Welcome to the Rileys (2010)

I thoroughly enjoyed this little indie drama. However, given the subject material, perhaps "enjoyed" is the wrong word. The cast: Stewart, Gandolfini, and Leo were all more than believable and often heart wrenching in their roles. Kristen Stewart's portrayal as Mallory is very touching and authentic. She played flighty and wary to perfection and never let Doug (James Gandolfini) or the audience forget that at the root, she is a good person who's been damaged. Gandolfini played the watchful friend of Mallory's and the good influence who's still reconciling with his own personal grief, irritation, and depression with aplomb. Melissa Leo's Lois is amazing with her conveying the character's reaction to the aforementioned grief. The three of them could be a believable and nice little nuclear family had their been different circumstances in the film. All in all, director Jake Scott's second feature set in New Orleans is a sadly overlooked independent film, despite it's debut at the Sundance Film Festival. "Welcome to the Rileys" is not a perfect film and is flawed, but the plot and the acting are not among them.

Fmovies: In Indianapolis, Douglas Lloyd 'Doug' Riley (James Gandolfini) and Lois Riley (Melissa Leo) are a estranged couple married for almost thirty years that grieves the loss of their fifteen year-old daughter Emily. Doug is a well succeeded businessman in plumbing business that likes to play poker every Thursday with his friend and to meet his mistress, the waitress Vivian (Eisa Davis), after the game. Lois is agoraphobic, takes many pills and does not have sex with Doug.

When Vivian unexpectedly has a heart attack and dies, Doug goes to the cemetery and finds a tombstone that Lois has ordered with her and his names. This is the last straw in their relationship and Doug travels to a plumbing conference in New Orleans feeling lost. Doug is wandering on the streets and stumbles with a nightclub. The young stripper and prostitute Mallory (Kristen Stewart) invites Doug to a private lap dance and when he see his acquaintances from the conference in the nightclub, he accepts her invitation to hide from them but he does not have sex with the teenager. There is an incident but then he takes Mallory home and decides to stay in her derelict house to help her. Doug calls Lois and tells to her that he would stay in New Orleans for a while. Lois decides to drive to New Orleans in Doug's car and he introduces her to Mallory, whose real name is Allison. The couple projects Emily in Allison, but is there still hope or is it too late for Allison and themselves?

"Welcome to the Rileys" is a family drama supported by the magnificent Kristen Stewart, James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo. Kristen Stewart is an actress that seems to be tailored to indie movies. The screenplay discloses the past events that have separated Doug and Lois to the viewer piece by piece. The story could have been of second chance in life and redemption, but the writer Ken Hixon chooses a more realistic conclusion but leaving some hope. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Corações Perdidos" ("Lost Hearts")

'WELCOME TO THE RILEYS': Three Stars (Out of Five)

James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart and Melissa Leo star in this indie film about a man who forms a special bond with a young stripper / hooker after losing his daughter at the same age. It's directed by Jake Scott (who's prior experience is mainly in music videos) and written by Ken Hixon (who also wrote 'INVENTING THE ABBOTTS' and 'CITY BY THE SEA'). The film premiered at last year's Sundance Film Festival and has received mostly positive reviews from critics. It marks a nice notable acting turn from Stewart, who plays a role quite different then any other she's done before.

Gandolfini plays Doug and Leo plays Lois Riley, an unhappy married couple that have been troubled with depression for years after losing their fifteen year old daughter Emily. Lois hasn't left their home since their daughter's death and Doug, in a need for attention, has been having an affair with a local waitress. One day on a business trip to New Orleans Doug meets a sixteen year old runaway girl named Mallory (Stewart) working as a stripper at a strip club there. She reminds him very much of his daughter and after turning her down for a lap dance he instead escorts her home. The next day Doug offers to pay Mallory a hundred dollars a day to stay with her at her house. He begins fixing up the home and taking care of Mallory, almost pretending that she's his daughter. After calling his wife to tell her he's not coming home Lois decides she must, for the first time in years, venture out of her house and travel to New Orleans to save her marriage.

The movie is a little clichéd and sugarcoated but there's also a lot of dark and ugly notes in the film as well and it manages to strike an even balance. The acting and directing is decent enough that the setup seems believable and you really learn to care for the characters. Gandolfini is good and lovable like always and Leo turns in another impressive performance and continues to show her range. It's Stewart that really shines in the film though and silences her critics by continuing to broaden her range as well (as she did with 'THE RUNAWAYS'). The film is emotional and rewarding to a certain extent. Nothing too powerful or memorable but a nice little indie drama that gives some good actors some nice material to play around with. Worth seeing if you're into that sort of thing.

Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN5KZOE7p28

Welcome to the Rileys fmovies. Doug Riley is a plumbing supplies contractor from Indianapolis who lives with his wife Lois and reaching their 30th wedding anniversary. After they lost their 15 year old daughter in a tragic car accident the couple has grown distant with no exchange of intimate relationship and spoken barely few words a day. It seems like Doug and Lois both miss their lives inside yet don't know where to begin in finding it again. Meanwhile Doug finds comfort in a black waitress yet that relationship doesn't last long either even though it brings some kind of a peace in to Doug's life. Lost and torn this couple seems to be just living their days for nothing.

Doug goes to New Orleans for a convention and there he unexpectedly meets a 16 year old girl Mallory who is a stripper. Rather than taking advantage of her with her own consent Doug see someone else in her and starts to emotionally care for her. He somehow makes in an ambition to take this teenage girl out of her miserable life and give her some comfort and long lost fatherhood. But this task become difficult by the day as Mallory resist to change or to accept Doug's generosity even though she know his genuine motives.

'Welcome to the Riley's' is a heartfelt drama. Most of the moments are silent and filled with self perseverance but the script gradually builds up a solid story line. It's not boring even though it's a little slow which almost all dramas are. But there is something special about this one. This one is about self retribution. Don't know if it's totally correct to describe it that way but I feel like Doug is trying to find peace in his heart by dedicating his effort to make a something good for Mallory. The society is a wicked place to be good some times which the script proves over and over. The harsh words coming out of Mallory's mouth must have pierced Doug's heart one too many times. Yet he patiently set on his path which maybe his experience in life has tough him to do so.

Acting wise the movie is mention worthy. Doug played by James Gandolfini is a role skillfully done. And at the same time Melissa Leo effectively plays Lois the depressed, grieving mother who hasn't set foot out of the house for months. And finally the Twilight famed Kristen Stewart portraying the damaged and arrogant stripper girl make us forget her glamorous lead role in the romantic vampire franchise with her performance in 'Welcome to the Riley's'.

As a viewer you will be made to judge these characters. You will be asked to decide if what they do is right or wrong or if they did really succeeded in their roles at the end. Even thought it has no fairy tale ending this movie will live in your minds for a long time.

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Realistic, hard-core, weepy, funny, stark! Tennessee Williams lives again in Ken Hixon! Perfect cast: James Gandolfini is fantastic as this big oaf sentimentalist who doesn't want to see his tombstone while he's still alive and so he lives every moment. Then there is his wife played by Melissa Leo, what she does in the driveway is laugh-out-loud funny. And finally, the great trio includes Kristen Stewart who is amazing (and whoever did her whore make-up--kudos!) as this worn-out sexual fighter who plays the lowest of the low with such warped dignity that I just want to hand her an Oscar now. And finally, New Orleans is the fourth character as a city that is also beat-up and striving for a rebirth, so I guess you could say she plays herself.

Ken Hixon, I pledge to watch every thing you create 'cause you are the snake's suspenders!

As a movie buff, I tend to gravitate toward the art & independent material but also due to my area's theater selections, see a fair amount of mainstream movies. Yes, I catch few good films but many times I find disappointment in both worlds. This time ended differently. I can't help but remark how impressed I was by the honest writing and acting of all three characters. Struck me as rather genuine, gritty and believable plot-wise. I also was unsure if I appreciated the decision to refrain from thoroughly fleshing-out every character. One has staggering levels in which they are left to guess about all three. Ie: What happened to Stewart's character other than her mom's accident and demise to lead her on such a disheartening path? Why not more information and insight as to chronicle the downward spiral of this marriage after the child's death? Why not dig into and explore the wife's inward turn to near-hermit? Why is the husband not only so disenchanted with home but also work, albeit this desperate & hopeless soul floundering about? Well, actually wise decision to leave this unknown; I see it's not all that critical to the success of the story. Writers today over-inform.

Another area I originally thought to be a caveat to success was ending as it did. I mean everyone likes and cheers for a happy ending. But pondering this further--really how realistic is this in life? Moreover (and I've worked with troubled and lost kids) this film plays out precisely how life goes. It's not simple to intervene and turn someone around late in the game. There is wisdom, perception and integrity in this attempt to depict a more genuine article of life and that was done. I think Stewart's work was exceptional and her remark that she's "no one's little girl" (something to that affect) captures it brilliantly. You see throughout her vulnerability, survival instinct, yet damaged nature without her acting being sentimental or "hollywood". Yes, nice little gem.