'Kajillionaire' film review: Oddly, surreal charmer with a heart of gold
Everything about the oddly-titled crime-dramedy 'Kajillionaire' (opening in select cities starting Sept. 25) is just this side of weird. Yet for all its whimsical surface eccentricity, this Miranda July flick is a wistful and lovely charmer with a heart of gold.
In short: A woman's life is turned upside down when her criminal parents invite an outsider to join them on a major heist. Stars Evan Rachel Wood, Debra Winger, Gina Rodriguez and Richard Jenkins.
It's a stretch to call family trio "professional" con artists - they're more like consummate opportunists. It's actually hard to ignore the similarity between this band of small-time crooks and the Kim family of 'Parasite.' Both families definitely burn way too many calories just trying to scrap by rather than buying into the 'scam' of earning a living and waiting around for a paycheck like a sucker.
Although a series of small-time "heists" keep the narrative forward, the injured soul of 'Kajillionaire' is the de-stabilization of a family, and a daughter realizing how utterly dysfunctional her relationship is with her parents. "Old Dolio" (Woods) is a quick-thinking criminal one moment, then an emotionally-stunted young woman unable to stand up to her parents the next moment. Wood totally transforms herself as the socially maladjusted Old Dolio - a woman in mid-20s with a better understanding of store security systems than what it means for a parent to show affection to their child. It's existentially heartbreaking to watch Old Dolio get insight healthy parent-child relationships ... from infant parenting classes.
Rodriguez is the perfect foil to the eccentric trio of grifters. Old Dolio practically hides in her hoodie from the world, averting eye contact with a constant downward gaze - while Melanie (Rodriguez) is a joyful and radiant young woman all too eager to get into the scamming game. The first act perfectly sets up how the family trio runs their scams - and they probably would have kept on like that forever, if not for the chance encounter with Melanie.
The magic of 'Kajillionaire' is just how easily the story could have been corrupted by cynicism - but July's screenplay has a off-kilter weirdness to it that makes the film feel more like an odd fairy tale. But it's a whimsical personal journey set ... in Los Angeles ... and not the glamorous parts featured in reality TV shows. Old Dolio is not a conventional protagonist, but it's hard not to root for her as she tries to shed herself from her domineering parents.
Final verdict: Miranda July's perfectly eccentric crime drama mines melancholy laughs from a story that can only be described as a 'Miranda July film.'
Score: 4/5
'Kajillionaire' opens in select cities starting Sept. 25. This horror film is rated R for some sexual references/language and has a running time of 106 minutes.
