Jim Gaffigan, a comedian, gives his fans a glimpse of his dramatic side in the new movie Linoleum. Rhea Seehorn from Better Call Saul is involved and this is where many people started to see that there was more to Jim Gaffigan than what they knew before. Linoleum directed and written by Colin West had its world premiere recently at South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Festival. With a very unique story which manages both to entertain and touch the heartstrings, this film shines as one of the best movies of the festival mainly because its cast members have done well so as to make it an exciting story.
Gaffigan stars in “Linoleum” as Cameron Edwin who happens to be quite famous in young children circles for hosting one such educational TV program that imitates Bill Nye’s style. Lately though, things have not been going on well for him. Currently residing with his family; wife Erin (Rhea Seehorn) and daughter Nora (Katelyn Nacon), Cameron looks like he needs some sort of miracle since his show has gone down the drain. However, deep within himself, Cameron always dreamt about becoming an astronaut more than anything else; hence this explains why he has always loved science.
Cameron feels ungrounded with both his marriage and career falling apart around him but one day everything changes when a car crash lands beside him- it seems almost straight out of nowhere. What makes it even more mysterious is how much alike does that man, who was driving the car look? A man like that becomes Cameron’s replacement on the science programme which makes everything worse for him. While still trying to figure out what is happening a rocket suddenly falls from the sky into their backyard leading up to events that will push Cameron towards rebuilding the rocket so that he can fly high once again.
Meanwhile, Nora begins spending time with a new neighbor boy Marc (Gabriel Rush). Neighbors are the kind that people would not prefer to associate with in most circumstances, which is why he disapproves of their interaction. However, Nora and Marc do not know for sure if they have a romantic relationship as some sort of deep friendship has developed between them. The two loners feel connected to each other once they discover that besides having a birthday on the same date, there are many other things which bind them.
Through out the story there are slight hints about what’s going to be told later in the story. But Linoleum is one movie where you will be rewarded for paying attention if you watch it. Not all subtle elements must be noticed but it helps to make more sense from the film’s conclusion. In “Linoleum,” everything happens for a purpose; so early on we know that it is just telling us something though this is not much information given so far for us as readers. None of these events makes any sense until almost at the very end when Gaffigan’s character Cameron starts revealing his true self.
Telling these kinds of stories is always a big risk for filmmakers. Building an interesting mystery that unravels at the end of a film can be compared to stacking fragile cards, which could easily collapse if there is an unsatisfying ending. Conversely, Linoleum offers its story’s conclusion as one that positively affects the entire encounter it took for the audience to get to this point. It is emotionally powerful and stays with you after the credits have rolled, resolves the whole story line and connects all other stories in a way that touches viewers deeply.
Jim Gaffigan falls into comedy hall of fame with some of the greatest stand up comedians we have today; he has also become synonymous with comedy itself. In spite of having funny moments in Linoleum, it is better described as a dramedy because it focuses more on drama rather than comedy. A comedian was not what was needed for this role but Colin West who served as both writer and director obviously saw something in Gaffigan that he thought would work: he was right. Gaffigan brings out charm from his character by playing him well enough so that audiences experience his emotions along with him. At the same time, he gives just as effective portrayal of Kent Armstrong; someone who Cameron dislikes intensely.
She has earned her reputation through her popularity as Kim Wexler on Better Call Saul, an AMC series; she still continues to impress us in Linoleum. From their interactions, there are moments when you feel like Cameron and Erin truly love each other while at other times they depict some difficulties between them too. Notably enough, actors in minor roles like Michael Ian Black and Tony Shalhoub make significant contribution to this piece where they play TV execs and psychiatrists respectively. Additionally, Roger Hendricks Simon plays Mac-Cameron’s ill father-who wants to help his son build rockets-very well during this movie.
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