movie review linoleum

Review: Jim Gaffigan stares down reality as a man with big dreams in ‘Linoleum’

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As a stand-up comedian, Jim Gaffigan is known for gently self-deprecating, mostly family-friendly jokes about everyday life and food. But as an actor — and especially in the movies and TV series where he’s taken the lead — Gaffigan seems drawn to thoughtfully offbeat projects such as his new film “Linoleum,” a minor-key domestic drama gradually transformed into something grander by its science-fiction elements.

Gaffigan plays a dual role: Cameron Edwin, a good-hearted educational TV host whose career and family life have been slowly deteriorating for years; and Kent Armstrong, a more successful but much icier man, who moves across the street from Cam. When an old piece of space junk falls out of orbit and into the Edwins’ backyard, Cam decides to revive his old dream of becoming an astronaut by converting the machinery into a rocket, capable of escaping Earth’s gravity. As he tinkers, he discovers that time and space are breaking down in his immediate vicinity.

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Writer-director Colin West frequently shifts focus away from Cam to cover what’s going on with two of his loved ones: Erin ( Rhea Seehorn ), his frustrated wife, who has filed for divorce and is weighing a lucrative job offer in her field of aeronautics; and Nora (Katelyn Nacon), their brilliant, iconoclastic teenage daughter, who feels an instant connection when she meets Kent’s charmingly nerdy son, Marc (Gabriel Rush).

These digressions initially seem like a miscalculation on West’s part. The quasi-romance between Nora and Marc is sweet but unremarkable, and less interesting than the interactions between Cam and Nora (who finds her dad ridiculous but lovable) and Cam and Marc (who hangs out at the Edwin place both to talk science and to escape his exhaustingly demanding father). As for Erin, at the start of the film her character comes across as one of the worst dramatic cliches: the unappreciative, nagging spouse. It’s a waste of Seehorn’s talents — again, at first.

But in the second half of “Linoleum,” the scattered pieces of the story start coming together, connected in part by old clips from Cam’s TV series, which show him sharing his enthusiasm for the mysteries of the universe — sometimes with Erin as his equally eager co-host. The past and the present start bleeding together as the Edwins try to puzzle out where everything went wrong with their marriage and with their dreams.

West has a lot on his mind with this film; and he’s ultimately less interested in explaining everything happening onscreen than in free-associating about the complicated, lifelong relationship between children and their parents. But Gaffigan’s everyman presence and seeker’s soul make him a great vessel for big ideas. He can make an ordinary guy who’s trying to become an amateur astronaut look poignant, not silly. As reality bends around Cam, he looks more wowed than scared. His amazement becomes ours.

'Linoleum'

Not rated Running time: 1 hour, 41 minutes Playing: Starts Feb. 24, Laemmle Noho 7, North Hollywood

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‘linoleum’: film review | sxsw 2022.

The sci-fi dramedy stars Jim Gaffigan as a man who tries to build a rocket ship from the mysterious satellite that's crashed in his backyard, as strange events start to cast doubt on his reality.

By Angie Han

Television Critic

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The first clue that Linoleum is not a typical midlife crisis drama arrives in the form of a cherry-red convertible. In most ways, it’s exactly the cliché of a car that a man in his 40s might purchase in a desperate attempt to reclaim his lost youth. But protagonist Cameron Edwin ( Jim Gaffigan ) isn’t buying the car. Instead, he’s reeling with shock as it lands mere feet from his mailbox, having fallen out of a clear blue sky just a few minutes into the movie.

Thus begins the odd chain of events that will nudge Cameron into a new perspective on what his life has been. It takes some time for Linoleum to fully unveil its bigger picture, though eagle-eyed viewers may be able to start putting the pieces together much earlier. But thoughtful performances and earnest (if especially subtle) writing keep the film compelling enough until its final minutes, which are even more startling in their heart-wrenching effectiveness than in their mind-bending twists.

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Venue: SXSW Film Festival (Narrative Feature Competition) Cast: Jim Gaffigan, Rhea Seehorn, Katelyn Nacon, Gabriel Rush Director-screenwriter: Colin West

When we first meet Cameron, he’s already sinking into unhappiness. Once a promising astronomy student at Cornell, he’s now the host of a science show for kids that his Ohio TV station has banished to late-night time slots, when no children are actually awake to watch. His marriage to Erin ( Rhea Seehorn , terrific as always), formerly his cohost on the show, is on the brink of divorce. His father (Roger Hendricks Simon) is holed up in an elder care facility dealing with dementia severe enough that he hardly seems to recognize Cameron at all.

Into this disappointment of a life comes that car, which carries a man that even Cameron has to admit looks “like a younger, better looking version of me.” Also played by Gaffigan — but with a hard, glittering shine that stands in stark contrast to Cameron’s soft resignation — Kent Armstrong shows up at Cameron’s job, moves across the street from Cameron’s house and enrolls his teenage son Marc (Gabriel Rush) in school with Cameron’s teenage daughter Nora (Katelyn Nacon). Meanwhile, a satellite has also fallen out of the sky into Cameron’s backyard, which Cameron sees as the perfect opportunity to build his own rocket ship and make his thwarted astronaut dreams come true.

Initially, the plot seems to be set up for Cameron to throw himself a pity party in the most obnoxiously twee way imaginable. (I mean, a rocket ship in a garage? Really?) And wallow he does, bitterly complaining to Marc that instead of “doing something fantastic,” like he’d always hoped to do in his youth, “I’m stuck building a DIY rocket out of a hunk of Apollo garbage just to prove I’m worth a damn.”

But writer-director Colin West demonstrates a confident grasp on the film’s tone, layering melancholy and dreaminess and wry humor without tilting too far toward any of them. And though Cameron is the protagonist, Linoleum never loses sight of the other characters in his orbit — particularly Nora, who starts to bond with Marc over their shared status as school misfits.

Separately, either Cameron’s grown-up despair and Nora’s journey of self-discovery could make for a decent little indie drama on its own. In conversation with each other, they become more than the sum of their parts. Cameron’s mourning for his squandered potential, or Erin’s ambivalence about her own humdrum career at the Air and Space Museum, feel all the more acute because they see in Nora and Marc glimmers of the bolder souls they must have been once. On the flip side, Nora and Marc’s hopes and fears for their futures take tangible form in their parents. Free-spirited Nora can see nothing of herself in her uptight mother, as she makes clear during a particularly vicious argument, while Marc gravitates toward Cameron as a kinder version of the cruel father he has at home.

All the while, West sprinkles in odd details that suggest there’s some other layer to the Edwins’ and the Armstrongs’ relatively quotidian woes that we’re not seeing yet. The camera lingers on a shattered helmet of a spacesuit, or a toy car that looks like the one that crashed from the sky. Certain words and phrases recur, echoed by one character then another. A doctor (Tony Shalhoub) seems to communicate only in cryptic, existential concepts: “I’m suggesting that perhaps the universe in our heads is more real than reality itself,” he advises a bemused Cameron. An old woman (Elisabeth Henry) keeps showing up in Cameron’s suburban neighborhood to stare at him silently from a distance.

To say too much more would be to risk giving away Linoleum ‘s secrets. Perhaps it’s enough to warn that the film’s eventual resolutions follow a loose emotional logic rather than an airtight “rational” one, and that despite the film’s ambiguously magical sci-fi vibe, its biggest twists are intimate and personal. Linoleum is in many ways a small movie, concerned with not much more than this limited circle of people trying to figure out how to understand their own lives — to make peace with the brighter future that never came, or to decide how to take charge of their own destinies, or to sort through the relationships that have mattered to them all along. But the emotional punch it packs has the weight of entire lifetimes behind it.

Full credits

Venue: South by Southwest Film Festival (Narrative Feature Competition) Production companies: Brain Scratch Productions, Storm City Films Cast: Jim Gaffigan, Rhea Seehorn, Katelyn Nacon, Gabriel Rush, Amy Hargreaves, West Duchovny, Elisabeth Henry, Roger Hendricks Simon, Michael Ian Black, Tony Shalhoub Director-screenwriter: Colin West Producers: Chad Simpson, Dennis Masel, Chadd Harbold Executive producer: Gabrielle Nadig Director of photography: Ed Wu Production designer: Mollie Wartelle Costume designer: July Rose White Editor: Keara Burton Music: Mark Hadley Casting director: Jessica Sherman Sales: United Talent Agency

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When the host of a failing children's science show endeavors to achieve his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut by constructing a rocket ship in his garage, a series of bizarre events o... Read all When the host of a failing children's science show endeavors to achieve his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut by constructing a rocket ship in his garage, a series of bizarre events occur that cause him to question his own reality. When the host of a failing children's science show endeavors to achieve his childhood dream of becoming an astronaut by constructing a rocket ship in his garage, a series of bizarre events occur that cause him to question his own reality.

