User Reviews

This should be at least some 20 minutes longer. From beginning I felt whole storytelling as rushed. Husband suddenly announces that he can't do it anymore, and leaves. But we couldn't see almost nothing why, how family was really dysfunctional. And it was so most time. I don't know who to blame more: writers or director. Probably both. It seems that director felt in love with Mary Elizabeth Winstead (MEW in further text), and focused on her all time - there was plenty of scenes with only her on screen. Actually, I can not blame him for that - camera loves her, and she was ideal cast for idealistic, as young dedicated to school, work type young woman. I watched this mostly because of her. Don Johnson was pleasant surprise in atypical role. Unfortunately, there is strong impression that male characters were not just lower time on screen, but presented as lower worthy. Still, it could be pretty good indie movie with better storytelling and more time. Was problem with budget or directors inexperience, I can't tell. Acting from MEW, Don Johnson and Skylar Gaertner was superb. Other did good job too. My rating is 6 - it was watchable, not boring, maybe simply because you can not stop to watch MEW :-)

Alex (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is an environmental attorney, currently absorbed in what is possibly one of the most important cases in her career. When her stay at home husband (Messina) surprises her with the news that he needs some time for himself, she is left alone to deal with their son Dakota, her father (Don Johnson), the arrival of her free spirited sister and above all herself.

Alex Of Venice is Chris Messina's directorial debut. It was a pleasure to discover that someone who has been on the independent film making scene for some time had decided to step behind the camera. It is probably safe to view Alex of Venice as a starting point for Messina, who shows an unwavering dedication to the titular character as well as a strong focus, which allows him to maintain a consistent tone throughout the feature. There is a potentially powerful theme at the core of Alex of Venice. Dealing with the instability and vulnerability brought along by loss is where the director's attention lies. Yet, while Alex's struggle of having to juggle with much more than work related issues is immediately apparent, there appears to be little space for growth or introspection, making her overall journey unremarkable. Nothing seems to suggest that the 20 something year old protagonist might actually find a way to "reinvent" herself and be able to rise up to the challenge of being on her own for the first time. Alex's relationships feel for the most part underdeveloped to the point where it becomes difficult to view her being a mother, a daughter and a sister as significant elements in her identity. Mary Elizabeth Winstead does the best with what she is given, portraying a young woman who is destabilized in more ways than one by her partner's sudden absence. There might be an idea of a missed opportunity after viewing Alex Of Venice. As previously stated, it could be considered a not entirely convincing, yet hopeful starting point for Chris Messina's love affair with characters dealing with the hardships that result from changes that are as traumatic as they are unexpected.

To me, Indie movies are not really about a deep meaning or some moral lesson that is meant to be learned upon the conclusion of a movie. I mean its nice when it is there, but at the same time, I am perfectly fine if there isnt one.

Indie movies are about feeling melancholic, relaxed and careless. They are about forgetting your own troubles for an hour and a half and just enjoying the spectacle.

With Alex of Venice I got just that. Its a carefree movie with a central plot of a woman trying to piece her life together after her husband leaves her. It has its holes and misses in the plot but it was never meant to compete for academy awards. It was meant to be enjoyed for its simplicity and I did enjoy it.

The movie looks nice with good color patterns and nice soundtracks. Mary Elizabeth is pleasant as the lead and the supporting cast leaves nothing to complain about.

If you want to learn a big moral lesson and then write a thesis statement on how divorce affects young women, then this is not your movie. However, if you want to relax for and hour and a half and just watch a nice movie, then give Alex of Venice a shot.

I'll give the makers credit for a fairly original setting. It's a household with a house-husband, a retired actor father, a little boy, a black male buddy of the father, and a kooky, free-spirited sister in Venice Beach, California. The lead is an environmental lawyer.

Well, movie people write about stuff they can relate to. These characters are Godless, artistic, environmentally concerned, and unconventional. The viewer in Central Nebraska may not relate to them, but some of the themes are supposed to transcend setting.

