“Avalon” stars a nine-year-old Elijah Wood as Michael Kay, the grandson of Russian Jews who immigrated early in the 1900’s. The movie tells the story of the Krichinski family, how they all came to America one at a time, earned money to bring the next one over, and how much they relish and enjoy being Americans. As the recipient of this wonderful heritage, Michael hears them tell their stories time and time again, coming to appreciate the tales even though they are repetitive.
This movie is set up differently than any I’ve seen. Told in snatches that ultimately tie together, there’s not a great deal of high drama until the end – it’s more a look into this family’s life and their interactions with each other, their commonplace arguments over the dinner table, their desires to achieve and progress, and the things that keep them from that success. It’s like pulling a chair up in the Krichinski kitchen and listening in on a conversation.
Michael’s father, Jules (Aidan Quinn) is a salesman. One day Michael has a school holiday, and he goes with his dad, door-to-door. But a mugger comes along and demands all the money from that day’s sales, knifing Jules and leaving Michael as the only witness. This event turns Jules away from door-to-door, and when his cousin Izzy suggests that they open a store together, he goes along for the ride. Their success causes some hurt feelings in the family, and later, when they have the temerity to cut the Thanksgiving turkey before one of the brothers has arrived, that is used as the catalyst to tear the family apart. It makes you think – what are the threads in your family that might come unraveled if not properly reinforced?
Indeed, this movie is a think piece. It’s not a romance, or an adventure, or a suspense. It’s an introspective drama. It’s not one the kids will sit through, although there’s nothing in it that would harm them. It might not even be one you would sit through, unless you go into it with the understanding that it is a simple story and you’re not waiting the whole time for something to “happen” or for it all to make sense. Once I figured out just what the movie was about, I enjoyed it quite a bit, but if you’re looking for high excitement, this won’t be your film.
This movie was rated PG.
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