Pros: Frances McDormand, Harry Dean Stanton and the soundtrack.
Cons: Penn’s childlike persona might prove annoying to some.
There’s a moment in This Must Be The Place where you feel deeply satisfied; as if the promise of two Academy-award winners in the cast (Sean Penn and Frances McDormand), the Talking Heads as the soundtrack (the trailer memorably shows lead singer David Byrne performing the title song to a crowd) and the completely baffled storyline (we’ll come to that in a second) delivers as pledged. However the first twenty minutes are actually the best of the film, bursting at the seams with comic value and apt songs, but then… it falls a bit flat.
Cheyenne (Penn) is a 50-year-old former rock-star. His oddball appearance of dyed black, Edward-Scissorhands-esque hair, gothic clothing and full face of slap makes him a laughing stock in his local supermarket. He lives off his royalties just outside of Dublin with his devoted wife and firefighter Jane (McDormand, who is brilliant as per) and spends his days hanging out at the mall with his teenage-goth friend Mary (Eve Hewson), whose suffering is alleviated by Cheyenne’s careful friendship and music recommendations.
One day, Cheyenne receives a call informing him that his father – whom he hasn’t spoken with in thirty years – is dead. Depressed, bored and now confused, Cheyenne must conquer his fear of flying and return to New York to face the music that he’s been avoiding for three decades. What comes next is an extended self-discovering road trip across America as Cheyenne seeks revenge on Aloise Lange (Heinz Lieven), the Nazi war criminal who humiliated his father back in Auschwitz.
The characters he meets along the way are welcome additions to the plot. There’s Rachel (played brilliantly by Kerry Kondon), a waitress and single mother, who to Cheyenne’s amazement is familiar with his work with Mick Jagger. There’s a touching part of the film where Rachel’s son encourages Cheyenne to reunite with his guitar as he sings the title song to the backdrop of Rachel sobbing.
But Cheyenne leaves Rachel and her son behind so quickly that we don’t get to know enough about Rachel and her story. There’s also Harry Dean Stanton, as Robert, who nudges Cheyenne in the right direction but like in many of his films, Stanton doesn’t garner enough screen-time.
In retrospect, this film is much more enjoyable looking back on it. The dull middle of the film aside, it’s an emotional story of self-discovery that proves a worthy way to spend two hours. No doubt Penn’s persona will divide opinion between annoying and endearing, but with its creditable supporting cast, don’t let that put you off.
Released: 6th April 2012.
Directed by: Paolo Sorrentino
By Jennifer Tate
Twitter: JennieTate
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