Of course Venice never looked so good. The family lives on a quiet street and roams the area in peaceful bliss. In reality, that place is filled with homeless, druggies, gangs, and barflies. But the way it was presented was quite pleasing.

I like Chris Messina. He comes across as a thoughtful guy in his indie appearances, and also in this one as director and costar. The lead lady is beautiful when she has make up on, so guys will appreciate that. She can act too. Check out Final Destination 3. Don Johnson is excellent, and Chris Messina brings a gravitas to the screen.

The kid actor was perfect as well. He didn't have gratuitous cutesy scenes or dialog. You felt his sincere confusion over the drama in the household. The wild sister could have overplayed her role, but she didn't. She hit the mark.

As others have said, there could have been some more profound dialog about the meaning of life, but I thought the lead's closing argument in the court room scene was well-written. I also like the way they worked a Checkhov play into the story. It was supposed to parallel Don Johnson's character's predicament of growing old and being left behind.

Black folks will appreciate a wonderfully understated performance by Derek Luke.

Yes, I would have preferred more background on everyone. Where is Don Johnson's wife? Does the painter husband make a living? How did the lead get so involved with the environment? Give us a tad more about the sister. There was some attempt to explain her, but not enough.

How did Derek Luke's character make his initial money? There is also a small role played by Jennifer Jason Leigh. She looks great for her age. Almost the same as she did 30 years ago, although slightly heavier.

I'm glad they did not bombard us with an obnoxious soundtrack. Most of the background music is just a dramatic one-note hum to increase the feeling of intensity.

All in all, not a bad picture if you simply accept the fact that it's about people who some of us may not relate to. The performances are sensitive, gentle, and understated. The atmosphere is appealing, and the attempt to make some sense out of the chaos of changing lives was adequate if not memorable.

Directed by actor Chris Messina, Alex of Venice is highly indie on the scope of indie-ness from the mundane plot to the uneventful conclusion.

Alex of Venice is so indie that its plot can be summarized like something out of a fortune cookie "do not resist the progress when your life takes a turn toward a new beginning." Seriously, Archon is not even trying to be cute in that little blurb. Alex of Venice is about a workaholic female attorney with a stay-at-home husband who must adapt when her husband suddenly chooses to leave the marriage. Not only must she acclimate to the added responsibilities of tending to the issues at home, but she must also adapt if she is to survive with her sanity intact.

Alex of Venice is not a comedy nor is it quirky in the way that indies typically are, it is just a straightforward drama.There is drama incorporated through Alex's work and legal pursuits, drama with her child, drama with her family, her love life and marriage. All in all, Alex's life is a real mess and is handling it surprisingly well considering.

The cast is a medley of producers and writers associated with the film and that translates to a general familial comfort between the cast. None of the characters in Alex of Venice are particularly captivating, and that is with our film critic having a girl crush on the lead in the film Mary Elizabeth Winstead. In a way, Alex of Venice is refreshing because the characters are loud enough to be distinctive but realistic enough to be genuine.

Alex of Venice is as much of a good non-event as you can get. It is all very under developed but not necessarily bad and I'm sure those who knew of it will watch it. But it is just not remarkable enough to recommend.

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I enjoyed this quite simple and straightforward story and script. The lead female character adds to the story and the script with her extremely natural performance and lets the movie flow smoothly. Yes, it could have become a deeper movie at many levels but that would also have taken away from the simplicity of the characters portrayed. I enjoyed it thoroughly and recommend it for a weeknight watch.

