IR Film Review: BORDERLINE [TMP]
Some capers or farces have a certain uniqueness or almost blind coolness to them. "Borderline" has a lot of right ingredients but sometimes goes a bit off reservation. Headlined by Ray Nicholson as an obsessive fan with style and Samara Weaving as the object of his focus, it could have been something really really dark. Produced by Margo Robbie and her husband Tom Ackerly as well as Colleen Camp and directed by Samara Weaving's husband Jimmy Warren, it is an interesting family affair with a comic tone. Like when Walton Goggins did "The Uninvited" which was directed by his wife, there is an ease to what we are seeing but it looks more like an exercise but efficiently done within mostly location. It is fun to watch for sure. Weaving plays a variation on a character she is really good at with those humorous touches. Nicholson mugs with that million dollar smile he inherited from his dad bit does continues to show his own unique sense of humor. The lead up is interesting because it is trying to see if Ray's Paul is in fact who the character actually is or if he is playing.
Nicholson does an interesting thing and plays him very straight in terms of his world. The character is severely mentally ill but others feed into his madness because he is still sweet in a certain way and makes them feel a certain degree of empathy (which is not the right course of action for them). Eric Dane, in a role before his diagnosis, plays the straight man, a security guard who understands Paul has problems but is trying to save him from his own self which doesn't work out. Alba Baptista (a Portuguese actress who married Chris Evans in 2023) plays Penny, a French girl who sees a movie character in Paul and hers as well. Her masochistic characterization and mania is thrilling and fun to watch though her psychopathic tendencies don't make much sense. However, her scenes with Samara Weaving including a weird duet and its aftermath are among the highlights of the film.
The needle drops are pretty cool as well likely because Lucky Chap has those good connections. One using a different cover version of the title actually really sets the tone exactly right (like "Girl...You'll Be A Woman Soon" by Urge Overkill in "Pulp Fiction"). Weaving had a small role in "Babylon" hence the connection with Robbie. Ultimately the film ends up at an unneeded wedding but the bizarreness of its outlay just underscores Paul's issue and, while consistent with the tone, falls a little flat. There is a violence but there is a weird black comedy saccharine nature to it (the chapel looks like the one from "Beetlejuice 2" film. Mentioning that, it would have been interesting if that film had a hard R rating). Jimmie Falls plays Rhodes almost as the butt of the jokes who ultimately gets one good moment before the idea of what we saw returns to normal with no real sense of consequence. The last shot is interesting because it does bring it to bear. Paul lives in his own world where his happiness reflects in what he believes and not what is actually real...but there needs to be a little more to that. B
By Tim Wassberg
