Kajillionaire

Directed by Miranda July, Kajillionaire follows a family of con artists (Richard Jenkins’ Robert, Debra Winger’s Theresa, and Evan Rachel Wood’s Old Dolio) as they’re forced to question their oddball way of life after a series of unexpected events. Filmmaker July, working from her own script, admittedly does a superb job of initially drawing the viewer into the predictably off-the-wall proceedings, as Kajillionaire boasts an engaging opening stretch that’s heightened by a proliferation of unexpectedly (and palpably) compelling elements – with, especially, the movie continuously benefiting from Sebastian Winterø’s lush, captivating visuals and a strange yet hypnotic score by Emile Mosseri. It’s clear, then, that the picture’s downfall is due almost entirely to an often aggressively uninvolving midsection that grows less and less interesting as time progresses, as July delivers a meandering, egregiously deliberate narrative that suffers from a disastrous dearth of compelling protagonists – which is surprising, certainly, given that the movie boasts typically strong work from Jenkins and Winger. (On the other hand, Wood delivers an often infuriatingly quirky performance, complete with a pointlessly deep voice, that remains a complete distraction from start to finish and prevents the viewer from working up an ounce of interest in or sympathy for Old Dolio’s exploits.) And although July has peppered the film with a handful of admittedly captivating sequences, including a jaw-droppingly mesmerizing sequence that unfolds in a single take, Kajillionaire builds towards a fairly interminable final stretch that’s not even remotely as emotionally resonant as July has obviously intended – which ultimately cements the movie’s place as another misfire from a director once brimming over with promise.

*1/2 out of ****