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There’s just something about Alan Arkin that
helps him transform from stolid to old curmudgeon at the drop of a hat.
The man has just taken on the form, with roles as this grizzled older
man who is slightly eccentric yet really seems to be one step ahead of
others. He was utterly memorable in “Little Miss Sunshine,” as the foul
mouthed grandfather, and he’s entertaining yet again in “Raising Flagg.”
Flagg is a repairman who drives around town seeking odd jobs to get by
with his family. But when he gets into a dispute with a friend named Gus
who happens to be a land owner, he takes him to court and seeks to claim
a well. After the trial shakes up the town, Flagg wins the well on
technicality, and loses the respect of everyone he loves.
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Blacklisted in his town and kept
from working, he takes the unemployment with melodrama and
becomes bed ridden. Utterly convinced he’s dying, he gathers
all his estranged at his bedside, and realizes he can’t hide
from his problems by pretending to die. Sounds, weird. Well,
“Raising Flagg” is an utterly weird dramedy. With the
gathering of his brood, comes the opening of old wounds, and
the charming comedy really does manage unfold in the oddest
circumstances. |
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Arkin and wife Barbara Dana give very
good performances as a married couple who aren’t exactly
affectionate, but are comfortable with one another. Dana is the
stronger of the pair, and gathers all children to reminisce while
humoring their dad who lies in bed sinking deeper into “death”
whenever someone ticks him off. Miller’s dramedy is quaint, and
charming, and I was entertained.
If this wasn’t yet another spin on the
“gathering brood” sub-genre, I possibly would have enjoyed “Raising
Flagg” more. Rather than becoming about this old man whose life has
stopped once the town displays antipathy for him, he takes a backseat
after the first thirty minutes to the group of children they have. And
that’s why Miller’s film just isn’t as entertaining as it could be.
Because the entire cast of children are nothing but interchangeable
clichés that never stand out and carry the film. Dana is also pushed
into the background in exchange of these thinly drawn characters who all
argue, and bicker, and butt heads, but never pull us in. One of my
favorites of the sub-genre, “The Family Stone” convinced us these people
were family, while the characters here have zero chemistry. “Raising
Flagg” is a pretty bland rehash, with a plot that’s too similar to a
television sitcom.
Miller’s “Raising Flagg” is not a perfect
film by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s entertaining enough to
garner a satisfied crowd enamored with the solid performances by Alan
Arkin, and Barbara Dana.
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