One of those movies where the backstory is probably more interesting than what we get to see. Medina's father - a serial adulterer - must have promised that he would hit the "reset" button when the family moved to California from Michigan. But it turns out that there are just as many attractive, unattached women in Palos Verdes as anywhere else - and Medina's mother continues to spiral down into depression: desperately in love with a husband who constantly make her look like a fool.
And so a family unravels. Not so much a story. More of a mood.
There is nothing original in this narrative., We have heard it all, and seen it all, before. As many times as we see it, it is sad to watch - but the heart of the story is how each family member handles the trauma. Who's going to make it through. And who is not.
Familiar ground, as I said, but beautifully acted and shot. Convincing from beginning to end - with a sharp kind of slap as these closed incestuous communities.
On a personal note, a little startling to see our "Clueless" girl - Alicia Silverstone - now playing the mother of a college-age son. Where did the time go, you wonder. And you're reminded why we don't see more of her. She is not, technically speaking, an actress. It's just Alicia Silverstone as "herself". It's the only role she knows how to play.
Review of The Tribes of Palos Verdes
