Reno Rangan Not to be confused with Venice in the title as the Europe's own Venice. It's a place in Los Agenles, USA. I don't know it is to be called a B movie or an indie, but definitely a decent drama with a decent storyline and cast. Indeed, it was about Alex, a middle age working and married woman with a young son. Her husband who takes care of the household, is now deserted them. So in her busy working life, Alex comes to realise the family bonding, particularly with her son. Then there's her dad and sister who are a troublemaker than any useful. So her life with a new perspective begins, like a self-discovery.This is a directional debut for a supporting actor. He should be directing more films. I really liked it. It was simple and obviously realistic. This thing happens in the real world. So all I felt it was a reflection of someone's real life on the screen. Well written and directed. I liked the cast too. Mary Elizabeth was very good and so the rest of them. This is not an unexpected film, but with its limits it had narrated a fine story. The ratings are not fair. It's surely worth a watch and better than an average. I think only the adult would recognise it from its contents with similar experiences of their own lives.7/10

pkpera This should be at least some 20 minutes longer. From beginning I felt whole storytelling as rushed. Husband suddenly announces that he can't do it anymore, and leaves. But we couldn't see almost nothing why, how family was really dysfunctional. And it was so most time. I don't know who to blame more: writers or director. Probably both. It seems that director felt in love with Mary Elizabeth Winstead (MEW in further text), and focused on her all time - there was plenty of scenes with only her on screen. Actually, I can not blame him for that - camera loves her, and she was ideal cast for idealistic, as young dedicated to school, work type young woman. I watched this mostly because of her. Don Johnson was pleasant surprise in atypical role. Unfortunately, there is strong impression that male characters were not just lower time on screen, but presented as lower worthy. Still, it could be pretty good indie movie with better storytelling and more time. Was problem with budget or directors inexperience, I can't tell. Acting from MEW, Don Johnson and Skylar Gaertner was superb. Other did good job too. My rating is 6 - it was watchable, not boring, maybe simply because you can not stop to watch MEW :-)

TxMike This is a story about a married couple that have started to grow apart. He is a struggling artist and she is a young high-powered lawyer working for a firm. As a result of their paths she mostly works, often long hours and some weekends while he mostly takes care of the house and their son. It is a role-reversal. But one day he realizes that he isn't happy where all this is taking him so he decides he has to leave. For an unspecified time. Their son says he is gone to Santa Fe, where lots of artsy types hang out.This is all complicated by her dad, late 60s or early 70s, living with them and who it seems is developing dementia.Mary Elizabeth Winstead is Alex and her husband is Chris Messina, who also directs, as George. The dad is Don Johnson, actually about 65, as Roger, who gets a part locally in a play but seems to be having trouble remembering his lines.All of these people have issues but they each seem to care about the others, they just don't always know what is a proper way to deal with everything.There is not an "everyone lives happily" resolution here but each character learns something that will surely make the rest of their lives turn out differently.We saw this on Netflix streaming movies.

Larry Silverstein I would have to say I was quite disappointed in this indie, as I'm a big Mary Elizabeth Winstead fan, and feel she's a most talented actress and always seems to bring an appealing quality to her roles. She stars here as Alex, a driven environmental attorney for Earth Now, and who's currently in litigation to stop the construction of a spa which may be damaging the surrounding habitat.There's just so must Winstead can do here with a script that came across to me as being way too incredulous and nonsensical. For example, Alex winds up sleeping with the builder (Derek Luke) of the aforementioned spa, whom she meets by chance at a local bar. She, nor anyone else, gives a second thought to a conflict of interest with someone she's currently fighting in court with. Huh?Also, when her husband George, played by Chris Messina who also makes his directorial debut here, decides to leave her and their 10-year-old son Dakota (Skylar Gaertner), because he's unhappy being a stay-at-home dad, Alex's father calls his other daughter Lily (Katie Nehra) to come help out with Dakota. No one seems to notice, till much later, that the free-spirit Lily, who "curses like a sailor", may not be the best influence on Dakota.Then there's the father Roger (Don Johnson) who takes a part in a Chekhov play despite the fact his memory is failing and it looks like he will be diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's (for which no one in the home seems too concerned about). To top it all off, there's the anti-male stereotypes that all men are "fill in the blank", a theme interwoven throughout the movie.All in all, although this film has some charm, at times, and the atmospherics of Venice, California are pleasing to the eye, I just couldn't buy into the storyline which, more often than not, came across to me as phony as a 3 dollar bill.