Director Jake Scott's engaging Welcome to the Rileys features fine performances by James Gandolfini and two-time Oscar nominee Melissa Leo as Doug and Lois Riley, whose marriage has been fragile since their daughter died in a car crash at the age of 15. Doug's been having an affair with a waitress, which also ends in tragedy, while Lois can't even bear to leave the house to have her hair done. But things go seriously sideways when Doug takes a business trip to New Orleans and meets Mallory (Kristen Stewart), a broke, vulgar, stripper-prostitute who wrongly assumes she knows what he's looking for (what he really wants is a replacement daughter). Doug and Mallory aren't exactly made for each other—she's jaded, lazy, and full of self-pity; he's organized and comparatively straight-laced—but that doesn't stop Doug from moving into her apartment, selling his plumbing supply company, and phoning his wife to tell her he's not coming home “for a while.” Lois' reaction is to head to the Big Easy, telling her hubby on arrival that if he's living with Mallory, then she will too. With its refreshing lack of sentimentality and surprising dollops of humor, this poignant and moving film offers a fresh take on the painful subject of coping with the death of a child. Recommended. (S. Graham)
Welcome to the Rileys
Sony, 110 min., R, DVD: $28.95, Blu-ray: $34.95, Feb. 1 Volume 26, Issue 2
Welcome to the Rileys
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