Its hard not to go for the obvious cliché when describing James Burke’s Midwestern snooze fest, Aurora Borealis — but seriously, you may want to bring a crossword.
Former Dawson’s Creek Clooney-in-training Joshua Jackson plays Duncan Shorter, a charming, yet scruffy underdog, who takes a job in an assisted living apartment complex to be closer to his ailing grandfather, Ronald (Donald Sutherland). While there, Duncan learns lessons about life and love from the building’s elderly residents, ethnic handy man, and Kate, a feisty home nurse played by Juliette Lewis. The audience, however, learns nothing they couldn’t have already picked up from Good Will Hunting, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and a hundred other better films.
To make matters worse, what Brent Boyd’s screenplay lacks in originality, pacing, and competent dialogue, it tries to compensate for with an annoying overabundance of setting specific asides — “Man, all your friends really love the Vikings”, “I moved here to meet Paul Westerberg,” etc. — okay, I get it, they’re in Minneapolis.
Devoid of any genuine emotion, Borealis ends up feeling as feeble as the geriatric extras Duncan leaves behind as soon as his grandfather’s corpse is cold.
Opens September 15
Former Dawson’s Creek Clooney-in-training Joshua Jackson plays Duncan Shorter, a charming, yet scruffy underdog, who takes a job in an assisted living apartment complex to be closer to his ailing grandfather, Ronald (Donald Sutherland). While there, Duncan learns lessons about life and love from the building’s elderly residents, ethnic handy man, and Kate, a feisty home nurse played by Juliette Lewis. The audience, however, learns nothing they couldn’t have already picked up from Good Will Hunting, What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, and a hundred other better films.
To make matters worse, what Brent Boyd’s screenplay lacks in originality, pacing, and competent dialogue, it tries to compensate for with an annoying overabundance of setting specific asides — “Man, all your friends really love the Vikings”, “I moved here to meet Paul Westerberg,” etc. — okay, I get it, they’re in Minneapolis.
Devoid of any genuine emotion, Borealis ends up feeling as feeble as the geriatric extras Duncan leaves behind as soon as his grandfather’s corpse is cold.
Opens September 15
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