Bob Nelson used to be a local guy known as one of the comedians on “Almost Live,” the 90s TV sketch show.
He’s still a local guy, but a funny thing happened in the years since “Almost Live”: he got himself an Oscar nomination for writing the terrific screenplay to “Nebraska.”
That kind of thing opens certain doors.
Now Nelson has graduated to the director’s chair, helming a low-key but very likable film called “The Confirmation.” It shares some of the attributes of “Nebraska,” including the small-town feel, the deadpan humor, and the sharp ear for masculine ways of speaking, or not speaking.
Kent, Washington, is mentioned as the home for these characters, although the location (shot in British Columbia, ‘cuz that’s the business) doesn’t look much like Kent. It does have the rundown look of Everytown, USA.
Here lives Anthony (Jaeden Lieberher), a grade-schooler navigating his parents’ breakup. He’s going to spend the weekend with his dad, Walt (Clive Owen), a handyman/carpenter who has promised to quit his alcoholic ways.
Almost immediately, Walt’s tools — a bunch of rare instruments he inherited from his father — are stolen. Without those tools, Walt can’t take a job on Monday, and without the job, he’ll lose his house.
This situation leads father and son into a series of close scrapes and near-disasters. They scramble around town trying to locate a possible thief, at one point aligning themselves with a crackpot (Patton Oswalt, in good form) who has a list of possible culprits.
I like movies that set up a simple, urgent situation and then follow it through its possible variations (I wonder whether Nelson was thinking about the classic Italian film “Bicycle Thieves,” which has a similarly basic set-up). The simplicity means there’s more room for character study.
There aren’t many surprises in the casting. You would expect Maria Bello as the ex-wife, Tim Blake Nelson as a gun enthusiast, Robert Forster as a salt-of-the-earth mentor, and they all come through nicely.
The exception is the lead role. Throughout the latter part of his career, Clive Owen seems to have willfully avoided his debonair image in search of grittier projects.
This one certainly qualifies. Owen loses his English accent and embraces his inner grunge, credibly creating a two-time loser who proudly insists on the quality of his workmanship.
If “The Confirmation” ties things up too easily, it still creates a nice sense of place and a fine showcase for an underrated actor. For some movies, low-key is enough.
“The Confirmation” 3 stars
The first directed film by “Nebraska” screenwriter Bob Nelson is a nicely low-key look at a two-time loser (Clive Owen) tending his son for a weekend. Not too many surprises in this simple story, but it’s buoyed by Owen’s performance and a nice feel for a Northwest town.
Rating: PG-13, for subject matter
Showing: Varsity
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