This is a Wince During The First Half And Pray For A Reasonably Happy Outcome movie.
I don’t mean that in a bad way. Director/co-writer Rick Gomez’s feature debut is a frequently charming little character drama, which depicts the often embarrassing struggle of an estranged father and his teenage daughter trying to re-connect, after a tragedy ripped the family apart.
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| As Claire (Audrey Zahn, left) and Kat (Mackenzie Ziegler) look on with mounting dismay, a flummoxed Jason (Steve Zahn) discovers that his intended hotel room upgrade has misfired in a devastating way. |
This seems to have become something of a thing. Ethan Hawke directed his daughter Maya in 2023’s Wildcat; and Ewan McGregor and daughter Clara played a similarly estranged family unit in that same year’s Bleeding Love.
This new film is considerably better McGregor’s effort, and for several reasons. The situation is more relatable; Gomez’s touch is gentler, and at times quite funny; and the script — by Gomez and Steve Zahn — grants everybody plenty of persuasively awkward moments that’ll likely feel familiar to many viewers.
Kat (Audrey Zahn) has spent her entire life dancing, both for joy and in competition. Her bedroom is filled with ribbons and trophies, and everything has built up to the impending Southern Regional Dance Finals. Kat lives with her mother Deb (Rosemarie DeWitt); her long-unseen father Jason (Steve Zahn) parted following their divorce.
The plan was for Deb to take her daughter and longtime partner/BFF Kat (Mackenzie Ziegler) to the competition, but a last-minute emergency demands Deb’s presence elsewhere. With no other options — although Claire initially views this as a non-starter — Deb calls Jason and asks him to step in. Claire still is 17, and the rules require her to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
“It’ll be perfect,” Deb insists.
“It’ll be perfectly imperfect,” Claire snaps back.
Due to the sort of coincidence that often lurks in stories of this nature, Jason and longtime business partner and best friend Brian (Ethan Hawke) are in the midst of negotiating the sale of their popular Two Jack Bourbon business. Immediately recognizing the importance of this opportunity, Brian insists that the astonished Jason doesn’t pass it up.
Zahn’s wavering expressions, over this wholly unexpected turn of events, speak volumes: Jason is surprised, pleased, worried and — most of all — terrified ... particularly because he can tell, over the phone, that Claire isn’t wild about the idea. He hasn’t spent quality time with her for years, and hasn’t the faintest idea how to relate to her.
Then, too, the long-ago tragedy hovers over everything.
Jason arrives on schedule. Claire demands to drive; Kat calls shotgun; Jason is relegated to the back seat (which may as well be the lower decks). The subsequent drive is ... painful. The girls don’t exactly ignore Jason, but they do talk past him, and make fun of him: not in a nasty manner, but definitely condescending.
Jason tolerates it with patience, smiles and good humor. He understands that this is his role ... at least, for the moment.
Actually, Claire is more specific: He’s the guardian, and just the guardian. Not a parent, and certainly not a friend.
Jason’s early attempts to bridge the divide are well-intentioned, but awkwardly tone-deaf. His offer to enliven the drive with a mix tape — of pop tunes from Claire’s childhood — prompts looks of horror from both girls. Worse yet, his behind-the-scenes attempt to upgrade their reservation — at the hotel hosting the competition — backfires completely.
(I wish I knew who plays the hotel check-in clerk, because he’s deadpan hilarious during this brief scene.)
They wind up instead at a tacky roadside motel — appropriately named Down the Road — which prompts eyeball rolls and long-suffering sighs. (In fairness, the place is comfortable and rather cute, in a retro way.) Their arrival delights three divorced “dance moms” — Bev (Wynn Everett), Joanne (Amy Weaver) and Dawn (Takayla Williams) — who are present with their adolescent daughters.
Those girls, participating in the competition’s younger divisions, squeal with delight at their proximity to Claire and Kat, who they’ve long admired.
Bev, Joanne and Dawn similarly squeal with delight at single-dad Jason’s similarly close proximity, enticing him with the promise of endless cocktails (hopefully followed by um, think about it). This merely exacerbates the situation’s discomfort, because — by this point — we’ve also learned that Jason is a recovering alcoholic, barely holding it together.
Once the competition begins, Jason is so far out of his comfort zone — and repeatedly lost, in this massive hotel — that we ache for him. Even so, Jason is trying; he’s sincere, and caring, and wears his heart on his sleeve. Kat notices this, but we wonder if Claire will ... and whether she’ll care.
Sonequa Martin-Green pops up during competition time as Jamie, Claire and Kat’s longtime dance instructor. Jamie obviously is familiar with the father/daughter dynamic, and she’s a godsend to Jason: helpful, sympathetic and kind. (She also knows the hotel inside and out.) It’s a sweet supporting performance by Martin-Green.
Ziegler is equally solid as Kat, whose relationship with Claire is deep and genuinely touching. (I love their “forehead promise,” following important decisions.) Winning this competition will catapult both girls to a chance at professional careers in New York, so a lot is at stake.
Hawke is rock-solid as Brian, who apparently has shepherded Jason through some tough times, and cares about him deeply. Haley Fish is appropriately bitchy and arrogant as Marla, a Russian dancer who is Claire’s strongest competition in the single performer trials.
Jamie Harvener’s choreography is inventive and exciting, particularly during Claire and Kat’s two pairs performances.
The journey here is completely believable, with both Steve and Audrey Zahn delivering nuanced and heartfelt performances. We’re firmly invested in this story’s outcome.
However ... I don’t buy the final scene. Not at all. It’s the only moment that rings completely false.
Getting there, however, is thoroughly — if often painfully — enjoyable.
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