The attempt to portray Alex (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) as a woman in flux, forced by circumstance to "reinvent herself", was lost on this viewer. Instead, little was done to drag her out of the mire of self absorption. She takes everyone around her for granted, and is clueless about what is going on with the people with whom she shares a household, most importantly her son Dakota (Skylar Gaertner) . It was very difficult if not impossible to find any empathy for Alex especially when her husband George (Chris Messina) manages, at a distance, to know more about what's going on with their child than she does. Alex's sister Anya (Julianna Guill) is invited by patriarch Roger (Don Johnson) during George's absence for reasons never revealed, and thankfully so, as Dakota would be a footnote barely visible to the story line, (let alone his mother), without Anya's playful interactions and wise counsel. Rather than building a powerful thesis on family dynamics the film focuses on superficial distractions like getting laid or barhopping as solutions to the very real angst that accompanies dramatic life change. We don't ever know why Alex's work is so important to her, or why she cannot relate in the most basic way to her son, or how she feels about her husband, or why she thinks it's okay to expect that everyone else is responsible for managing the day-to-day tasks of raising a child and managing a career. Supporting cast do a wonderful job of carrying an otherwise lackluster character study to a predictable end. Unfortunately for Winstead, she is faced with trying to unearth profundity from the shallow grave where Alex's character is buried.

A young professional woman, whose lived a somewhat sheltered life, is forced to cope with her challenging family situation after her husband walks out. Simple movie without major upheavals but charming characters that are memorable and heart-warming. Easy film to watch.

From thequickflickcritic.blogspot.com/

Mary Elizabeth Winstead has emerged as one of my favorite actress's. Ever. She positively shines as "Alex of Venice" with yet another in a continuing string of organically enchanting performances.

This time she gives us Alex, a young environmental protection attorney whose workaholic overachieving has relegated her own family to virtual peripheral status. Alex's poignant reexamination of her priorities are at once engaging and heartbreaking as exquisitely brought to bear by the wondrous Winstead.

Chris Messina pulls double duty here. As Director, he shows a keen gift for extracting the essential nature from each of the film's fine cast. This includes Messina himself, as he delivers a moving turn in the role of George, a neglected husband who has ignored life's personal callings for far too many years.

Don Johnson is also simply superb and genuinely affecting as Alex's rough around the edges dad, Roger. Johnson's rendering of a washed up TV series actor playing a supporting part in what amounts to a community theater production parallels his character's succumbing to an insidious disease that threatens to rob him of his mental faculties.

Derek Luke makes an impression as a smoothly shrewd real estate developer who comes to reveal a soul more than capable of conveying compassion. And kudos to the great Jennifer Jason Leigh. While her presence is small, her big name is absent from the screen during "Alex"'s opening credits.

How often do we see THAT kind of modesty in Hollywood?

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First, we did like the story inspire of it not being a whole. It was bits and pieces of what could have been very good film telling a deep heart story. But it was not. Trying to have the dad Presence as a separate story told through his early stage stages of fading from life and the theatre. The parts did not connect and some were sadly boring. The setting at Venice Beach and the title made no sense. It could have been in northern Nebraska and call it Alex in Karney. Venice brought nothing to the film except a title that failed to fulfill it promise. No surprises. Don Johnson actually was good. It felt at the end that it was written by a committee and maybe it was with the written by credit given to three. As often happens 'written by committee' always show up as so. It would be really difficult to find anything to say that would be a Spoiler.

Pros: Mary Elizabeth Winstead gives one of her best performances and she is convincing throughout, she is perfect when she needs to be shy, confident, and empathetic and the movie is never messy because of her.

There are some nice looking shots everyone else in the cast was good to OK, Don Johnson was pretty good, the dad was fine but barely in it, the child was ok, and the sister had some good moments and bad moments too the pacing is quick due to a short runtime cons: the story is very uneventful most of the character interactions were boringly written and shot the sound design and musical score were inconsistent and the characters all were well acted blank slates watch for some good performances especially Winstead.

Not to be confused with Venice in the title as the Europe's own Venice. It's a place in Los Agenles, USA. I don't know it is to be called a B movie or an indie, but definitely a decent drama with a decent storyline and cast. Indeed, it was about Alex, a middle age working and married woman with a young son. Her husband who takes care of the household, is now deserted them. So in her busy working life, Alex comes to realise the family bonding, particularly with her son. Then there's her dad and sister who are a troublemaker than any useful. So her life with a new perspective begins, like a self-discovery.