• Jim Gaffigan
• Rhea Seehorn
• Katelyn Nacon
• 44 User reviews
• 61 Critic reviews
• 80 Metascore
• 3 wins & 6 nominations

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• Trivia In a 2023 interview with Filmmaker magazine, Colin West spoke in detail about the rocket engine prop and how it was emblematic of the independent nature of the production: "It was a legitimate rocket engine built by NASA. What the characters describe in the movie is exactly what it was: a backup engine made for the Apollo missions which was was never actually used. Its purpose was to be the last engine that gets the actual capsule to the moon and back. A lot of the NASA [equipment] was built in Los Angeles back in the day, so there's still a lot of rocket refuse left over in warehouses in the Valley. Through the years, I've befriended a man named Carlos [Guzman], who runs a place up in the Valley called Norton Sales ["the only prop house in America specializing in vintage aerospace and industrial props from the atomic and space age"] and I've worked with him on a few short films. He has this massive warehouse that's packed with dusty old space crap and I always feel like a kid in a candy store when I visit [laughs]. Carlos knows everything that's stored in there, what it's used for and why. I'll often just go to poke around and have fun. One of Carlos's all-star pieces is this rocket engine that I asked to use. We talked it through and I was able to [use it]. I ended up buying a box truck here in Los Angeles, packed it with a bunch of rocket stuff from Carlos's warehouse, then drove it across the country to upstate New York by myself where we shot the film. A few months later, I drove all the stuff back in the box truck, dropped it off to Carlos, then sold the truck for about a thousand dollars more than I had originally paid for it. As this was an indie movie, that was the kind of thing that all of our cast and crew were doing. We were trying the best we could to make the film appear as realistic as possible, but in a way that wouldn't require us to buy everything outright. We were begging and borrowing and stealing to make the film happen."
• Goofs Cameron states in his show that you have to travel 600,000 feet to reach space. The Kármán line is generally regarded as the edge of space at only 330,000 feet. The US armed forces defines the edge of space at 264,000 feet.
• Connections Featured in Projector @ LFF: Linoleum (Jim Gaffigan) (2023)

User reviews 44

• brendaniforth
• Sep 12, 2023
• How long is Linoleum? Powered by Alexa
• June 24, 2023 (United States)
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• Kingston, New York, USA
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• Feb 26, 2023

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 41 minutes

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Linoleum Reviews

It’s a moving film about time, ambition, aging, wormholes, and the all-consuming power of love. And the film’s quaint, handmade qualities help make the tears it remorselessly jerks out of you feel like honest ones.

Full Review | Dec 9, 2023

The unconventional screenplay examines repressed dreams, family issues and brain clogging with some caricatural undertones and a layered surrealism that serves well its narrative purpose.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/5 | Jul 28, 2023

This quasi-sci-fi indie plays its surreal events to deeply poignant effect... This is the kind of movie you’ll immediately want to rewind to absorb the full weight of.

Full Review | Original Score: 77/100 | Jul 27, 2023

The ending for me is an absolute pay-off, which, of course, I will not give away. Jim Gaffigan, Rhea Seehorn, and Tony Shalhoub are some of these great actors that you really love seeing play, and play-off each other... I call it [the movie] a hidden gem.

Full Review | Original Score: 8.5/10 | Jul 24, 2023

At least West reaches for the stars where so many other filmmakers are content to punch the clock.

Full Review | Jul 5, 2023

By the time that West is ready to show his hand directly, most viewers will be so wrapped up in Linoleum that that details will scarcely matter.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 17, 2023

It's a thrilling, sometimes heavy, drama about love, identity, and individuality that takes you to the ever-expanding universe of us.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Apr 14, 2023

The first-rate production design, the music by Mark Headley and the cinematography by Ed Wu all contribute to the feeling of a surrealist adventure that toggles between satirical comedy and something darker and much heavier.

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Apr 10, 2023

Gaffigan... is a constantly strong centre in the two roles.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Apr 10, 2023

This exquisitely constructed Midwest tale of a science teacher pushing 50 confronted by his brash doppelganger, is as simple as it is clever

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Apr 6, 2023

West has made a number of sci-fi inclined shorts and two short features, but Linoleum could be considered a feature debut, were it not for the fact that it feels more like an over-extended short.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 30, 2023

A muddled tract about middle-age malaise... We tend to grant some license to arthouse films for trying stuff that’s unusual and different from mainstream fare - and bless them all - but this noble attempt simply fails to take off.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Mar 30, 2023

… appears at first to be one kind of film, a surrealist comedy about middle-age, but turns out to be an earnest dramatic piece about how dreams are realised even if we think they are beyond our reach.

Full Review | Original Score: 17.5/20 | Mar 23, 2023

Mixing the seemingly sweet with the dyspeptically sour—albeit more in a Donnie Darko kinda way, minus the vague undercurrent of horror—is Colin West’s sophomore feature, an intriguingly offbeat seriocomedy on the edge of fantasy...

Full Review | Mar 15, 2023

[Linoleum] jettisons the ruminative self-seriousness a more prestige-inflected drama might opt for, instead preferring a snug, pleasantly offbeat vibe that’s equally nostalgic and sanguine.

Full Review | Mar 6, 2023

With his second feature, writer-director Colin West has made the type of movie that you want to encourage people to see, not only for how good it is, but so that you have someone to talk about it with, with no danger of spoiling its surprises.

Full Review | Original Score: A- | Mar 4, 2023

“Linoleum” may appeal to patient viewers who appreciate ambiguity.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 3, 2023

A fantastic performance from Jim Gaffigan. I really like this streak he's on of playing unexpectedly dramatic roles.

Full Review | Mar 3, 2023

Colin West gives us a mid-town, mid-life crisis movie that aspires to the profundity of 2001: A Space Odyssey but like Cameron’s rocket, it doesn’t quite reach those cinematic heights.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Mar 1, 2023

I, personally, found that the story gets too wrapped up in itself and takes some stumbles. But, it is an intelligent story that does not talk down to us, entertains and makes you think.

Full Review | Original Score: B- | Mar 1, 2023

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‘Linoleum’ Review: Jim Gaffigan Tries to Rocket Himself Out of a Midlife Crisis in Surreal Dramedy

Robert daniels.

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Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival. Shout! Factory releases the film in theaters on Friday, February 24.

Simultaneously an unsettling projection of a father possibly losing his mind and a suburban family disintegrating from the pain of displaced dreams — Colin West’s “Linoleum” drafts a charming, nostalgic landscape set in the fictional town of Fairview Heights where aching secrets lurk underneath the vintage countertops. Taking the bones of “The Father” and “The Astronaut Farmer,” West’s picture tangles — at times to its own detriment — the travails of a group of quaint but peculiar characters for a distressing fable about the nature of aging and unfulfillment.

For these reasons, “Linoleum” is difficult to pin down; the obfuscations and slippages that run through it seem just as likely to frustrate viewers as they might compel them. An astronomer with a Bill Nye-inspired children’s science program saddled in a moribund late-night slot, Cameron Edwin (Jim Gaffigan) is just out for a bike ride when he dodges a red sports car that has suddenly fallen from the sky. He pulls the occupant from the wreckage — a man who, curiously, looks like a younger, more handsome version of him. The surreal incident causes the bounds of reality to shift for Edwin, and as he begins to fixate on the life he could have had, his current life unmoors.

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That’s not to say that his current life is drama-free. Unbeknownst to their teenage daughter Nora (Katelyn Nacon) and young son, Edwin and his wife Erin (Rhea Seehorn) are on the brink of divorce. When the pair first met, they wanted different careers: Edwin harbored hopes of working for NASA, whom he still sends applications to in the mail. Erin, now working at the local air and space museum, can’t even vocalize her former aspirations — that’s how far away they seem. On a public programming channel, they once happily hosted the kitchy science program “Above and Beyond.” Now, Edwin helms the stagnant show alone.

The surprisingly unscathed driver of the muscle car, Kent Armstrong (also played by Gaffigan), is a former astronaut aiming to become the new host of Edwin’s show, and Armstrong’s shy son Marc (Gabriel Rush) forms a quick, burgeoning friendship with Nora. But it’s the lunar capsule, which recently crash-landed in Edwin’s backyard, that rockets Edwin straight into a midlife crisis.

Edwin’s father, now suffering from Alzheimer’s disease, once told him there are two kinds of people in the world — astronauts and astronomers. Which is Edwin? As he starts attempting to build a rocket ship in his garage, he seems to be answering that very question, but many mysteries remain. He often sees a smiling elderly woman waving to him from another lawn. Who is she? In his den stands a Gemini-era spacesuit with a cracked helmet, and an upturned toy red car lying on the floor. How do these trinkets tie to the random happenings impacting Edwin?

West could allow these mysteries to marinate, but he forces the issue by relying on repetitive dialogue concerning paradoxes, crossing the line between a straightforward building of themes and hand-holding the viewer through stilted means. West leaves the film’s temporal setting ambiguous: the film is rife with vintage interiors ripped from the 1950s, and Edwin’s conservative fashions (he typically wears tweed jackets) and the purposelessly generic prep school uniforms of Nora’s school only further the illusion.

In a film with multiple moving parts — for long stretches, Edwin’s son disappears from view and the tone sharply switches (the all-American Armstrong isn’t all that he appears to be) — instinct might call for laying breadcrumbs to keep the audience in the loop. The strategy in this situation, however, only blunts the surreal edges of “Linoleum.”

“It’s not that simple,” Edwin and Erin often retort to explain their marital rut. At its heart, “Linoleum” is an otherworldly tragedy about endings and beginnings, and the existential rot whose origins feel unknown. It’s a fitting role for Gaffigan, who has taken on darker roles in recent years. Vulnerability comes naturally to him. Without spoiling, Gaffigan and Seehorn need to hold several facets of their characters within themselves. How do we define a successful life? To Edwin and Erin, their perceived failures cast a longer tail than their real achievements as parents and role models.

West splays these anxious questions over Edwin’s crumbling mental health. In one scene, Edwin seeks a consultation from his father’s nursing home head (Tony Shalhoub). The emotional shrapnel from their meeting disperses to unknown parts, and awaiting their impact requires great patience on the part of the audience. But just like that rocket ship, once West brings the pieces  back together, the elaborate mysteries land back on Earth with their own feverish crash.

“Linoleum” premiered at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival.

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Linoleum Review

A heartfelt story about making life fantastic..

Linoleum was reviewed out of the SXSW Film Festival, where it made its world premiere.

Colin West’s Linoleum has little in common with comedian and star Jim Gaffigan’s popular Hot Pockets stand-up jokes — it’s more like watching Bill Nye suffer a midlife crisis brought upon by interstellar debris. It’s hard to prepare for when comedy professionals tackle dramatic roles, but that’s just our preconceptions playing tricks on us. Gaffigan never relies on the familiarity of his exhausted-father stage presence or propensity for junk-food humor — Linoleum is straight-faced and from the heart. It’s an odd mix of downplayed science fiction and suburban woes, all leading to a rapturous final act that becomes so human in its flaws, fears, and ability to seek storybook beauty in something paralyzingly unknown.

