Linoleum (2021 | USA | 104 minutes | Colin West)
Your universe is all in your mind, it is unique to you… that same concept repeats over and over as middle-aged Cameron (Jim Gaffigan) moves through his life. Living a stunted life with unrealized dreams lingering in his subconscious, he does his best to deal with a partner ready to check out completely, a job that’s going nowhere and kids that love him but may not like him all that much. That delicate balance is on the brink as a satellite crashes in the back yard of his suburban home throwing their world out of wack and giving them all some much needed perspective. Time starts to stretch and bend as the story takes an unexpected turn that crushes your heart and gives you hope all at the same time.
As a long-time fan of Gaffigan’s comedic work, I only had faint suspicions of how a comedy about a downtrodden aspirational astronaut might go. His typical comedy is super clean and family-friendly, but sometimes dark and often self-deprecating. After only the first few minutes, I could tell it was almost like director Colin West reached into Jim’s head, pulled out all the weirdest punchlines and darkest stories, then spilled them onto the screen. It was a jumble of desires, fears and unfortunate realities that crashed together beautifully into a satisfying end. Timelines and stories seemed to fall into place so effortlessly, staying true to the characters who not only drew you into their struggles but into the world that they created simply by being the weirdos the were. I’m excited that a film I was so eager to see ramping up to SXSW Film didn’t disappoint, now bring on some more!
Linoleum premiered in person on March 12 and virtually on March 13 at SXSW Film 2022. Be sure to check out all the SXSW 2022 Sunbreak Coverage