This is a directional debut for a supporting actor. He should be directing more films. I really liked it. It was simple and obviously realistic. This thing happens in the real world. So all I felt it was a reflection of someone's real life on the screen. Well written and directed. I liked the cast too. Mary Elizabeth was very good and so the rest of them. This is not an unexpected film, but with its limits it had narrated a fine story. The ratings are not fair. It's surely worth a watch and better than an average. I think only the adult would recognise it from its contents with similar experiences of their own lives.

7/10

Simple, human-centred writing, honest depictions of the average Janes and Joes, and a Don Johnson coming out of nowhere to tug at my heart strings.

A story into which I could easily place myself, not because of any personal drama of the kind, but simply on account of the next-door familiarity of the characters and their most usual, run- of-the-mill predicaments.

This, without once finding it lacking in pace or boring; a true feat given my short attention span and my intolerance to wasting time. All in all, thank you for this unexpected little gem, Mr. Messina.

Young woman loses her husband and has to take care of her kid by herself. What's new to this story?

The good: acting is good. The story is sweet and gentle. There is a certain effort to make it transcend the simple story of a single mom.

The bad: it's tedious. It's too safe. This story has been told before, with much more spark and punch in other movies.

How can I not immediately love this? The narrative is filled with weighty topics and story ideas, accompanied by raised voices, tension, and charged, difficult emotions. Yet for all that, by the grace and dexterity of all involved, this is by and large a pleasant, quiet drama, with a slight comedic edge to temper the more ponderous notions. For as in demand and beloved as Mary Elizabeth Winstead is, it never ceases to amaze what fabulous range and versatility she has. Don Johnson has had his ups and downs, but he inhabits the role of Roger as though he were born for it, with unremitting perfection. It's a genuine pleasure to see Jennifer Jason Leigh and Beth Grant here in small roles; while I'm less familiar with Katie Nehra, Reg E. Cathey, Derek Luke, or others on hand, they immediately light up the screen with their very presence. I don't know if it's the cast themselves, or actor/director Chris Messina, or the screenplay whipped up between Nehra, Jessica Goldberg, and Justin Shilton, but one way or another - one to the next, the actors slip into their roles with tremendous ease, and the characters themselves feel splendidly real and personal. Factor in the light but actively engaging and enjoyable music of David Wingo that greets our ears all around, and I'm frankly stunned at just how good this is. I anticipated liking 'Alex of Venice,' but this a far richer, more meaningfully absorbing film than I'd have assumed sights unseen.

This may only have been Messina's directorial debut, yet he illustrates a firm, practiced hand in that capacity that is a breath of fresh air. Doug Emmett's cinematography is just as gratifyingly lush, a real treat as a viewer. Meanwhile, I simply adore the writing; it's easy enough to individually assess each element thereof, breaking down the dialogue, characters, scenes, and plot, but there's more to it than that. Excellent as all constituent aspects may be, there's a certain indescribable quality to the screenplay, a warm and lovely nuance, that readily invites a swirl of thoughts and feelings even as we just enjoy the story as it unfolds of a hard-working attorney facing a sudden confluence of personal problems. In fact, this rather feels like an instance of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts, and that applies as well to background elements like costume design and art direction: this, that, and the other thing are all superb, with all participants behind the scenes and in front of the camera turning in terrific contributions. The result, however, is astoundingly well rounded and balanced: at once off-putting and compelling, dreary and heartwarming, sad and hopeful. The same beats of major gravity that Charlie Kaufman or Paul Thomas Anderson would amplify into world-shattering gloom are instead twisted into a portraiture of life's trials, tribulations, and changes that inspires forward movement even as it's deeply affecting - and that duality may be even more impactful. There's a fierce intelligence, in 'Alex of Venice,' and earnest passion and care, that's one we feel as much as appreciate with detachment.