Gaffigan plays Cameron Edwin, an astronomer with his own local informational children’s show, “Above & Beyond,” about scientific topics. Cameron’s wife, Erin (Rhea Seehorn) — who’s seeking a divorce — works at the local air and space museum. It’s the setup of Cameron’s unfulfillment that seeps into his daily routine. PBS buys Cameron’s show with a commanding new host, Kent Armstrong, also played by Gaffigan. His deteriorating father, Mac (Roger Hendricks Simon), inches closer to death. His family suffers eviction when a defunct Russian (or American) shuttle crashes in their backyard. Cameron Edwin just wants to fulfill his personal promise of doing something fantastic ; so he decides to build a rocket in his garage.

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Linoleum is packaged as an adulthood drama about impending fates and days gone by too quickly. West’s script cycles through motions of the sad sack-turned-motivated oddball as Cameron believes a spaceship built from spare parts and junkyard scraps will make him a global hero. Everything about his ho-hum existence in Fairview Heights — whose motto is “Soar to new heights!” — is like a bad-luck daydream. There’s something slightly amiss from the first minutes we spend with Cameron, starting with the overturned red muscle car that drops out of the sky and spits out his better-looking, more stern doppelganger.

Still, Gaffigan’s focal performance grounds everything in an earnestly relatable sense of revitalization. A calmness humbles Cameron as he realizes he’s become an astronomer who only looks toward the sky, not the astronaut who swims with the stars. Gaffigan’s eyes swell with the pain of disappointment, and his words curse the mundaneness of his legacy, much like anyone might feel as their 20s become 40s in a whirlwind blink. There’s a determination behind Cameron’s reassembly of bargain jet boosters, albeit something we’ve seen in countless parenthood arcs where mothers or fathers detach themselves from reality to pursue the ambitions of their youth.

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Then, out of nowhere, Linoleum becomes an ode to allyship as Cameron’s daughter, Nora (Katelyn Nacon), confronts her bisexuality with a new crush, Kent’s boy-next-door son Marc (Gabriel Rush). They both confess secrets to each other — Marc enjoys his own societally shunned comforts — and the movie starts to become less about the kooky patriarch losing everything while accidentally lighting his garage ablaze. Juxtapositions of rational and irrational choices start calling into question what we sacrifice as Erin realizes she’s abandoned any sense of adventure for a life of guarded conformity, with Cameron now representing the opposite. Characters reiterate a mantra of how simple it is to make one decision that changes everything about ourselves and how deceptively difficult it can be to trust such logic. West’s all-American tragedy seems on course for a happy ending we’ve seen overdone into oblivion — which is why the third act’s bombshell is essential.

No spoilers here, but Linoleum’s climax and outro are an exceptional realization of what a lifetime’s worth. Halloween parties, touching reunions, and the imprisoning heft of dementia show West’s ambitious tale come full circle with immense compassion. Gaffigan’s softie smile and wonderstruck warmth embrace this gorgeousness about where West transports us, despite unexpectedly somber intentions. Maybe the whiplash might overwhelm those not ready to deal with what’s prominently featured, but filmmaking is inherently riddled with risks. West creates something outstandingly emotional in those last few scenes, which elevate Linoleum above being just another feel-good, or even feel-good-enough character study about the tragedy that is twilight years.

Linoleum takes the promise of another “never too old” renovation and exclaims something achingly human that will not work for everyone. For those it does hit, who may choke back tears for a good ten minutes (no reason, don’t ask)? Director Colin West plucks heartstrings that inspire our zest for lives lived to the fullest, delivered through both peaceful and aggressive means. Linoleum can feel like multiple movies at odds with each other between Cameron’s engineering, Nora’s new acceptances, and what crystallizes as realities crumble away, but what endures is universally powerful. A “what” I’ll still keep vague because West’s third-act swing is undeniably vital to anyone’s appreciation of something so subtly bold.

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Linoleum Review: Jim Gaffigan Shines In A Perplexing But Beautiful Tapestry Of Life And Love [SXSW]

Attend enough film festivals, and you'll notice that many movies allow a variety of stand-up comics to stretch their acting muscles. While it's typically offbeat comedy that takes advantage of their humor skills, it's not uncommon to find comics showing their versatility on screen. In recent years, Jim Gaffigan has become one such comedian, stretching his acting chops in various low-key thrillers and dramas such as "Light from Light," "Above the Shadows," and "Tesla," just to name a few. But Jim Gaffigan has never been better than he is in writer/director Colin West's quirky, perplexing, and ultimately beautiful dramedy "Linoleum," premiering this weekend at the South by Southwest film festival.

"Linoleum" follows Gaffigan as Cameron, an astronomer who once dreamed of being an astronaut but settled for creating and hosting "Above and Beyond," a Bill Nye-esque educational program that airs in the not-so-primetime-slot at midnight, despite being geared towards kids. Cameron still looks to the stars in the hopes of one day swimming among them, but unfortunately, he's about to drown in a midlife crisis. His wife Erin (Rhea Seehorn of "Better Call Saul") wants a divorce, his father's dementia is getting worse, the network producing his show is sending it to PBS, which might sound great, but he's being replaced as the host by Kent Armstrong, a real astronaut who looks like a younger, mustachioed, more handsome version of Cameron (because he's also played by Gaffigan). Oh, and a satellite has just crash-landed in his backyard, forcing him to relocate to his sister-in-law's beach decor-drenched home with Erin, their confident, outcast daughter Nora (Katelyn Nacon of "The Walking Dead"), and their quiet son Sam. 

But Cameron isn't letting this get him down. Instead of crumbling under all this pressure (one of the many scientific subjects explored in clips from "Above and Beyond" that are perfectly juxtaposed with the film's story), Cameron opts to use his knowledge of astronomy and the chunks of satellite in his backyard to build a rocket ship that will finally allow him to prove his worth to himself and his whole family. That certainly sounds like the makings of an idiosyncratic indie comedy with the lost father of a dysfunctional family finding his footing and getting his loved ones back on the right track. But there's something peculiar lying under the film's surface as Cameron's story unfolds. At first, it seems like a detriment to the film, veering into confusing territory with threads that don't seem to have any significant bearing, but there is a method to its madness.

Above and beyond

Alongside Cameron's story, we also spend a significant amount of time with Nora, who has coincidentally struck up a friendship with Marc (Gabriel Rush of "Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark"), the new kid in town who just so happens to be the son of astronaut Kent Armstrong. And wouldn't you know it, they've just moved in across the street from Cameron's taped-off house. Nora and Marc don't have a budding romance, but it's not because they don't have chemistry. They're becoming fast friends, but Nora is bisexual, and he's just not her type. Even so, the two have a delightful friendship, but it feels detached and almost extraneous, seemingly without much of a real impact on the rest of the story. This is just one of the several puzzling threads throughout "Linoleum" that initially make the film feels like it's lacking focus. But that's exactly the point.

"Linoleum" is one of those films where the ending is pivotal in piecing together what seems like baffling missteps in the film's story. There's something deeper going on here, and the result is a stunning and moving ending that paints everything you've seen in the preceding hour and a half in an entirely new light. It's almost like M. Night Shyamalan took a break from dreary, titillating thrillers to craft a quirky indie dramedy with a heart-wrenching twist. Those paying close attention in the first few minutes of the movie might find a hint of what's to come, but even having an inkling at the film's climax won't make it any less affecting. 

Jim Gaffigan has easily delivered a career-best performance in "Linoleum." His messy hair and large-lensed glasses give him a charming mad scientist vibe, which makes his portrayal of the stiff Kent Armstrong feel that much stranger. Gaffigan isn't quite so convincing as Armstrong, but his performance in the role serves a larger purpose beyond a convincing character. Meanwhile, Katelyn Nacon has quite a spark in a breakthrough performance that feels like it's just the beginning of a fruitful career. 

The biggest breakthrough, however, comes from writer/director Colin West, who shows great promise as a filmmaker, bringing a fresh new perspective to seemingly familiar indie territory. At times, the film calls to mind the mesmerizing, oddball nature of Paul Thomas Anderson, such as when a classic red Corvette suddenly comes smashing down in the middle of a quiet, sun-drenched suburb as Cameron sends off an application to NASA. There's also a touch of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" director Michel Gondry, both in the makeshift creation of Cameron's "Above and Beyond" TV show and in the film's dreamy conclusion. All of this is enhanced by a synth-infused, cosmic score by Mark Hadley, giving the story a surreal-like quality. 

But where West truly succeeds is in crafting a story that frames the familiar dysfunction of a small-town Ohio family in a new light. "Linoleum" is much more than meets the eye, and as the film wades into its final 15 minutes or so, you'll find yourself overwhelmed by an emotional revelation that not only clears up any lingering fog from the story's puzzling evolution but really pulls at the heartstrings with a wonderfully woven tapestry of life and love. 

/Film Rating: 8 out of 10

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Linoleum review: a delicate, quietly moving sci-fi adventure

“Linoleum is a layered and gently moving sci-fi dramedy that doesn't make all of the shots it takes, but still leaves a lasting impression.”

• Jim Gaffigan's dual lead performances
• Rhea Seehorn's moving supporting turn
• Colin West's ambitious, unpredictable screenplay
• An often confusing first act
• Several jarring moments of tonal inconsistency

There’s more going on in Linoleum than meets the eye. The new feature from writer-director Colin West initially seems like a fairly standard, if quirky sci-fi dramedy. The film’s early moments of surrealness, which include one instance in which a red convertible seemingly falls from the sky, help imbue Linoleum with a Michel Gondry-esque sense of playfulness. What’s less clear, at first, is if those moments are anything more than merely stylistic flourishes on the part of West.

It wouldn’t have mattered much if that’s all they were, either. For most of its 101-minute runtime, Linoleum tells its story of quiet heartbreak and overwhelming melancholy so effectively that it’s easy to imagine a world in which it could have safely stuck to the initial parameters of its plot. The film, however, attempts to pull off a trick that’s not only difficult to see coming, but that retroactively reveals the layers in Linoleum ’s story that were hidden within it all along.

