Canvas
by Joseph Greco
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Devon Gearhart, Joe Pantoliano, Marcia Gay Harden, Marcus Johns, Sophia BairleyDirector: Joseph Greco
Brand: Universal
Producer: Adam Hammel
Producer: Alan H. Rolnick
Producer: Bruce Beresford
Producer: Lucy Hammel
Producer: Eddie Mordujovich
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Subtitled)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.78:1
Running Time: 101 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-01-29
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Screen Media
Movie Reviews of Canvas
Movie Review: Weird bias
Summary: 4 Stars
I found this to be a very good film, and most of the reviews already posted have given a lot of good information. But one of the key things that makes the film work at all has for some reason been overlooked again and again. The main character is played by Devon Gearhart, and the film stands primarily on his acting ability. I am not familiar enough with schizophrenia to judge the accuracy of Marcia Gay Harden's portrayal of it, although the DVD commentary keeps repeating over and over again how authentic it is. Joe Pantoliano is very good, although when the directors talk again and again about his genius, part of me detects their gratefulness at lending the extra star power to a small production - he has good acting skills, but in my assessment Gearhart actually has a more wrenching and wide-ranging part to play, and the intensity of his performance in his hallucination scene alone was staggering! It's quite unfair to overlook his performance or to presume that such portrayals are somehow easier for kids to pull off, or whatever sort of weird bias underlies his lack of recognition here. Without such a solid portrayal of the lead role, the film as written could not have held together.
I found the ending of the film to be fine, in terms of the optimistic emotional tone that was meant to be presented. Those who see it as representing some sort of magical resolution are, I feel, taking it entirely in the wrong way, for there is no hard evidence to support any such claim. Rather, the film deliberately chooses to end on an emotional note that emphasizes the characters' intentions and efforts to try to focus on the positive aspects of their relationships, in a moment when things just "happened" to gel between them thanks to the efforts and perseverance of them all. It's a very good film overall, with some scenes that are a bit weaker due mainly to the limited number of takes and the shooting schedule that was necessitated by a smaller budget.
I personally find the PG-13 rating to be inappropriate. A "strong caution" to parents is entirely unwarranted, and was probably given merely because of concern over the one scene in which the boy gets a small cut on his arm. I seriously doubt that 99% of parents would find any need for "strong caution" with this film, which is otherwise in technical terms very easy to encompass within a normal PG rating.
One more point - as a fan of classical music, normally I don't pay much attention to standard pop and folk songs, which all tend to fit within the same general and well-worn form and set of melodies, but I found the title song for this film to be surprisingly well-crafted, despite its seeming simplicity, in terms of the construction and use of its melodies. It really works! For those who want to hear it, go online to the official Canvas website and check it out. It's a rather catchy tune!
Summary of Canvas
When Mary's (Marcia Gay Harden) mental illness puts herself and her family in jeopardy, her husband (Joe Pantoliano) and son (Devon Gearhart) helplessly watch as she is torn from the family by the police. Forced to raise a boy on his own and cope with his wife's schizophrenia, father and son learn what it is to truly be a family. Inspired by a true story, this critically acclaimed and award winning film is as full of hope and humor as it is heartbreaking performances.Inspired by first-hand experience, Canvas handles the mental illness of a family member with sympathy and sensitivity. Ten-year-old towhead Chris (newcomer Devon Gearhart) lives on the Florida coast with his construction worker father, John (Emmy winner Joe Pantoliano, The Sopranos), and amateur artist mother, Mary (Oscar winner Marcia Gay Harden, Pollock). Since a diagnosis of schizophrenia 18 months ago, Mary's behavior has grown increasingly erratic. John's insurance company refuses to cover her medication, and she refuses to take it. To add insult to injury, his mother embarrasses Chris publicly and classmates make fun of her outbursts. When Mary's paranoid delusions result in institutionalization, John becomes Chris's sole caretaker. To take their minds off their problems, John starts building a sailboat and Chris picks up sewing. To the boy's surprise, his customized T-shirts catch on with the local girls, like Dawn (Sophia Bairley), who thinks his overly-demonstrative mother is "nice" (she finds her own hippie-dippy mom more embarrassing). For the Marino men, these creative pursuits help them to feel useful rather than helpless. Produced by Bruce Beresford (Tender Mercies) and George Hickenlooper (Factory Girl), Joseph Greco's semi-autobiographical debut has the soft-edged camera work and generic guitar score of a Lifetime movie (it begins with seagulls flying in slow motion). Fortunately, above-average-acting--particularly from Pantoliano--and a non-melodramatic approach to a usually-sensationalized subject win out in the end. It's an emotionally true look at an all-too-common dilemma. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
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