May December

Grade: A

May December is a movie free from clunky expository dialogue. You know what I mean – the stuff characters say to each other that’s only there to let the viewer know who they are and what’s going on. “Y’know, Jim, we’ve been friends for 17 years ever since I moved here to Chicago with my wife Marilyn of 20 years, and started working at this power plant…” It’s easy to tire of that. May December lets all this unfold evenly, instead of in quick, clumsy bursts. In a way, it’s all exposition, and we are still learning backstory details until the end. One of the last words spoken in the film is “action.”

And this is where I give a summary. The movie lays it out better. May December takes place 23 years after Gracie (Julianne Moore), in her mid-30s, got pregnant by a fling she had with Joe (Charles Melton) – a 7th grader. Their first child was born while she was in prison, and once the legal problems and tabloid chatter settled down, so did they. They built a life together, got married, had more children, and now, Joe is about to become an empty nester at age 36. Elizabeth (Natalie Portman), a famous movie star, is about to play Gracie in an upcoming film, and has flown into town to spend some time with them for research.

This is one of the best scores of the year. It’s piano-driven, with unusual chord changes. The main theme shows up as much as it possibly can before becoming annoying. Literally one more appearance of it would have brought it into ridiculousness, but the movie is smart enough to give it a rest when it’s time. 21 years ago, Todd Haynes directed Julianne Moore in the wonderful Far From Heaven – and in ways I won’t spoil, she is on the other side of the table from her role in the 2002 film.

To their credit, Gracie and Joe have persevered in their lives – that started with that unconventional connection – for almost 24 years. Moore as Gracie seems to sweat the small stuff, and not react as much to the most important issues. I often think I’m that way, too. The biggest emotional breakdown we see her have is when a customer of hers had to go out of town and cancel all her baked goods orders. She is getting paid for them anyway, but the family no longer needs them. “All those pies I spent hours on will go to waste,” she laments. The movie gives heavy solemn weight to trivial things, going back to an early scene, where there’s dramatic music as she looks in the fridge and finally laments that she’s not sure whether there’s enough hot dogs. Moore and Portman do the usual lovely work that you’d expect from these Oscar winners, but 32-year-old Charles Melton as Joe is the highlight, in a wonderful naturalistic breakout performance. One of my favorite Atlanta actors, my friend Charles Green, is great in a scene with Portman.

The movie delights in sneaky, clever, unexpected ways. There’s a great scene where Portman is sitting between two Julianne Moores: her actual self, and a mirror image on the other side (they are at a formalwear place watching her daughter try on dresses). When she comes out to model one, she covers up the real Moore, forcing us to focus on the Moore in the mirror. And in another stunning moment, we hear the complete text of an old love letter delivered by Portman as a monologue – rehearing for her movie.

Netflix tends to bring about lots of stopping, starting, pausing, etc, but with May December, you might be compelled to devour it in one sitting, as I did. Moore’s character may have misplaced emotions, but she’s not insecure. She’s quite secure. And she makes a point to instruct Portman to put that in the movie.

Grade: A