Those same layers are hidden within Linoleum ’s leading man, Cameron Edwin (Jim Gaffigan), the host of a local children’s science show who is haunted by his unfulfilled dreams of becoming an astronaut. When Linoleum begins, Cameron’s marriage to Erin ( Better Call Saul ‘s Rhea Seehorn), his former cohost, is on the verge of falling apart. In case that’s not enough, he’s also been forcibly replaced as the host of his show by Kent Armstrong (also played by Gaffigan), whose reputation as a more successful scientist only makes his appointment as Cameron’s replacement that much more insulting.

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Cameron’s life is seemingly turned further upside down when part of a NASA rocket crash lands in his backyard one night. Seeing the event as an opportunity to do something “fantastic” and finally fulfill the dreams of his youth, Cameron begins to repair the capsule in his garage in the hopes of using it to fly to the moon. What he doesn’t realize is that doing so could very well be the thing that either breaks his and Erin’s relationship forever or brings them back together.

Linoleum takes its time revealing which outcome awaits Cameron and Erin. For its first 90 minutes or so, the film patiently builds the emotions of its story. A handful of frank conversations between co-workers and family members help establish the middle-aged melancholy infiltrating Erin and Cameron’s lives. West, meanwhile, builds a gentle, all-encompassing sense of regret and heartbreak by frequently cutting to scenes from some of Cameron’s Bill Nye-inspired public broadcasts, including some of the shows that he and Seehorn’s Erin once put on together.

West effectively juxtaposes Cameron and Erin’s moments of disconnection with the various nighttime adventures that their teenage daughter, Nora (Katelyn Nacon), has with Kent’s son, Marc (Gabriel Rush). Like so much of Linoleum , Nora and Kent’s scenes together are composed out of a series of hazy, dreamlike images that feel undeniably reminiscent of the way that Gondry handled the memory scenes in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind .

West’s decision to execute these scenes this way not only fills Nora and Marc’s moments together with a sense of nostalgic, innocent romance, but it also makes Linoleum feel just as much like a memory piece as it does a quaint sci-fi adventure. Linoleum ’s occasionally fractured style and overall structure don’t always work as well as West intends, though. There are moments throughout the film’s first and second acts, in particular, that are so abruptly confusing that they end up pulling you straight out of its story.

The film doesn’t ever pause on these moments for too long, which makes it easy to brush off many of Linoleum ’s unexplained moments of magical realism. For the most part, West does manage to eventually justify Linoleum ’s unusual tone and structure, though he never quite communicates as strong of a hold on the film’s story as one would like. The dramedy’s nesting doll of a narrative ultimately feels just a bit too big and ambitious for West to handle. Fortunately, the writer-director’s clear passion for the film’s story prevents its unwieldy nature from completely derailing it.

Across the board, the film’s cast members all rise up to match Linoleum ’s quiet tone and style. Gaffigan pulls off an impressive feat with his dual performances as Cameron, a kindhearted dreamer, and Kent, a stern, militaristic father and scientist. Opposite him, Seehorn turns in a subtle, lived-in performance as Erin, a woman who still isn’t quite sure which direction she’d like her life to take. Together, the two performers help West create a portrait of a relationship that’s brimming with both love and regret.

After spending much of its runtime setting up a fairly straightforward resolution to Erin and Cameron’s problems, West then sends L inoleum careening into much more abstract and emotional territory. The work put in by Gaffigan, Seehorn, Nacon, and Rush pays off in Linoleum ’s closing minutes, which attempt to combine the film’s odd, overarching sense of nostalgia with the emotional foundation laid by its cast. The result is a climax that’s just as strange and unwieldy as it is unexpected and moving — and it helps lift Linoleum up above many of the other quirky, low-budget sci-fi flicks that usually come out every year.

The film, in other words, may not be quite as successful as some of the movies that it was influenced by, but that doesn’t stop Linoleum from soaring to some genuinely surprising and emotionally profound heights.

Linoleum is now playing in theaters .

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Many sci-fi films focus on a future or alternate world. Sometimes they involve aliens, mysticism, or mythical creatures. Others are more psychologically disturbing and cerebral. There are so many different types of sci-fi movies that even those who aren’t into traditional sci-fi can find one they like.

This month, the three sci-fi movies on Amazon Prime Video you need to watch in March come from three different decades: the 1970s, 1990s, and 2000s. They are all very different from one another as well, so you’re sure to find something that fits your interest. In each case, they’re movies worth rewatching too. Vanilla Sky (2001) Vanilla Sky (2001) Official Trailer # 1 - Tom Cruise HD

2023 belonged to Christopher Nolan. The British auteur is on the verge of winning multiple Oscars for Oppenheimer, a three-hour biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer, the theoretical physicist behind the atomic bomb. Nolan is on a shortlist of filmmakers whose name alone can sell a film. Take Inception as an example. A film about dream stealing with complicated ideas and confusing equations isn't an easy sell. Yet, an emotionally moving story and visually stunning effects wowed audiences, resulting in a $839 million worldwide gross and four Oscars.

Inception is frequently mentioned on "best of" lists for the 2010s. While there are no direct comparisons to Inception, there are similar movie movies with the same themes and concepts. If you liked Inception, watch these three films, including another Nolan thriller, a sci-fi mystery from a terrific director, and an emotional romantic drama about heartbreak. The Prestige (2006)

When watching Netflix's new sci-fi drama Spaceman, be prepared for a side of Adam Sandler you rarely see. Sandler plays Jakub Procházka, an astronaut sent on a solo mission to the solar system's edge. Six months into his mission, Jakub contemplates if his marriage to his wife, Lenka (Carey Mulligan), can be saved upon returning to Earth. With no other human on the ship, Jakub confides in Hanuš, (voiced by Paul Dano), an extraterrestrial spider who helps the astronaut work through his problems.

Ultimately, Spaceman is a film about self-discovery as a man seeks to change his ways before it's too late. Spaceman begins streaming on March 1 on Netflix. If you're looking for similar movies, consider watching these three films, including a dramatic showcase for Brad Pitt, an underrated biopic, and a time-traveling saga. Ad Astra (2019)

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Nothing is what it seems in this wonderfully ambitious and weird film

By paul byrnes, save articles for later.

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Linoleum ★★★ (M) 110 minutes

A lot of things fall out of the sky in Linoleum , an American indie feature from Ohio-born director Colin West. These include a red Corvette and the business end of an American lunar rocket, which falls into the garden of a man who wants desperately to be an astronaut.

Jim Gaffigan and Rhea Seehorn in a scene from Linoleum. Credit: Kismet

Cameron Edwin (stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan) is a disappointed 50-year-old scientist. His far more disappointed wife Erin (Rhea Seehorn) wants a divorce. His daughter Nora (Katelyn Nacon) wants to be a lesbian but likes the new boy next door, Marc (Gabriel Rush). Marc’s father (also played by Gaffigan) is a real astronaut and a real bastard. His arrival presages Cameron getting fired. The science-for-kids cable show he made in his basement is taken from him. Cam tells himself nobody watched it anyway, given that it was on at midnight.

Nothing here is as it seems. West tells us this at the start, when we hear someone ask Cameron to open his eyes. Is he in a coma or a dream? We wait patiently for the revelation but West is in no hurry. In a film about the passing of time, he concentrates more on tone, a risky decision.

West has made a number of sci-fi inclined shorts and two short features, but Linoleum could be considered a feature debut, were it not for the fact that it feels more like an over-extended short.

Rhea Seehorn stars in Linoleum , a film where nothing is quite what it seems. Credit: Kismet

Things to admire: it’s wonderfully ambitious and weird; the story is imaginative, the performances terrific; there’s a sense of a deep theme strongly felt, to do with dementia. If execution matched ambition, Linoleum would be topping the charts of interesting, quirky amusing features. West would have a strong claim to bigger budgets and more resources. He still might, given that he handles actors and comedic action so well. What lets him down is structure, and the ruthless need to prioritise his ideas.

Linoleum never achieves enough thrust as either sad comedy or existential drama. West likes his script devices on the outside, like the pipes on the Pompidou Centre in Paris. His characters keep saying “It’s not that simple” so that we notice. This is our cue to build a structure of ideas on top of what we’re seeing. There’s nothing wrong with that if the main line of the story is sturdy.

When Cameron starts to rebuild the rocket in his garage, we grasp that main line, hoping it will bring us home in both a comedic and dramatic sense. West refuses to concede that need for speed: for him, it’s not that simple. Except that it kind of is, if you want the viewer to go along. No one owes you their attention, after all.

Linoleum is in select cinemas from March 30.

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Best movie of 2023 so far? 'Linoleum,' a low-budget stunner that plays with time, memory

I would not have guessed that my favorite movie of the year so far would be a low-budget time-bending stunner starring Jim Gaffigan as a sad-sack would-be astronaut and all-around washout.

Yet here we are.

“Linoleum” is a gem, the kind of movie that you want to tell your friends about, except you can’t, really, because too much of it is a puzzle folded in on itself in such a way that you don’t even realize it's happening right in front of you. So instead you just have to beg them to see it.

So I am begging you: See “Linoleum.”

'Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey': A demented disappointment, with one truly scary bit

Jim Gaffigan, known for comic roles, shines in a drama

Gaffigan, known more for his comedy act and goofy, lightly comic roles, plays Cameron Edwin, the star of a local kids’ science show that airs at midnight. Kind of a bad time slot for a children’s show, isn’t it, asks his teenage daughter Nora (Katelyn Nacon, outstanding). Yes, Cam acknowledges, but his boss dangles a Saturday-morning slot the way Lucy dangles a football in front of Charlie Brown.