What else to say? I think just about anyone could enjoy this, and I'd have no qualms of recommending it all. Naturally it's suggested most for fans of those involved, but wherever you're coming from, as far as I'm concerned 'Alex of Venice' is outstanding and demands a watch if you have the opportunity.

An air of melancholy permeates the film through most of its run time. Mary Elizabeth Winstead is solid as Alex, a workaholic lawyer and mom trying to save a rare species of frogs from extinction while working for an environmental agency. She lives with her husband and son at her father's house, a retired actor Roger, played by Don Johnson. The film opens with the family cohabitating peacefully in the doldrums of Venice California but things get ugly quickly as we learn George the husband, played by Chris Messina, isn't happy and wants to separate. Alex is left to pick up the pieces while her father's memory starts to fail, her son struggles with the rejection of his father's absence, her sister shows up and selfishly messes up her weak attempt to help out and her court case unravels. There isn't much to be happy about and the film feels heavy and depressing but does present some hopeful, nuanced situations at the end that suggest things might be okay in the long run. I liked the film but didn't love it. Worth watching for Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Don Johnson (who still looks great in his advancing years).

I think totally the story ie good. the script can be maked more much intresting and impressive

There seems to be two things that always work and those two things are indie films & Mary Elizabeth Winstead. Winstead is just as great as she always is in these films. If you're into indie films, then I say to give this film a watch.

I didn't see all of this movie. The listings said it started at 1:30 (and it wasn't this movie that was listed) and that's when the recording started. But there was already a movie going on. I could wait until I see it all, if it airs in the near future, but I might forget the details. So I'll give my evaluation now.

This isn't funny enough to be a comedy but there are some laughs.

I know Mary Elizabeth Winstead from her role in the quirky comedy "BrainDead" and there are similarities between her character here and the one in that show. I liked her there and, although I didn't see her name until the closing credits and didn't know why she looked familiar, I liked her here. She has several scenes where she is just looking at something, and somehow that's enough. One scene where she is high on drugs is effectively done. The scene really communicates how weird things are, between her wild performance and the lack of audio other than music which appears to be for our benefit, not music they are hearing. And while Winstead does quite well as proper and responsible, she does have to recover from that one crazy night and achieves that. She also has to cry too, which is surprising, but it works.

Katie Nehra has her own style and a lot of enthusiasm. I like her too, as she shows Dakota a good time when he's supposed to be in school. I don't know what she does for a living, though that may have been part of what I missed, but I'm guessing it's nothing substantial, or perhaps she goes from job to job. In any case, she's never shown working in the part I saw. And I know how to describe her appearance. I got confused once when I realized there was an environmental problem and wondered if I might be seeing "Erin Brockovich". But she didn't look enough like Julia Roberts, and she never was the one fighting for justice.

Both women are likable in their own way.

I liked Skylar Gaertner as Dakota as well.

Derek Luke is quite charming as the developer when not being challenged, but he believes he is right and won't back down.

I did recognize Don Johnson, but only in the sense that I thought Roger looked like Don Johnson, but not enough like Don Johnson to be Don Johnson. I haven't had a lot of experience with this actor, but I saw him in several movies and in a WB TV series about a flawed lawyer. His best scene is in the play, but he does well elsewhere too., particularly where Roger seems to be losing his mind.

And regarding the play, it was just rehearsal, but at first I wasn't sure whether they were performing or the actors were being themselves just talking. That seems like good acting to me.

An interesting technique in the courtroom: Alex faces the judge and looks at her opponents. I don't think we ever see the judge.

The presence of Dakota shouldn't give anyone the impression kids should be watching. There is sex talk which is a little naughty for TV, but let's face it. Most prime-time shows have gotten this bad. But just in case you see it uncensored, for me the sound went out a lot.

It's certainly worth seeing.