| Review:
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A movie about Lyme disease and its impact on a Long
Island burb already plagued by a seeming edpidemic of decadent
behavior, Lymelife is not just about predatory impulses
of the insect variety. In fact the humans who prowl about
in this warped take on bedroom community decadence LI style
in this less lymelife than lowlife split level noir, make
the disease ridden bugs seem somewhat benign in comparison.***
Written and directed by Derek Martini, executive produced
by Martin Scorsese and co-produced by Alec Baldwin who also
stars in the film, Lymelife is a multi-narrative, cross-generational
hormonal romp with an emphasis on sex on the sly machinations.
Rory Culkin, the youngest of that precocious Culkin brood,
is Scott Bartlett, a shy, withdrawn fifteen year old who's
constantly bullied at school, while nursing a secret crush
on flirty next door neighbor, Adrianna (Emma Roberts). But
those are not the only sparks flying between adjoining picket
fences. While Adrianna's sickly dad Charlie (Timothy Hutton)
is hiding away from the world in their cellar after contracting
Lyme disease, his frustrated spouse Melissa (Cynthia Nixon)
is getting it on upstairs with Scott's frisky father Mickey
(Alec Baldwin), who is also Melissa's employer. And Charlie
passively eavesdrops on the entire proceedings. Then at
one point, two entirely separate set of sex partners nearly
catch each other in the act simultaneously. Scorecard, please.***
Meanwhile, Scott's temperamental older sibling Jimmy
(Kieran Culkin) returns home on leave from the army and
beats up his kid brother's chief tormentor, while their
dad obsessively dabbles in the late 1970s real estate boom
back then. At least between hot trysts with his accomodating
next door neighbor assistant.***
And mostly griping about it all on the sidelines, is
Mickey's long suffering wife Brenda (Jill Hennessy), who
has pretty much resigned herself to her husband's wicked
ways. All this seething and hand wringing, mostly negative
ensemble chemistry isn't half bad, though on the morbid
side.***
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