Cam’s a mess. The show’s going nowhere, his wife Erin (Rhea Seehorn), who used to co-star with him, wants a divorce and he is haunted by the feeling that his life hasn’t gone where he wanted it to. There are two kinds of people, his father told him, astronauts and astronomers. One looks at the stars, the other goes out among them.

Cam is not an astronaut.

He wants to be, though, sending off applications to NASA. That goes about as expected.

Everything changes when a sports car falls out of the sky

And then one day a red sports car falls out of the sky. Cam helps save the driver, who turns out to be Kent Armstrong, a successful scientist who looks a lot like Cam — and has come to replace him on the show.

Kent is everything Cam is not, at least in terms of success, but also in terms of temperament and confidence. Gaffigan plays both roles, and threads the needle of making them similar but unique.

Erin doesn’t believe Cam about the car, even though the local paper writes a story about it. Then, the day Cam learns of his replacement (he’s offered a consulting role on the show) a rocket crashes in his backyard.

Yes, things fall from the sky in writer and director Colin West’s film. And it works.

Two things then happen. One is that Kent’s son Marc (Gabriel Rush) starts hanging out with Nora, much to Kent’s chagrin. Both find solace in an outsider. Nora’s home life is obviously in flux, and Marc’s is worse — Kent is strict and demanding to the point of abusiveness. Their friendship, thanks to the honesty of the performances, plays as genuine.

The other is that, with Marc’s encouragement, Cam revives his dreams of becoming an astronaut and begins mining the crash site in his backyard for spare parts. Trying to ignite a rocket ignites a spark in him, giving him the encouragement he needs.

Rhea Seehorn seems like a villain at first but...

If this sounds like it’s going in a familiar direction, it’s not. If you think you know what happens next, you don’t. But where West’s film takes us is not as important as how he gets us there (which is not to say the destination is immaterial; it’s not, and immensely satisfying).

While playing with time and memory, which are by any standard pretty big issues, West uses small things to keep the audience invested in following the story. Gaffigan’s performance, for instance, is a marvel of making incremental discoveries, his character’s and ours.

Seehorn’s Erin, meanwhile, at first is almost a villain, nitpicking every word her husband says, not bothering to hide her disdain. Yet through VCR tapes of the old version of their science show, we see what their lives once were like, the joy they had in working together. They wanted to do something awesome.

“It’s not that simple” is a refrain throughout the film. But maybe it is, one character says. The storytelling in “Linoleum” isn’t simple, but the joys of its discoveries are. It’ll make you think, and ultimately it will make you smile.

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'Linoleum' 4.5 stars

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

Director: Colin West.

Cast: Jim Gaffigan, Rhea Seehorn, Katelyn Nacon.

Rating: Not rated.

How to watch: In theaters Feb. 24.

Reach Goodykoontz at  [email protected] . Facebook:  facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm . Twitter:  @goodyk .

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Common sense media reviewers.

Poignant, moving sci-fi dramedy soars; strong language.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Somewhat mysterious messages come together in the

Cameron is a positive role model who's gone throug

No racial diversity among key characters. Female s

A car accident leaves the driver unconscious but i

Teen characters' relationship is implied to be mov

Language includes "a--holes," "bulls--t," "s--t,"

Convertible sports car is used throughout to depic

Teens bond while drinking what appears to be beer.

Parents need to know that Linoleum is a sci-fi film with a light approach, a potent message, and a real emotional impact. Jim Gaffigan stars as the relatable, affable main character, Cameron, who demonstrates perseverance as he tries to build a rocket ship in his garage. There are a few moments of violence: a…

Positive Messages

Somewhat mysterious messages come together in the end and prove to be about connectedness, family, support, and perseverance.

Positive Role Models

Cameron is a positive role model who's gone through life trying to do things aboveboard, but that doesn't result in the success he wants. When he and his wife, Erin, work together, they find more personal happiness, even if the result of their work isn't as satisfying. Cameron's teen daughter, Nora, and the boy across the street stand firm in their identities and ultimately find acceptance. And Cameron and Erin are shown being patient, loving, caring, and present for his elderly father, who's suffering from dementia. But characters also make some iffy decisions, like Erin stealing something significant from work and Nora handling her outrage with violence in one instance.

Diverse Representations

No racial diversity among key characters. Female scientist character is counter-stereotypical, and there's some diversity in terms of sexuality: A teen girl identifies as queer, and a teen boy wears women's underwear.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

A car accident leaves the driver unconscious but isn't shown graphically. Moment of significant peril, which viewers are warned about. Punch. Suggestion of child abuse.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Teen characters' relationship is implied to be moving from friendship to romance.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Language includes "a--holes," "bulls--t," "s--t," "what the hell," "worth a damn," and "shut up." Shocking use of "f--k you" that's depicted as wrong and elicits an apology. "Dyke" said in a derogatory manner. Exclamatory "Jesus!"

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Convertible sports car is used throughout to depict success.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Linoleum is a sci-fi film with a light approach, a potent message, and a real emotional impact. Jim Gaffigan stars as the relatable, affable main character, Cameron, who demonstrates perseverance as he tries to build a rocket ship in his garage. There are a few moments of violence: a hard punch, suggestions of child abuse, and car accidents. Characters also use strong language, sometimes with the intention of being hurtful ("a--holes," "dyke," "f--k you," etc.). Teens share what looks like a beer. While the movie's setting of Fairview Heights, Ohio, is depicted as a very White community, the movie's teen characters do offer some representation in terms of sexuality: Cameron's daughter, Nora (Katelyn Nacon), identifies as queer, and she finds her soulmate in a boy who prefers to wear women's underwear. No kisses happen on camera, but it's understood that their friendship is deepening into a romantic one. While snippets of actual science lessons for children are seen in clips from a PBS kids' show, this film is far more likely to appeal to teens and their parents. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

Videos and photos.

Community Reviews

• Parents say (1)

Based on 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In LINOLEUM, life isn't turning out as Cameron Edwin ( Jim Gaffigan ) imagined. He never achieved his dream of becoming an astronaut, his children's TV show is failing, and his wife ( Rhea Seehorn ) is divorcing him. But when space junk falls into his backyard, Jim realizes that maybe it's not too late for his dreams to come true.

Is It Any Good?

Unexpectedly poignant and weirdly beautiful, this dramedy is like a falling star you feel lucky to have spotted. Cameron is in the throes of a mid-life crisis. He's done everything right, operating with integrity and perseverance, but it's just not going to happen for him. It's through his try-hard vulnerability that viewers grow to care about him, as well as the teen boy (Gabriel Rush) who moves in across the street -- the son of Cameron's nemesis. Yes, there are a few head-scratcher moments, like an elderly woman who stands outside Cameron's house, or a sports car that falls from the sky. But then we get reabsorbed in the story and forget about them. Several words or phrases keep oddly coming up, and we wonder, is that weird? Finally, the magic occurs, likely leaving viewers with a "whoa" moment -- one that may even elicit tears from adults. Linoleum is the kind of film that you may want to rewatch down the road, looking for bread crumbs that were, in hindsight, so enormous that you might have been tripping on them all along.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about Linoleum 's message. Is it simple or not that simple? What do you think the filmmakers are trying to say?

Parents, share what you wanted to be when you grew up -- and how you pursued that passion (or why you changed your goal). Kids, what's your dream? What is something "fantastic" that you'd like to achieve together?

What is an unreliable narrator? Do you think that applies to this film?

How do the science lessons tie into the story? Which of these science facts did you already know?

Talk about the movie's plot twist. Did you see it coming?

Movie Details

• In theaters : February 24, 2023
• Cast : Jim Gaffigan , Rhea Seahorn , Katelyn Nacon
• Director : Colin West
• Inclusion Information : Female actors
• Studio : Shout! Studios
• Genre : Science Fiction
• Topics : STEM , Great Boy Role Models , Great Girl Role Models , High School
• Character Strengths : Perseverance
• Run time : 102 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Award : Common Sense Selection
• Last updated : October 14, 2023

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REVIEW: An Impressive Jim Gaffigan Can't Save Scattered Sci-Fi Dramedy Linoleum

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There are a lot of quirky elements crammed into writer-director Colin West's dramedy Linoleum. The overload of strange occurrences and oddball coincidences gets unwieldy pretty quickly, and it seems increasingly unlikely as the movie goes on that West will be able to tie it all together. The most disappointing thing about Linoleum is that West seems to give up on making these strange details into something coherent, instead throwing in confusing twists that invalidate rather than enhance everything that came earlier.

Linoleum starts as the story of a midlife crisis, starring Jim Gaffigan as failed astronomer and aspiring TV host Cameron Edwin. Cameron lives in a magical-realist version of 1980s suburbia in the generic Ohio town of Fairview Heights. In the opening scene, Cameron witnesses what appears to be a car falling from the sky and crashing onto his quiet street, although later, he encounters the car's inhabitant, astronaut Kent Armstrong (also Gaffigan), who is uninjured and denies that any such accident occurred.

That incident sets the tone for Linoleum , which is sometimes a grounded family drama and sometimes a sci-fi-adjacent adventure. Cameron is frustrated with his situation in life, jealous of the more accomplished Kent, who's won prestigious science awards and has traveled to space, while Cameron can only get rejection letters from NASA. The one professional accomplishment that Cameron can hold onto is the kids' TV science show that he hosts and produces in his garage, reminiscent of Mr. Wizard or Bill Nye the Science Guy . He's hoping to finally get bumped up to a Saturday-morning slot on a local TV station, but instead, he finds out that PBS has decided to pick up the show nationally. The only problem is that they want Kent to be the new host.

At home, Cameron is estranged from his wife Erin ( Better Call Saul 's Rhea Seehorn), who's filed for divorce but is keeping up the illusion of a happy marriage for the sake of their kids. Teenage Nora (Katelyn Nacon) is a top student but a bit of a social misfit, and she connects with new classmate and fellow outcast Marc (Gabriel Rush) -- who happens to be Kent's son. The Edwins' younger son Sam never speaks and is played by different actors -- including two of Gaffigan's real-life sons -- in each scene. Clearly, something is off there, but Linoleum teases these weird glitches for most of its running time before clumsily explaining them away in a rush of exposition in the final act.

