TMS Movie Review: Armageddon Time
(Anne Joyce / Focus Features)
It figures James Gray’s new family drama, Armageddon Time, is one of this year’s ‘twin films.’ The phenomenon where, for whatever reason, two different filmmakers and/or studios release similar movies around the same time. Presently, Gray’s picture is out two weeks before Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans. Both about a Jewish child growing up in mid-20th century America, which are also loosely based on the directors’ own childhoods. While Gray’s artistic success is modest compared to the powerhouse of Spielberg’s legacy, I don’t think anyone would confuse either of these films aesthetically, fortunately for Gray and his team.
In 1980 Queens, NY, 12-year-old Paul Graff (Banks Repeta) is forced to leave his public school for his older brother, Ted’s (Ryan Sell) private school after Paul is caught smoking a joint in the bathroom with one of the few black students on campus, Johnny (Jaylin Webb). Paul’s parents, Esther (Anne Hathaway) and Irving (Jeremy Strong) think Paul has all the opportunities and potential for a proper education that can lead to a business career; while Paul’s grandfather Aaron (Anthony Hopkins) thinks he should follow his passion for art.
The first misstep for Armageddon Time is the title sounding way too much like a sci-fi adventure. The namesake makes more sense when we view the film and see early on Paul’s family watching a TV interview with then President Ronald Reagan, who uses the word ‘armageddon’ during a comment. But on its own, the title is completely misleading to someone going into the feature blind.
(Anne Joyce / Focus Features)
The second is the unfortunately shoed-in cameos by Jessica Chastain and John Diehl portraying Maryanne and Fred Trump as guest speakers at the private school. The whole sequence just feels too on-the-nose and jarring so soon after the Trump Administration, and I had a hard time buying any middle school kid who would be invested in what two older entrepreneurs would lecture. But the real issue here is that by releasing Armageddon Time so near to The Fabelmans, it’s a little too obvious how in the shadows Gray’s career is compared to his peers and idols. I don’t think his movies are bad on any level, and I enjoy his romantic indie drama Two Lovers (2008) with Joaquin Phoenix and Vinessa Shaw quite a bit. But nothing about his style or stories stands out cinematically or singularly. I doubt The Fabelmans will have some of the darker aspects of Armageddon Time, such as anti-black racism and child abuse, considering Spielberg’s whimsy and heartwarming rep with family pieces. But I’m guessing the former will have a longer lasting impact on me because Spielberg is already one of my favorite filmmakers and he has a foolproof track record.
I would still recommend Armageddon Time for the cast and if you’re in the mood for a period drama, since there are ultimately talented people involved who usually deliver. But as a whole, I don’t think Armageddon Time will leave a big impression on me, unfortunately.