By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 1.6 cats
Director: Inon Shampanier
Starring: David Rasche | Ian Nelson | Jennifer Cody | Lili Taylor | Max Casella | Peyton List | Stefania LaVie Owen
Country: united_states
Year: 2021
Running time: 109
IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9690328/reference
Bob says: “Melanie, a star pupil in her senior year of high school in Syracuse, really wants to go to USC, like her late father did, but her mother’s growing paranoia about their neighbor has her a bit concerned, and that concern grows to the point where she’s not sure her mom will be able to take care of herself when Melanie goes off to school.
“Dawn (the mother), played by the great Lili Taylor, is not exactly new to these irrational thoughts, but it’s definitely more of an issue than it was in the past. Taylor really is great, but the material she’s working with… not so much.
“We’ve got high school kids who are just cookie cutter stereotypes, with cookie cutter stereotype dialogue. We’ve got a school counselor who has to consult his text books while he’s in session with students.
“The story follows patterns that you’ll see coming from the first reel, without a single surprise.
“There are a couple of cute references to movies early on the film. In the first, Melanie and Dawn are in their yard trying to spy on the neighbor through the gaps in their fence and Melanie says, ‘This is like that movie.’ Dawn asks, ‘What movie?’ and Melanie replies, ‘The one with whatshername’ to which Dawn adds, ‘Oh yeah, I love that movie.’
“The second reference comes from the counselor, after he’s read Melanie some information about paranoia. He thinks for a moment about the material he read out of his book and asks rhetorically, ‘What is that Mel Gibson movie?’ (I’m guessing it’s
CONSPIRACY THEORY, although his character in the LETHAL WEAPON movies had such tendencies too.)
“Finally, if you’re curious about what the title might mean, you have to wait until close to the big (fully predictable) finish. 2 cats.”
Diane says: “Good call, Bob!
“I give PAPER SPIDERS 1 cat, for one minor character who did something unexpected. Would have loved to see this storyline handled by a better filmmaker. I was put off by showy camera shots, stereotypes of mental illness and addiction, lack of subtlety, and misguided attempts at sitcom humor. Taylor and Stefanie LaVie Owen (playing the daughter) are both very good, but cannot rescue the film.”
Michael says: “Written by husband and wife team Inon (who also directed) and Natalie Shampanier, based on Natalie’s experiences, all I can see is, Lili Taylor’s still got it. Okay, and her part was written in a way that did come across as realistic. That said, the plot of this film was sadly incredibly forumulaic, telegraphed, or even banal, to pull a few adjectives that were bandied about at our weekly film discussion after we watched the film. Taylor plays Dawn, a middle-aged mom to a salutatorian daughter who is bound for University across the country when she completes her senior year. Melanie is not only smart, but she share a tight and with her Mom, one made stronger by the drowning death of her father not terribly long ago. As the prospect of Melanie’s departure begins to get more real, fractures in Dawn’s mental state start to appear, as she grows increasingly paranoid that her next door neighbor is out to get her, prowling around on the roof of their house and becoming increasingly more an more threatening, until Dawn believes that he has tapped into a machine that is causing her to have severe headaches.
“Dawn’s mental illness progresses, growing increasingly severe, but Melanie sticks by her Mom, even the she turns on her daughter accusing her of undermining her. Meanwhile, Melanie’s school life is a mess, especially in the shoddy way it is written in the screenplay. From an alcoholic, rich boyfriend, than anyone with half a brain would stay far away from as he is written, a sex-addicted best friend who… guess what? Sleeps with Melanie’s boyfriend! And a guidance counselor who is laughably inept… apparently meant for comic relief, but actually just scarily inept beyond belief. During another bout of paranoia from Dawn, a private investigator is hired, superficially presented as a scam artist out for a quick buck, but surprisingly trying to support Melanie in a turn of events. He’s one of the best characters in the film. And perhaps most shoddy was the use of not one, not two, but THREE musical montages to expedite the passage of time. Lazy filmmaking at its worst, despite the director saying in an interview how meticulously they pored over the film to make it as accurate as possible.
“I’m giving it 2 cats, entirely for the performances by Lili Taylor and Stefania LaVie Owen’s (Melanie) who both managed to overcome the poor script.”