2009, USA
Drama, Romance
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Extended version:
The father-daughter relationship can be a delicate thing, leaving an imprint on a girl that can last her lifetime. In Irene in Time, no girl is left unscathed and no relationship is a healthy one.
Henry Jaglom writes and directs this loosely scripted story of a woman who mistakenly idolizes her good-for-nothing father. Not realizing that his random surprises and gifts were apologies for a life on the road chasing a gambling addiction, Irene constantly compares all suitors to the misinterpreted magic her father created and thus always expects a pot of gold. Unfortunately, her optimistic dreaminess is grating on her dates…and the audience.
Tanna Frederick (who also starred in Jaglom's Hollywood Dreams) plays the titular character in all of her extreme highs and lows -- breaking into tears when a date surprises her with balloons, breaking into tears at the thought of her dead father. In fact, most characters at some point or another in this film turn up the waterworks in reflection of the effect their fathers had on them, despite the warnings of their mothers.
Though there is little denying the effect parents have on their children, the concept becomes a crutch to the characters in Irene. A day at the pool becomes an emotional unleashing by girlfriends who are unable to lift the burden of their familial relationships. Despite the acknowledgment of the issue, none seem to be able to take control of their own lives.
Irene is unable to comprehend how rotten she had it, as she was blinded by her father's sporadic generosity. Peppy to a flaw, her affection is demonstrated in the film's soundtrack -- a recording studio session with her band that appears to punctuate storylines with cheesy narratives, including an ode to love observed at Starbucks.
The dialogue is clunky and painful, the production feels dated, and the cast is peppered with once talented actors who appear bored by their roles, such as Victoria Tennant (All of Me), Karen Black (Five Easy Pieces), David Proval (Mean Streets). The main character is enamored with the ghost of her father and dates by the rules of pop-psych books and random kids on the street, and it is hard to find sympathy for her as she fizzily ignores reality. Let us hope that the "For my daughter" card at the end of the film is meant as a warning rather than an illustration of inevitability.