Len and Company (2015) Reviews

• The pond would be good for you

  ferguson-62016-06-09

  Greetings again from the darkness. Mining a mid-life crisis for new film material often results in something we have seen on screen too many times in the past. However the first feature film for writer/director Tim Godsall and co-writer Katharine Knight draws inspiration from the 2008 Carly Mensch one-act play "Len, Asleep in Vinyl", and what we get is a terrific little indie gem with multiple interesting characters. Highly successful music producer Len Black has pretty much "dropped out" of society as evidenced by his quitting in the midst of an awards ceremony, and by his new hobby of floating in the algae-laden swimming pool at his country estate. His self-imposed exile seems designed to magically reveal the meaning of life and lead to a form of self-discovery. Soon his peaceful deep-in-thought zen is disrupted - first by the arrival of his estranged son Max, and then by the presence of his pop star protégé Zoe. Len is perturbed by the uninvited guests, and shows nothing approaching warmth or caring towards either. What we really have is a 3 person collision of psychological crisis. Len is attempting to come of age (a bit late, given he's in his mid-40's); OCD Max has dropped out of school in hopes of making it with his band; and Zoe is on the verge of an emotional breakdown. Three messes all intertwined with each other, as Max just wants Len to be a dad this one time, and Zoe wants him to show a little compassion and not treat her like the pop music ATM she has become. Despite the relentless attention she has from her public and fans, what she needs is a bit of attention from the guy that got her into this. Rhys Ifans plays Len, and his outstanding performance makes the film work. He realizes he's a jerk, but has no clue how to atone for the past. Jack Kilmer (Val's son who is also the "projectionalist" in The Nice Guys) plays Max as a carefully considered young man who is never without his "to do" list. Juno Temple plays Zoe, and perfectly captures the two sides and delicacy of young fame. As an added bonus, the fourth wheel is local kid William (Keir Gilchrist, It's Kind of a Funny Story), who ironically is a surrogate-son type to Len, and helps out with chores around the house. There is also a brief sequence featuring the always great Kathryn Hahn as Len's ex and Max's mom. The heaviness of the emotional stuff is offset brilliantly by comedic moments … some small, others not so small. The scene with Len addressing William's classroom (in a quasi-take-a-parent-to-school day) is both hilarious and insightful. Minus any decorum or good judgment, Len spills to the students what his life has been. It's a turning point in the film as we finally see him as more than the dirtbag we originally thought. It also leads to Len's rant – right in Max's face – about the roots of rock and roll, and how a privileged, uptight young man couldn't possibly have the soul and spirit required to make a go of it. Lessons are learned by all, and much enlightenment has occurred by film's end. Of course, those doing the teaching and those doing the learning are a bit unconventional, as it's Len who finally figures out solitude and loneliness may not be a worthy goal. It's a wonderful first feature from the filmmakers and a top notch performance from Mr. Ifans.