RELATED: Better Call Saul's Rhea Seehorn Read Scripts Expecting to Find Kim's Death

All of that would be plenty for Cameron to handle, without even mentioning the vintage space debris that crashes in his backyard. Federal agents declare the area off-limits, but Cameron defies their orders and salvages the damaged module for parts, determined to build his own rocket and fly into orbit if NASA won't accept him. The whimsy clashes with the scientific aspects, and it's hard to tell whether Cameron's potential journey into space is meant to be taken literally.

It's hard to tell whether anything in Linoleum is meant to be taken literally, which makes it tough to get emotionally invested in any of the character arcs. Gaffigan, who's still best known for his stand-up comedy, is impressive in the dual roles, making the two men distinctive but complementary. He gives an affecting performance as Cameron, retaining his wry humor while conveying Cameron's melancholy. Seehorn matches him with Erin's regret, although her progression is always secondary to Cameron's. Erin works in administration at the local air and space museum, but like Cameron, she once had bigger dreams of scientific glory.

Linoleum pushes hard on its theme of the cost of giving up on your dreams, and West builds to what's meant to be a grand, profound crescendo. Instead, it's mostly muddled and frustrating, as the specific character development is rendered largely irrelevant for the sake of twists that aren't nearly as mind-blowing as they're presented to be. Even before the cascade of confusing revelations, Linoleum has become a convoluted mess, mixing metaphors and losing sight of the characters' motivations. Especially disappointing is a subplot that finds the confidently out lesbian Nora questioning her sexuality thanks to the cute boy she just met.

Linoleum is a follow-up to West's similarly inscrutable and self-serious 2021 thriller Double Walker . It's a step up in terms of style and performances, including amusing supporting turns from Michael Ian Black and Tony Shalhoub. West creates an immersive retro setting, mixing period detail in an evocative, if not exactly historically accurate, way. Linoleum can only get by for so long on vibes, and the messy plotting and abrupt tonal shifts eventually overwhelm the appealingly twee visuals. Instead of adding up to a cathartic climax, it crashes into a dissatisfying mess.

Linoleum opens Friday, Feb. 24, in select theaters.

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Jim Gaffigan Explains the Ending of Linoleum

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Warning: Spoilers follow about the ending of Linoleum. Stop reading now if you don’t want it spoiled.

If you’ve seen Jim Gaffigan’s new movie Linoleum directed by Colin West, you might have grasped what happened during the ending right away. Or, if you’re like me, you might have debated what the ending means with your partner for a while afterward.

In either case, worry not — I asked Jim Gaffigan to explain it to me once and for all, and he kindly obliged.

The stand-up comedian and actor plays two characters in Linoleum — Cameron Edwin, a father of two who hosts a children’s science program on a local public access network while his wife, Erin (Rhea Seehorn) tries to get him to be a little more practical and realistic. Once an aspiring astronaut, Cameron is generally disappointed in how his life has turned out, believing that he never got the chance to do something great — until a car falls out of the sky and lands in the street right in front of his house.

In it is Gaffigan’s other character: Kent Armstrong, who by all accounts appears to be a younger, better-looking, and more successful version of Cameron. To top it all off, not long after Kent arrives, something else falls from the sky — this time, it’s a rocket from outer space, and it lands in Cameron’s backyard. As his daughter, Nora (Katelyn Nacon) befriends Kent’s son, Marc (Gabriel Rush), Cameron decides it’s his destiny to build a new rocket out of the smashed rocket’s parts and try to salvage his dreams of finally becoming an astronaut — with a little help from his father, Mac (Roger Hendricks Simon), who is suffering from dementia.

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So what does the ending of Linoleum mean? Here’s Jim Gaffigan to explain

The ending of Linoleum reveals that the story we’ve just watched was essentially just Cameron’s brain trying to make sense of his life in his final years as he struggles with dementia, which impairs a person’s ability to remember details and can cause them to forget people they’ve known all their lives.

As Gaffigan explained it to me, that means that Mac, Cameron’s elderly father, is actually present-day Cameron. Marc represents young Cameron, and Nora represents young Erin. Kent is what Cameron hoped he would become — and he also represents Cameron’s memories of his abusive father.

All of these versions of himself and the people he loves are swirling around in Cameron’s brain as he tries to piece together the different parts of his life. As Tony Shalhoub’s doctor character aptly put it, “the brain has plaque on it, but there’s no brain toothbrush.”

Here what Jim Gaffigan said about the ending.

“It was kind of how he sees his life — it all becomes a jumbled mess,” Gaffigan tells MovieMaker . “We learn that Erin has stayed with him. She went back and did the show with him because that job at the museum was someone else’s dream. Cameron realized that he didn’t need to go to space, that what’s more important — what’s fantastic — is a rich, fulfilling relationship, which is not a foregone conclusion for everyone. There are different versions of Cameron throughout his life.”

“How we tell a story in our memory can determine whether it’s a positive story or a negative story,” he adds.

The Kent vs. Cameron paradox is essentially Cameron’s self-doubt and self-esteem battling each other in his imagination.

“If you look at Kent and Cameron, Kent has this absence of doubt. Kent drives a Corvette and Cameron rides a bike… Cameron’s defeated and Kent is the victor. And the reality is that we both have moments — everyone has moments in their life, sometimes in the same hour, where they feel like Kent, and they have moments where they feel like Cameron. Kent, nothing can go wrong. ‘I’ve finally figured it out.’ … And particularly creative people, like writers and stuff like that, we have these moments where we’re like, ‘Look at this, I get to do what I like!’ And then within 10 minutes, we’re like, ‘I can’t believe this is all I get to do.’ It’s just this fluid thing,” Jim Gaffigan says.

Why Cameron’s young son, Sam, never speaks

“Sam is, if you notice, played by five different kids, and two of those kids are actually my kids,” Gaffigan says of Cameron and Erin’s young son, Sam, who is seen sitting at the breakfast table as well as some other scenes throughout the movie. But Sam never speaks, and Gaffigan explains why — because Sam doesn’t exist.

“Cameron and Erin never had a child, or lost a child. That makes you go back and inform their relationship further,” he says. “The boy never says anything, right? So when Cameron is sitting at the dinner table and he’s talking to his family about this car that just fell out of the sky, he’s talking to his wife who is probably in the older version, saying, ‘Well, that’s an ambulance.’ She knows the real story, which is that his father almost tried to run him over, so she’s trying to steer it that way. But his younger version memory of his wife is the one that sees it through the prism of the patriarchy… so in that scenario, the boy doesn’t exist, but in his [Cameron’s] dementia mind, he is there. His wife is his wife, and his daughter is an earlier version of his wife.”

What does the title Linoleum mean?

“The linoleum is the floor that was present, and it’s kind of this dull flooring that you see in many different environments: in the basement, in the kitchen, in the doctor’s office,” Jim Gaffigan says.

In other words, the linoleum is the common thread that holds all the different versions of Cameron together — and it all boils down to the love story between Cameron and Erin.

“That’s why I think the movie is really this love story, because in a way, the most generous person in the whole movie is Erin, who has this caretaking role, who is taking care of Cameron, who obviously is dealing with dementia,” Gaffigan says. “That’s the greatest thing that Cameron could have ever hoped for in life, is having a caring partner that would be there for him at the end.”

Linoleum is now playing in select theaters.

Main Image: Jim Gaffigan and Rhea Seehorn in Colin West’s Linoleum . Photo credit: Shout! Studios

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Fan-favorite comedian, actor, writer, and producer, Jim Gaffigan stars in the sci-fi film Linoleum , along with Better Call Saul star Rhea Seehorn . The sci-fi comedy-drama features Gaffigan as Cameron Edwin, with Seehorn featuring as his wife, Erin. Cameron is the host of a failing science TV show for children, and currently undergoing a mid-life crisis. So, when a mysterious satellite suddenly lands in his backyard, it reignites his life-long aspiration of becoming an astronaut, and he sets out to rebuild the machine into a rocket. But that's just the beginning as a series of surreal events soon ensue.

Directed and written by Colin West , Linoleum also stars Katelyn Nacon , Amy Hargreaves , Roger Hendricks Simon , Elisabeth Henry , West Duchovny , Michael Ian Black , and Tony Shalhoub , in various roles. The sci-fi dramedy opened at the 2022 SXSW Festival and had strongly positive reviews and initial reactions from fans and critics alike, including a nomination for the Grand Jury Prize. Praising the film for its narrative and meaningfulness, our very own Collider staff review of Linoleum states,

West has made an extraordinary tale of the personal universes we all inhabit, the strange messiness of life, and the beauty of how everything all shakes out in the end.

After a great festival premiere, the film is now set to release to the wider public this week. If you are a fan of out-of-ordinary sci-fi stories, or simply stories about life, the universe, and everything, then Linoleum may be a good choice for you. So, here's when, where, and how you can watch Linoleum when it releases.

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When Is Linoleum Coming to Movie Theaters?

Shout! Studios is releasing Linoleum on February 24, 2023, at select theaters across the United States. As we already mentioned, the film has its premiere at the 2022 South by Southwest (SXSW) festival on March 12, 2022.

Watch the Linoleum Trailer

The official trailer of Linoleum opens with Cameron’s (Gaffigan) voiceover, reminiscing about what his father used to tell him. Within seconds, odd things begin to happen in his otherwise uneventful life. First, a bright red car just drops from the sky and crashes in front of his house, and there he finds what appears to be a younger version of himself, lying unconscious. Next, a part of a rocket falls into his backyard. While all this might seem extraordinary, Cameron finds purpose in these strange events. Meanwhile, we also see other characters like Seehorn’s Erin, who is also going through her own crisis, and Katelyn Nacon’s Nora Edwin, their daughter. While Nora seems a little excited about the recent events, Erin is having difficulty accepting how invested Cameron is in all this.

