It’s wonderfully crafted films like Empire Falls that keep American cinema alive. This is not a movie; it’s a film, it’s artful cinema. And why it went relatively unheard of with such a powerhouse cast and brilliant storytelling is beyond the scope of this reviewer’s imagination.
Empire Falls is a small mill town well past its heyday, but still retains its New England charm that could keep a photographer busy for months. Empire Falls, in which everyone knows everyone, deals with its inhabitants, and the focus is on Miles Roby, a shy passive man who’s afraid to take chances. He is gracefully played by Ed Harris, who can play just any type of role, and play it perfectly. Miles is haunted by his past, by his mother who's trying to make a better life for her kids despite his deadbeat dad, her love affair with a rich man whose widow torments Miles to this day. He has a daughter, Tick, an angelic beauty, who also has her own troubled teenage life to deal with in the ultimate level of Hell, High School, and an ex-boyfriend who is behaving violently. You can see the complexity of the story that will unfold.
Miles only wants to do his best for him and his daughter, and tries to keep everyone happy, even if this means being nice to the man who’s about to marry his ex-wife. Janine (the ex) is uneducated, unskilled in matters of life, and still in love with her ex-husband. She’s brought to life by Helen Hunt, who seems perfect for this role. Meanwhile Mile’s father Max is always on the lookout for handouts, up to minor mischief, and suffers from a Hemingway complex. Such is his nature, as he has been in and out of jails all his life. Max is brilliantly played by Paul Newman, and by brilliantly, I mean The Verdict brilliant.
Miles’ dream is to expand his diner, the Empire Grill, into a more upscale restaurant with the help of his culinary-inclined brother David — played by Aidan Quinn with relish, although his low-profile role is a bit under the radar. To do this, Miles must get a liquor license. But you see, he’s not the owner, the old widow Mrs. Whiting is, and she’s been dangling carrots in front of Miles’ eyes all his life as payback for her husband's infidelities with Mile’s mother. She owns the town and pretty much everybody in it.
Article comments
1 - Howard Dratch
OK. I have to see it. Sounds good. Thanks
2 - Kevin Davis
The novel by Richard Russo is one of the best books I've ever read. Highly recommended, as is everything of Russo's.
Good to see the movie was well done.
3 - Dave
Having not read the book I couldn't confirm if it gives justice to the book, but the film on a stand alone basis is great.
4 - Paul Roy
I originally posted the first reply to this, but it was gone the next day?? What the hell happened there? Anyways, Empire Falls was filmed in and around the town I grew up in Waterville, Maine. The church that was featured in the story was about four houses down from the house I grew up in. It was a thrill for some of my family and friends to mingle with such legends as Newman, Woodward, and Harris. Wish I could have been their. Nice Review.