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Thursday, May 21, 2015

MINI-REVIEW: Welcome To Me

MOVIE
Welcome To Me

CAST
Kristen Wiig, Wes Bentley

RATING
R

RELEASE
May 1, 2015 (NY/LA)
May 8, 2015 (WIDE)

DIRECTOR
Shira Piven

STUDIO
Alchemy

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 27 minutes





STARS
***1/4







REVIEW:

Kristen Wiig is arguably the most gifted comedian to come out of "Saturday Night Live" in its entire run.  With her sharp impressions, incredible timing, and hysterical characters, Wiig stole every skit she was in and proved herself to be a bonafide star before "Bridesmaids" even existed.  However there's always more to comedians than is shown on the outside, and in "Welcome to Me" we get to see Wiig step out of her comfort zone to play a fascinatingly weird character.  Her character Alice Kleig is a woman with Borderline Personality Disorder who ends up winning $86 million thanks to a lucky lottery ticket.  Being a fan of Oprah, Kleig decides to spend her money on her lifelong dream: to be the star on a reality talk show about herself.  Being a woman with her condition, though, it's apparent that she's not exactly going to please everyone she comes across, but as long as she's doing what she wants, that's all Kleig cares about.

The first 20 minutes of the movie were a bit rocky, to be honest.  The tone was inconsistent and Wiig's character was just flat out annoying.  It was when the actual segments of her talk show, also titled "Welcome to Me," began that the film really began to shine.  Wiig is absolutely great in this, blending naïvety and obnoxiousness to create this shockingly funny and flawed individual.  A lot of the humor in the movie is very peculiar, which is what made it funny to begin with.  The dramatic aspect of the film really complimented the character it was showing on screen, and in turn showcased a flawed individual who doesn't realize how much her money is really worth.  Kleig spends her earnings like a guy "making it rain" at a strip club.  "Welcome to Me" isn't Wiig's strongest film overall, but it is the strongest performance she's given in her career thus far.  The movie may not appeal to everyone, but for what it's worth, it's a fascinating, dramatic, and funny look into the life of a mentally damaged woman who doesn't understand the differences between what's right, what's wrong, and what's appropriate for public television.




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