From the overview, Linoleum might seem like a very lateral, creepy sci-fi movie, but it’s more than that, as the trailer clearly shows. As the video touches upon certain nuances of the protagonists, it’s not hard to guess that this film is more about the characters and why they are the way they are, more than what they do, presented in an unusual narrative.

Linoleum Showtimes

If you're looking for Linoleum showtimes and tickets, the following links may be helpful:

You can also visit the movie’s official website , which details a number of special screening venues and times, including links for tickets. These screenings are available from February 24 through March 28, 2023, with some theaters hosting a special Q&A session with Colin West and some of the cast members.

Related: Jim Gaffigan on ‘Luca’ and Why He Thinks David Lowery’s ‘Peter Pan & Wendy’ Will Be The Best ‘Peter Pan’ Movie

Will Linoleum Be Streaming Online?

As of now, there’s no announcement from the production team about whether Linoleum will be available for streaming or not. But sometime in the coming months, the film might hit one of the major streaming platforms. In the meantime, you can watch this space for the latest update on the streaming release of Linoleum .

When Is Linoleum Getting a VOD or DVD Release?

Again, there’s no official update on the Video-On-Demand or physical media release of Linoleum yet. But that said, considering its limited theatrical run and the fact that no streamer has been confirmed yet, Linoleum could arrive on VOD sometime soon. The same goes for the film’s DVD release, but that could take a couple of months before it happens.

What Is Linoleum About?

Linoleum is about a man’s aspirations and changing perspectives on life. As writer-director Colin West mentioned in an interview with Collider at SXSW 2022 alongside Seehorn and Gaffigan , the film, at its core, is a love story between Seehorn’s Erin and Gaffigan’s Cameron, where we get to look at their lives, together and individually, with a little bit of sci-fi and comedic elements to the story.

Set in a small town in Ohio, the story follows Cameron Edwin, a down-on-his-luck host of a children’s science television show, who lives with his wife Erin and daughter Nora. When a part of a rocket randomly crashes into his backyard, it brings a little spark to his otherwise boring life but strains his relationship with his wife, Erin, who is also going through her own mid-life struggles. Simultaneously, he meets his doppelganger, a much younger, go-getter version of himself, who seems to fall out of the sky in a car. If these events were not enough, he also befriends a teenage boy who encourages him to build a DIY rocket with the spare parts in his backyard. Cameron always dreamed of becoming an astronaut, so this opportunity becomes the highlight of his life. Unfortunately, all this leads to more surreal events that start affecting his state of mind, his marriage, and his very sense of reality.

Related: 'Atlanta', 'I Love My Dad' Among 2022 SXSW Audience Award Winners

More Sci-Fi Comedies and Dramas That You Can Watch Right Now

What makes sci-fi comedies click with fans? Perhaps it’s the element of warmth that comes with humor, and looking at complex things about the universe in simpler ways. Linoleum definitely seems to fit that bill. But if you are a fan of stories like these, then you may also want to check out these other films where science, adventure, and drama collide.

Midnight in Paris (2011) : Though not technically science fiction per se, this film does blend the journey of self-discovery with time travel in an off-the-wall way. So, it has kind of a little bit of everything, from art and history to fantasy and introspection, quite like Linoleum . Midnight in Paris follows Gil, a debut novelist who heads to Paris with his fiancée. While navigating the gaps in his relationship, he finds himself transported to the past of the city he loves, where he meets his literary idols and embarks on a new experience every night.

Directed by Woody Allen , the film features an ensemble cast including Owen Wilson , Adrien Brody , Carla Bruni , Marion Cotillard , Kathy Bates , Rachel McAdams , Michael Sheen , and Tom Hiddleston , among others.

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About Time (2013) : Although it might sound somewhat similar to Midnight in Paris , About Time deals with time travel in a very different way. The film focuses more on interpersonal relationships, family, and romance, through a comedic narrative. The plot revolves around a family where the men have an extraordinary gift, the ability to travel through time. Tim Lake ( Domhnall Gleeson ) discovers his ability as he turns 21, and he uses it to try and find love. But every journey back in time leads to a different result, and it takes a while before Tim finally learns the real lessons of time travel. Written and directed by Richard Curtis , About Time stars Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams , Bill Nighy , Tom Hollander , and Margot Robbie in major roles.

Watch on Prime Video

The Man from Earth (2007): Directed by Richard Schenkman , and written by Jerome Bixby , this sci-fi drama refutes everything that comes to mind about the genre. Without any time travel, spaceships, or uncanny occurrences, The Man from Earth rides solely on the narrative. It follows the story of Professor John Oldman, played by David Lee Smith , who claims to be an ageless caveman, walking the earth for more than 14000 years. The entire film is set in his home, where he narrates his life story to his friends and colleagues, and is driven only by dialogue. As the story progresses, it makes Oldman’s audience, as well as the film's viewers, speculate about immortality and philosophies of life. The film also stars John Billingsley and Tony Todd .

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Brothers Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross straddle the lines of documentary v. fictional storytelling with their newest “Gasoline Rainbow.” Gathering five non-acting teens to embody the story’s central friend group, we are consistently unsure how much direction has been given to the group as we follow them on the road. The precarious nature of this strategy pays off, with the lack of fabrication delivering awe-inspiring authenticity and grace.

Nathaly, Makai, Nichole, Tony, and Micah are approaching high school graduation: the precipice of the end of youth and the beginning of jobs, college, rules, and obligations. Their small town of Wiley, Oregon is 513 miles from the Pacific Coast, and with the future uncertain, all they want to do is see the ocean. Packing into a van with a signature “f*ck it” mentality, they take off across the American West, smoking weed, talking Enya, and meeting other curious souls along the way.

“Gasoline Rainbow” is a road film in its truest form. The best understanding we get of “home” are glimpses of high school IDs and peeks into childhood bedrooms as the teens prepare to leave them behind. Everything else is the open road. From abandoned towns to turbine fields and quick familial drop-ins amidst train hopping, “Gasoline Rainbow” poignantly conflates the experience of youth with the physicality of their vagabond endeavor.

We slowly learn a bit about each of the film’s characters, from alcoholic parents to immigration-based persecutions and feelings of racial isolation. Many individualized anxieties and hopes are spoken via voiceover on top of images of stunning landscapes. And while we may recognize who is speaking, the disembodiment of these deliveries lands us in the face of youth culture rather than sole feelings - the stories aren’t meant to be Nichole’s or Tony’s, but microcosms of what they’re all going through. 

These moments, as moving as they are, remain essential without being the film’s true color. They’re pieces of a puzzle in the broader portrait of Gen-Z youth. What is most impactful are the innocuous moments, conversations and nonverbal connections between the quintet and those they encounter. Their effortless emotional awareness colliding with their sometimes-indignant immaturity is constantly charming. Though you’re unlikely to recall every detail of dialogue, it’s the swarming feeling of familiarity, nostalgia, and spirit that stays with you. 

The Ross brothers’ direction is romantic and, as expected, picturesque. Shots look like postcards you’d send on the road, and a few freeze frames drive this home. A consequential tribute to the landscape of the American West, the film’s framing and plot habitually home in on elements of scale: the kids walking a road lined by wind turbines, running out into seemingly endless expanses of desert, a partying beside the skeleton of a long-abandoned beached ship. They’re fractional in every environment, except within the van, actively driving, where the only thing that exists is them and opportunity. The minuteness of their forms, and of course, lives is always center stage, making their boastful displays of personality and wisdom all the more affecting. 

Where Kerouac’s journey was set largely to a soundtrack of jazz, the teens in “Gasoline Rainbow” profess equal penchant for Biggie Smalls as they do for Enya, enforcing the multi-cultural influence that permeates the story. They connect with all kinds of people along the way, like-minded teens, punky self-professed hobos who become mentors of the journey, and even, in a blatant display of youth’s precarity, a young man they stumble across on the road in the middle of the night and take into their van. The little dichotomies of their thoughtful conversations coupled with their sometimes mortally concerning decision making, brings together a film that is pointedly genuine. 

“Gasoline Rainbow” feels like a living, breathing, laughing organism. It’s not a caricature of Gen-Z nor a wishful document of what we may hope or theorize 2020s youth to be, and the Ross brothers’ largely hands-off technique allows this to thrive. As a Gen-Zer myself (though an older one), it’s easy to view my generation through lenses of internet prowess, mental health awareness, and political gusto. And while these are all things I duly admire, I find myself neglecting to acknowledge the central tenet of youth that perseveres amidst the endless barrage of doom-scrolling and inescapable awareness of plights near and far. What Gen-Z also has is the privilege to be so early on in the journey of discovering ourselves and the brazenness and optimism of endeavoring into the unknown, and “Gasoline Rainbow” was the joyful, hopeful kick in the pants that reminded me. 

Peyton Robinson

Peyton Robinson is a freelance film writer based in Chicago, IL. 

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‘Treasure’ Review: Unearthing the Past

Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry star in a Holocaust-memory drama that uneasily doubles as a father-daughter road movie.

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By Ben Kenigsberg

Along with Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain,” scheduled for release this fall, Julia von Heinz’s “Treasure” is one of at least two dramas this year to follow the American descendants of Holocaust survivors on travels across Poland. Von Heinz’s film is based on a novel by the Australia-raised author Lily Brett, herself the daughter of survivors. But whatever complexities might come across in the book don’t register in a film that has been fashioned, sometimes uneasily, into a sentimental father-daughter road movie.

It is 1991, and Ruth (Lena Dunham, asked to do the most serious acting of her career), a journalist, has planned a trip to Poland. Her father, Edek (Stephen Fry), who, along with Ruth’s mother, survived Auschwitz, has insisted on joining her. He says he couldn’t let his daughter visit Poland alone.

