Union Square

Well intentioned yet ultimately underwhelming, Union Square follows Mira Sorvino’s brash, loudmouthed Lucy as she arrives at her comparatively uptight sister’s (Tammy Blanchard’s Jenny) apartment to stay for a few days. Filmmaker Nancy Savoca does a nice job of immediately capturing the viewer’s interest, as the director kicks off the proceedings with a fairly hypnotic sequence in which Sorvino’s character runs the gamut of emotions while chatting with a lover over a cell phone. The gritty, handheld vibe initially seems to promise a low-key, Keane-esque character study, yet it becomes clear that Savoca has something far more conventional in mind – as the film morphs into a fairly typical Odd Couple-like story once Lucy arrives at Jenny’s meticulously-kept home. The authenticity of the performances goes a long way towards initially compensating for the routine storyline, although it’s worth noting that Savoca ultimately does push her uneventful modus operandi much, much farther than the narrative can withstand (ie it’s just not interesting on an ongoing basis). The viewer’s lack of affection for either of the central protagonists ensures that Union Square grows more and more tedious as it unfolds, with the inclusion of a fairly surprising twist somewhere around the one-hour mark not really helping matters (ie it’s initially just confusing). It’s finally impossible to label the movie as anything more than an earnest actor’s showcase, which, given the strength of Sorvino’s brash performance, isn’t necessarily such a bad thing.

** out of ****