braun
Liz Braun
Jam! Movies

Another film that looks back at late seventies' suburbia with a mixture of tenderness and condescension.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
05/08/09
Liam Lacey
Liam Lacey
Globe and Mail
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The offbeat Lymelife is so clearly leeching off other suburban-dysfunction films that it could have been titled The Lice Storm.

Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
05/08/09
Joe Williams
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

I've seen Lymelife twice, and I liked it better the first time, when it was called The Ice Storm.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
05/08/09
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Even in its darkest moments there are flashes of warm comedy and gentle farce that lend the story considerable credibility and charm.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
05/08/09
Greg Quill
Greg Quill
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

As it jogs toward its climax, Lymelife fails to ratchet up the tension by turning the screws of the plot.

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
05/07/09
Justin Strout
Justin Strout
Orlando Weekly

Overall the film feels like The Ice Storm or American Beauty on training wheels, but Martini's next efforts could be well worth watching.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
05/07/09
Colin Covert
Colin Covert
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The players dazzle, but co-writer-director Martini has attrracted this cast with chewy roles and a sharp metaphor, a disease that tears down the veneer of normality.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
05/06/09
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

The dysfunctional suburban family drama has become so ubiquitous that the genre has lost all impact.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
05/01/09
Tom Long
Tom Long
Detroit News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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