Initially, “Treasure” presents Edek as a goofy lug, jocular and uninhibited. But his carefree attitude masks repressed trauma, to an extent that Fry never manages to make visceral. Unnerved by train travel, Edek hires a driver (Zbigniew Zamachowski, from Krzysztof Kieslowski’s “White”) to take them from site to site. “Treasure” builds to their trip to Auschwitz, where Edek quickly takes over from the tour guide with an outpouring of memories.

The crux of the film involves their visits to the Lodz apartment from which Edek and his family were exiled in 1940. Ruth wants to reclaim what was stolen from her family; Edek has a learned fear of not moving on from the past. Their difference in outlooks is a potentially powerful subject, but miscasting has blunted its impact.

Treasure Rated R. Intense descriptions of survival in Auschwitz. Running time: 1 hour 52 minutes. In theaters.

‘Lula’ Review: An Incomplete Portrait of Brazil’s Fiery Left-Wing President

Oliver Stone serves as both filmmaker and on-screen interviewer in a blinkered political exploration.  

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Directed by Oliver Stone (and co-directed by Rob Wilson), the 90-minute political portrait “ Lula ” covers a vast amount of historical and contemporary ground. However, despite its handful of rousing moments, the documentary — about Brazil’s current pro-worker president, Lula da Silva — comes from a limited perspective that prevents a fuller examination of the man, his myth and the people who believe in him.

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There are, however, moments in which the documentary functions as a cautionary tale about the abuse of power, as well as an ode to the journalists and whistleblowers who oppose and expose it. But at the end of the day, few of these tidbits in the film are directly tethered to Lula as an interview subject or feel like the outcome of the unprecedented access Stone was granted to the enigmatic figure and his inner circle. That a film called “Lula” creates its most engrossing moments without its titular subject — which is to say, a film that could have been just as intense and intriguing without his presence or insight — is a strange, unintended consequence of scattered journalistic filmmaking from a place of incuriosity.

Despite Lula fighting for workers against capitalist power and governmental cults of personality (as represented by former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro), the movie ends up isolating its eponymous subject from wider social and political contexts far too often — not to mention, the intimate context of his painful life story. In the process, Stone ironically worships Lula as a personality first and foremost, rather than treating him as a nexus for rousing social change.

In this way, the film’s approach can’t help but feel antithetical to Lula’s own outlook and political credo. Stone seeks to illuminate him as a radical left wing politician in a world leaning consistently right. What this truly means beneath the façade of political aesthetics, and how it would impact Brazilian and American institutions alike, is something “Lula” doesn’t confront, and given Stone’s omnipresence in the film — he’s practically a co-lead — it comes across as something he does not wish to confront either.

In the end, “Lula” is too much about Lula da Silva, and simultaneously too little about him as well. Its focus on Lula, the icon, verges on gleefully uncritical, while its focus on Lula, the human being, slips comfortably and un-threateningly in the backdrop.

Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival (Special Screenings), May 19, 2024. Running time: 90 MIN.

• Production: (Documentary – U.S.-Brazil) An Ixtlan, New Element Media production. (World sales: Gersh Agency, Los Angeles.) Producers: Maximilien Arvelaiz, Fernando Sulichin, Rob Wilson.
• Crew: Director: Oliver Stone. Co-director: Rob Wilson. Writers: Kurt Mattila, Alexis Chavez. Camera: Lucas Fuica, João Atala. Editors: Alexis Chavez, Kurt Mattila, Mark Franks. Music: Heitor Pereira.
• With: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Glenn Greenwald, Cristiano Zanin, Valeska Martins, Walter Delgatti Neto, Rosângela da Silva. (Portuguese, English dialogue)

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Treasure review: lena dunham & stephen fry are great in drama that doesn't get us where it wants to go.

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• Family road trips unravel deeper emotions in Treasure, as Ruth and Edek navigate grief and trauma in Poland.
• Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry excel in portraying a complex father-daughter relationship with touching and heady performances.
• Despite good intentions, Treasure struggles to fully explore emotional themes, leaving poignant moments unfulfilled.

Family road trips are a pain no matter what. Using a family road trip to unpack the grief and trauma left behind in the wake of death complicates things further. In 1991 Poland, Ruth (Lena Dunham) meets her Polish father Edek (Stephen Fry) to visit the place he's from and where he lived for much of his life before World War II upended it.

Treasure (2024)

Treasure seems stuck between two places, a father-daughter road trip comedy and a deeper meditation on grief, the past, and the way a trauma like the Holocaust is passed down through generations. There's no reason it can't be both, but in its balancing act, it ends up shaky on both fronts.

Stephen Fry & Lena Dunham Are A Perfect Pair

The two actors are treasure's greatest strength.

Dunham is already the queen of awkward comedy — her stint as Hannah Horvath on Girls , a series she created, wrote, and sometimes directed, cemented her as a divisive icon of early 2010s culture. Fry has a slew of comedic and dramatic credits to his name. Here, he gets to flex both muscles: Edek is a gruff man, consumed by grief and lost within himself. His desire to avoid looking too deeply into his past is both part of his humorous charm and the bane of Ruth's existence.

Edek often tells the people they encounter — drivers, bell boys, hotel concierges — that his daughter is famous, but Ruth is just a journalist who interviews famous people sometimes. The distinction doesn't matter to him, though, even if it does to Ruth. Dunham plays the disconnect between Ruth and Edek well. Ruth indulges her father to a point, but it's clear that, in having different ideas of what this trip back to Poland should be, they are at more of a crossroads than he realizes.

Treasure's Emotional Story Gets Lost Somewhere Along The Way

Some emotional moments struggle to land.

It's fruitless to compare emotional pain, but Treasure makes it clear that both Ruth and Edek are hurting in different ways. Ruth resorts to self-harm, Edek resorts to brushing emotion off with his gregarious personality. In brushing it off, though, we don't get to dive deeper into their pain. We know why they both hurt, but Treasure doesn't seem to know what to do with their pain. It's fitting considering that neither Edek nor Ruth do either.

They hold on to this pain because it's all they've known; Edek, ruminating on his past, Ruth, still reeling from her divorce and the loss of her mother. The physical objects we hold on to represent a certain sadness, too, and much of Treasure is about getting back items lost in time. And really, does a silver bowl matter, in the grand scheme of things, just because your mother used it? Whether we want to admit it, it ultimately does.

Dunham and Fry both give great performances, a study in contrasts that is touching and heady, but the surrounding story doesn't dig in the way it needs to.

If only Treasure could get us where it wants us to go. It has all the right elements, but something's missing in the way it explores these themes. Dunham and Fry's performances are a study in contrasts, touching and heady, but the surrounding story doesn't dig in the way it needs to. There are great moments in the quiet of Treasure , the scenes where director Julia von Heinz's camera lingers on a look, an item, or a landscape. But Treasure finds itself stuck in the middle of these tender moments and a heavy-handed way with emotion that has good intentions but doesn't land the same.

Treasure had its premiere at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival .

Treasure, directed by Julia von Heinz, stars Lena Dunham as Ruth, an American music journalist, and Stephen Fry as her father Edek, a Holocaust survivor. Set in 1990, the film follows Ruth and Edek as they travel through Poland, visiting his childhood haunts.

• Lena Dunham and Stephen Fry make for a dream pairing.
• The story at the heart of Treasure brings up thoughtful questions about grief, trauma, and the passage of time.
• Treasure feels stuck in the middle of two tones.
• Emotional revelations aren't as weighty as they could be.

• tribeca film festival

Carroll County Times | An Eye for Art: Illustrator and painter, Fabula…

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Carroll County Times

Carroll county times | an eye for art: illustrator and painter, fabula is fabulous.

Fabula’s grandfather painted murals on the walls of his home. Some of the murals were Asian scenes inspired from his time in the military. Others were paintings of birds in Florida swamps. He also painted the names on the sides of ships as well as the names of the officers in gold beside their doors. He also was an accomplished woodcarver.

As a child, Fabula sat at her grandparents’ dining room table and admired the scenes her grandfather had painted on the walls.

“I wished I could paint like he did.” Fabula said.

It was not until she was 57 that Fabula tried her hand at watercolor.

“I love the way the watercolors blend and the transparency of the paint,” Fabula said.

Fabula started illustrating a book she started to write when she was in her 20s. It took her a couple years to finish the book, which is titled “Saving Sandbury.” Sandbury is a sand crab in the book. It is about the friendship between a sand crab and a sandpiper living on the Outerbanks of North Carolina.

“Reading and writing was something I turned to when my parents were going through a divorce,” Fabula said. “When life becomes difficult, I turn to my books. If I am not painting, I am reading.”

“Illustration became another way to immerse myself in another world,” Fabula said. “It takes me somewhere happier.”

Fabula joined the Sykesville Painting Club in 2019. She has made many good friends there. The club participates in local shows. They also do plein air painting, which means to paint outdoors. The members support each other and their craft.

The club offers art classes that are open to the public at the Eldersburg Library. Fabula taught classes on watercolor through the club. The club has a gallery at the library as well and also shows the artwork of members at the Merritt Athletic Clubs in Eldersburg, and Fairhaven, a retirement community also in Eldersburg.

Fabula paints images of flowers and birds. She paints from photographs with her imagination added in.

“I have that illustrator bent,” she said. “I like to add to the scene.”

She researches every week and studies botanical aspects of flowers and how to use watercolor techniques to bring them out..

A lover of fantasy, she has drawn fairies and the moon, mystery infused scenes and the night. Fabula wanted to be Arthur Rackham, a famed English book illustrator from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and that is where she got her inspiration. She also studied Chinese painting at McDaniel College.

“There is something hauntingly different about Chinese art and the simplicity of the lines,” Fabula said.

In the past, Fabula has done printmaking including etchings and linocuts. Linocuts are made by carving a design into linoleum and then prints an image from it. She has also done some jewelry making and leatherwork.

Fabula hopes to get her artwork into an art gallery. She can be contacted at [email protected]. Her website is terrifabula.com.

Lyndi McNulty is the owner of Gizmo’s Art in Westminster. Her column, An Eye for Art, appears regularly in Life & Times.

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