• TIFF and Tim Godsall

  christian942015-09-19

  Len and Company is a lean and mean cinematic machine. A gem of a genuinely funny, quirky and heart-warming film you don't want to end. I saw an early morning screening at TIFF to a pleased crowd and with writer-director and the two lead actors. Tim Godsall is a Toronto native who is behind some of the world's most innovative and funny commercials in most part including Axe and XBOX, but now he express himself fully in his first feature, filmed in Ontario but representing upstate New York contemplative country setting. The character of Len, played brilliantly by Rhys Ifans, is the main draw of this story because it could have been a cliché rock star satyr, but breathes instead of freshness, frailty and lots of humanness without losing its rough edges and "coolness" factor. Balanced with a lost son looking for acceptance, estranged wife, friendly younger neighbour and a talented but tormented young artist (Zoe) played by Juno Temple, the story reaches a near-perfect portrayal of a man who had it all, but is lost in the world. This multi-character interplay is spot on from both acting and directing standpoint and you could see that a real synergy had developed between all of them. Every scene had dramatic tension but with a lot of humour throughout and actual exploration of human, artistic, psychological and philosophical truths or realities. You got to know and care about all this characters, feel for them and laugh with them. See the world through their eyes for a while and wish maybe you could have been in their less than perfect world a little longer but also appreciating your less than perfect world more when the credits rolled all too soon. Jack Kilmer plays the son, Max, in perfect opposition to Rhys Ifans, Juno Temple and the other supporting cast. He keeps the movie grounded and real as opposed to Len (and Zoe)'s eccentricities. But Len is Len and scenes like his autobiographic rant in the classroom are classic comedy at a high degree, but not without the levity and bitterness both felt by the character and omnipresent in the farce, making it never far-fetched. Tim Godsall took the right script with the right people, added some choice music and made it magic! Script, silence, dialogue, images, music and mood mixed to perfection. May we see more movies (and dare I say less commercials) from a clear storyteller with a welcome edge. Best movie of 2015 so far? You got it. Other critics point out some petty underutilization of some story elements, supporting acting (compared to Ifans unanimous monster performance) or pace (note: the movie seems to have been trimmed down from 102 to 97 mins). I rather see this film to be a self-contained contemporary concoction that does not try to be all-encompassing but rather fleeting but with feeling like all its characters. In this aspect, its achieves this with extraordinary efficacy. The emotions, laughter and struggle resonate and the resolution or (lacktherof) is a recipe for enjoyable repeat viewing. Canada 2015 | 97 mins | Toronto International Film Festival | English

• Keen insight into parenthood and fame

  jdesando2016-06-21

  Although this unassuming story about a rock star turned producer turned recluse proceeds at a somewhat leisurely pace, underneath the exchanges among rocker father, Len (Rhys Ifans),son Max (Jack Kilmer),and rock singer Zoe (June Temple) is discord that can't be quieted. It's a strong story about parents and mentoring that refuses to be bland. The only unsurprising element is the lack of communication between father and son, who's blamelessly trying to get his father's checked-out attention, albeit fulfilling his father's jaded prediction that everyone wants something by trying to get his producer-father to listen to his band's demo. Around the current Father's Day, the dysfunction is not a surprise for any of us who want better communications with our children. Len's protégé, Zoe, asks nothing more than to see him in his remote digs, and while she has the typical drug problem of many rockers, she bonds with Max and makes small inroads into Len's wall of silence. Besides being a good story of dysfunction, Len and Company gives a non-strident critique of the isolating nature of success. No better example than when Len visits his young friend, William (Keir Gilchrist), at his class to talk about his business. The colorful language and racy stories leave the school kids and teacher stunned, but there is freshness in his lecture that could be beneficial to their future. Therein lies the irony of the story, a remote rocker exiled from the world but still capable of moving even the youngest in an audience.

• A character study without characters

  jadavix2017-08-30

  "Len and Company" feels like a character study without much character. We get little bits of information here and there, but nothing very interesting. Rhys Ifans seems to be playing himself. The story is something to do with a curmudgeonly music producer who lives alone when his son comes to visit. Soon after, the pop star he helped create also shows up, though I was never really sure as to why. If you're interested in a "realistic" take on this situation, "Len and Company" may actually be up your alley. It feels naturalistic to the point of tedium. The actors all come across as very natural, and there is no attempt to give them distinct personalities. The direction is also really colourless. I got that the main character is supposed to be a closed-off genius of some description, but he just seemed like a jerk. I couldn't bring myself to care about any of this.

• Well acted character driven

  ajrg-17-3816392016-11-04

  This was very well acted maybe spectacularly well.That is its strong point. It kept you watching. Rhys Ifans was fantastic as the former completely burned out rock star and producer. Juno Temple was too. You actually wonder about his past relationships and how he must have been now. His only real relationship is with a boy who is a substitute for his real son. His real son is a vanilla nice person who does not understand his father but is always good to him which makes him the most boring person in the cast, or perhaps it is the way he chose to do the part. You don't think of him a whole lot. At any rate I think they made the most of the material and if you like complex characters more than an action plot you will like this movie.