Why should you watch director John Slattery’s film Maggie Moore(s)? Jon Hamm. He is often the answer to that question, as when he is involved in a production, he is usually a safe bet to go into the movie with a bit of optimism. No matter what happens around him, Hamm seems to bring it – and that’s definitely the case here. The film has some other highlights, but it feels very confused on what tone it wants to take and struggles to find a balance between its humor and crime drama. Whether it’s meant to be a meta commentary on the film’s inability on balancing its tone, Nick Mohammed’s character is frequently told by Hamm’s that he doesn’t know when to be funny.
The film starts in the middle where the police chief (Hamm) of a small Arizona town is at a murder scene. The victim’s name is Maggie Moore, and we are told that it is very odd that is the case. Jump back a few days, and we witness another murder of another person with the same name. What are the odds that two people would be killed with the same name so close together? As the audience is involved with the details, this film isn’t a mystery for them to solve, but rather one to watch the police struggle to wrap their heads around.
Tina Fey shows up as a potential love interest for Hamm’s character. Their interactions are funny, and when the two are on screen together, the film takes on the most energy. If it had gone 100% in on the romantic comedy aspect of its story, it would likely have worked better. The other part of the film’s story focuses on Micah Stock and his desire to be a franchisee so that he may rule as much of the world as possible after making his potential millions. It’s this side of the film that never fully connects, and results in shifting the tone to the point where it feels off. Stock isn’t the problem, and some of his scenes are also funny. However, the film meanders trying to find the right balance of tone and story. It never fully finds its footing.
There are moments that are funny as much as there are some that are generally shocking. One late scene when the crime elements of the story are finally coming together felt like a punch to the gut. While it was an impactful moment, it was also a prime example of how unsure the film was of what it was doing. That gut punch felt so devastating because the stakes never felt serious up until that moment. The movie doesn’t set up enough of its serious side, so the sudden change so late feels unearned. Regardless of this, the performances are solid, and there are enough scenes that work to not make it completely unwatchable.
Maggie Moore(s) debuts at Tribeca on June 12.
Rating: Not A Total Waste of Time
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