Kelly & Cal (2014)

This is How Movies Should Be Made

Really Surprised!

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

An excellent "little" movie. The story of a friendship between a new mother and a young neighbor in a wheelchair. The trailer gives a much brighter image than it actually is. And it's better than the trailer. It gives a bittersweet atmosphere all along that takes guts. A film that speaks to young parents, first love, the passing of time, the mourning to do. Simple and touching.

I just saw this off Showtime, and LOVE LOVE this movie! Juliette Lewis is very sexy in this, letting her age show for the first time on film. She plays a former lead singer of an all-female punk rock group now taking up life in the suburbs as a new mom and wife. Josh Hopkins ("CougarTown") plays her hubbie who is stuck at the office all day, leaving her to start hanging out with the next door high school wheelchair-bound teen, played excellently by newcomer Jonny Weston. Their relationship starts to evolve into something more as events happen, and wow!- there are some scenes in this that blew my mind! This film is sorta the reverse of all those May-December romances between an older leading man and younger actress there have been over the years- "Lost In Translation", "My First Mister", "ShopGirl", etc.. Big thumbs up for this one!.......

Kelly (Juliette Lewis) is a former musician turned suburban mom. She hasn't had sex with husband Josh (Josh Hopkins) for 6 months since the birth of their baby. She is uncertain about her new life and struggling as a new mom. She befriends wheelchair-bound flirtatious neighborhood teen Cal McCullen (Jonny Weston). She's hounded by her in-laws Bev (Cybill Shepherd) and Julie (Lucy Owen).There are some funny moments like her friends with pictures of a dog. There are poignant moments. There are tough moments. There are awkward moments. It all adds up to an uneven movie. Juliette Lewis is terrific transitioning between the emotional turmoils. I wish this was something simply with Kelly & Cal starting a band. The filmmaker seems intent on going for a higher degree of difficulty and don't quite make it.

"Kelly and Cal" is one of those movies that starts out in an amazing way. We get to know our main character, Kelly, who is fresh from having a baby only six weeks earlier with her husband and is feeling exhausted and overworked. In comes the hilarious, handicapped teenager living next door who serves as the antidote to all her problems. They have laughs, drink beer, and start to build a relationship that is more meaningful than anything either of them have had in a long time. But though it starts off well (maybe even excellent) it soon deteriorates in a slow decline that ends when the credits roll. And the disappointment wouldn't mean much if the film hadn't given you a taste of what it could've been, but unfortunately, it does. Some of the best scenes at the beginning include the two of them bullshitting and having a great time talking about their problems, and nothing more than that. All either of them needs is a friend or simply just someone to talk to. But the movie turns into something it shouldn't be, something that's extremely cliché and never needed to happen, a romance. Just like so many other films, we see them start to connect and their forbidden relationship ensues. She has a husband and a baby, he's under 18, I think you can see what's coming. And frankly, it doesn't work. It tries to become emotional, possibly pulling at your heartstrings, but by the time that happens you could care less. There's so many moments when I was cursing under my breath hoping that the movie wouldn't go down the road it does. And what's even worse, the two leads are great together. Juliette Lewis (Kelly) and Jonny Weston (Cal) have so much potential that is wasted, and try their hardest to work with the been-there- done-that material, but even they can't save the film. It's a huge letdown, and one that stung.