American Pastoral ** (2016, Ewan McGregor, Jennifer Connelly, Dakota Fanning, Peter Riegert, Molly Parker, Samantha Mathis, Rupert Evans) – Movie Review

Philip Roth’s novel won him the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1998 but you would never know why from this earnest, sincere and well meaning but ponderous and struggling 2016 drama from Ewan McGregor in his first film as director.

McGregor stars as Swede Levov, a hard-working boss of a successful glove-making business, married to one-time beauty queen Dawn (Jennifer Connelly), whose life falls apart when his daughter Merry (Dakota Fanning)’s violently radical political links start to destroy the family in the American era of anti-war political upheaval around 1968.

Earnest, sincere and well meaning it is, but is also slow moving, hard going and not always persuasive, and its story is a bit of a downer. All three main characters seem miscast, good actors though they are. It’s impossible to believe in McGregor as the Jewish American businessman Swede Levov, a once legendary high school athlete, or as the father of Fanning, who is far too mature to convince as 16, and Connelly doesn’t convince as McGregor’s wife either.

Pointing up the miscasting, the star support actors are just right, however. Peter Riegert inhabits his role as McGregor’s dad perfectly, bringing a little much needed humour to the film, though it’s not his fault he’s a stretch as Ewan’s pop, while Molly Parker is credible as the misguided psychiatrist, Sheila Smith. And it is good to have Samantha Mathis back on screen, and she is effective even with so little to do as the tragic shop owner.

The film it is narrated by Nathan Zuckerman (played gloomily by David Strathairn), attending a 45th high school reunion at the age of 62. He meets former classmate Jerry Levov (Rupert Evans) who describes to him the tragic story of his recently deceased older brother Swede, and the story runs in flashback from this point. Unfortunately this is a literary device that would work perfectly on the page but seems fake and forced on film.

John Romano’s screenplay is very talky and literary, not too cinematic at all. However, the film looks good, with a lot of period detail splashed over it, with impressive images by cinematographer Martin Ruhe. The whiny score by Alexandre Desplat, though, is a bit of a pain, adding to the gloom.

McGregor has been ambitious, which is admirable, but he doesn’t prove that this is the right project for him either as actor or director. It’s such an American piece that it almost certainly needs an actual American to deliver it.

Because of its honourable nature and good intentions, I feel quite bad that I didn’t enjoy or appreciate it more. Though it is not remotely a cheery, feel-good experience, there is a good film in here somewhere, but alas this isn’t quite it. It is easy to admire the conscientious hard work involved and its serious intentions though.

Shooting began in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in September 2015 and the film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2016.

The simultaneously released Indignation is also based on a novel by Philip Roth.

© Derek Winnert 2016 Movie Review

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