A Little Prayer

"A Little Prayer" is spare yet brisk, and it unfolds with a graceful, almost musical sense of modulation: Camp and Weston, both veterans of MacLachlan’s work, strike bracing high notes of acerbic wit, which Strathairn and Levy answer with an understated bass line of emotion.

Familial relations can be a dual-edged sword for many of us, often filled with all manner of seemingly contradictory love/hate dynamics. This can be particularly true for parents, who frequently find themselves simultaneously loving and becoming frustrated with their kids, even when their onetime youngsters grow into adulthood. Such conditions can be truly exasperating; we can feel for them and desperately want to help them, but, at the same time, we must also allow them the freedom to find their own way out of their challenges, painful though that might be to watch. These are the circumstances confronting Bill and Venida Brass (David Strathairn, Celia Weston), a senior couple and the parents two adult children, David (Will Pullen) and Patti (Anna Camp), both of whom have their share of issues to contend with. Mom and Dad try to offer support and advice, but it often falls on deaf ears, causing them considerable anguish and frustration. Fortunately, they have support of their own to help them through their ordeals, thanks to their cheerful, compassionate, caring daughter-in-law, Tammy (Jane Levy), who quietly struggles with trouble in her marriage to David. Tammy feels more like the child that Bill and Venida wish was their own, which makes it easy for them to return the love and support that she so freely gives to them, despite the life of quiet desperation that she leads on her own. As this family character study plays out, it becomes apparent how challenging these circumstances can be for them, especially Bill and Tammy, who shoulder much of the burden that’s been thrust upon them. Based on that, this might sound like a touching, heart-tugging domestic tale, but, regrettably, it never quite lives up to its potential. That’s unfortunate, too, given the many strengths this offering has going for it, such as its emotive background score, beautiful cinematography, and strong performances of its superb ensemble, particularly Strathairn, Weston, Camp and Independent Spirit Award nominee Levy. The primary shortcoming here, ironically, rests with the ISA-nominated writing, which never reaches the depth of feeling it’s striving for. By no means is this meant to trivialize the issues the characters face, but they aren’t exactly facing horrific, insurmountable, life-threatening challenges, either, thereby diluting the emotional impact of the narrative. Prospective viewers should also be aware that the somewhat-misleading trailer for this release makes it look like a comedy-drama, but the humor in the film overall is indeed sparser than how it’s depicted in the preview. This latest effort from writer-director Angus MacLachlan, unfortunately, plays like a filmed version of the first draft of a screenplay in need of several more rounds of revisions. Had the picture gone through that process, it might have turned out better. But, as it stands now, not even a little prayer could improve upon how the finished product has turned out.