Reviews

Small Engine Repair is an incisive portrait of masculinity in crisis that takes a play to the big screen

Small Engine Repair (2021 | USA | 103 minutes | John Pollono)

An incredible calling card of a feature debut, Small Engine Repair is a remarkably well-written and acted character study of three deeply flawed men trying to reconnect with each other. 

It stars John Pollono, who also wrote and directed the film that he adapted from his own play, as the troubled Frank. He is a father trying to raise his daughter Crystal (Ciara Bravo) in spite of his past troubles with the law and a recurring drinking problem. When he gets into a disagreement with his best friends Terrance (Jon Bernthal) and Packie (Shea Whigham), Frank initially cuts himself off. However, after time passes, he reaches out to his only friends to invite them over for drinks, steaks, and to watch the fight. It seems simple enough, though as the evening progresses, it soon becomes apparent that Frank has brought his unwitting friends into something much more troubling and complicated. 

To say any more about the story would be to provide far too much of a tip off about what is going on. Suffice to say, Frank inviting his friends over is burdened by an unforeseen weight that hits like a truck when it’s revealed. His friends remain blissfully unaware, not taking much notice of how many phone calls Frank keeps taking or how he seems to be spending a lot of money or that he even seems to have relapsed into drinking after a long sobriety. All of which would be red flags to more emotionally aware people. However, both Terrance and Packie are among the least emotionally attuned men you’re likely to meet. 

Yet that is precisely what makes Small Engine Repair so intriguing. It doesn’t shy away from the men’s flaws, of which there are many, and instead digs deep to uncover what it is that makes them tick. All the cast are outstanding in the roles, though it is Bernthal and Whigham who speak volumes with the most simple of changes in expression. Bernthal has cloaked his vulnerability in a faux macho bravado that frequently falls apart when put under pressure. Whigham is perhaps a bit more emotionally aware, though he frequently buries that deep down rather than be embarrassed by displays of feeling of any kind. 

 The trio’s banter is only the entry point to some of the deeper moments they share. Their vulgar demeanor is unrestrained, yes, but it ultimately reveals why they feel a need to be so crass. When they almost seem to forget themselves and how they are supposed to behave, that is where the real moments of character shine through. They are far from perfect, though they all raised Frank’s daughter together while her mother Karen (Jordana Spiro) was out of the picture. It was the best thing any of them ever did, and may ever do, though it only makes it all the more painful to see that fall apart. 

Crystal is seen in some early scenes with her father discussing how she will soon head off to college, a moment of celebration for the family, yet remains conspicuously absent for much of the runtime. Although she is mentioned, she’s not present for the men’s bonding time. While it is initially unremarkable that she isn’t there, an ominous feeling soon begins to creep in that makes you worry about where she is and what she is doing. Frank seems to be missing her now that she is going her own way in her own life and he will have to figure out how his life will go without her. Is it something more? Why is he making all these phone calls? Now that Karen is clean, why won’t he tell her where their daughter is? These questions linger and linger until it becomes painful to be kept in the dark. Yet the patience and steady progression of events is where the film finds its strength. It isn’t ever a complaint to spend time with such interestingly broken characters. They carry the story as the film is mostly taking place within the same handful of rooms at Frank’s house and attached work garage. It is a simple set, recalling the film’s origins as a play, though no less expansive in narrative aspiration.

With all that being said, audience members are certain to have strong reactions to the conclusion of the film. Feelings not in the way that the film is intending in regards to engagement with the story, but a degree of tonal whiplash that is hard to get over. The ending is certainly shocking and almost writes itself into a corner, seemingly leaving no path to redemption for the characters when key revelations come to light. Yet, somehow, the characters find their way out. It is messy and chaotic, frequently straying into absurdity, though perhaps there could be no other way to end a story about such flawed characters. It most certainly won’t work for everyone, especially when it tries to pull a fake out, though it is worth sticking around if only for the richly realized characters that somehow make it out whole to the other side.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Small Engine Repair is in theaters September 10.