Home Entertainment Evan Rachel Wood tastes freedom for the first time in the eccentric dramedy Kajillionaire

Evan Rachel Wood tastes freedom for the first time in the eccentric dramedy Kajillionaire

2 min read
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Kajillionaire is not, as you’d immediately assume, a documentary about Jeff Bezos. Instead, it’s the upcoming petty crime dramedy from writer/director Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know), and it holds the distinction of being one of the few movies anyone has been able to watch on the big screen this year – with other people in close proximity no less – thanks to its screening at the Sundance Film Festival in January this year.

Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld) stars as the uniquely-named Old Dolio, the daughter and lifelong protégé of inveterate con artists Theresa (Debra Winger – Terms of Endearment) and Robert (Richard Jenkins – The Shape of Water). Her life is thrown upside down when they rope a stranger (Gina Rodriguez – Jane the Virgin) into their latest scam and, when the pair surprisingly begin to bond, for the first time in her life she contemplates what it would be like to get out from under the shadow of her parents and live life her own way.

The plot synopsis is as follows:

Con artists Theresa (Debra Winger) and Robert (Richard Jenkins) have spent 26 years training their only daughter, Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood), to swindle, scam, and steal at every opportunity. During a desperate, hastily conceived heist, they charm a kind stranger, Melanie (Gina Rodriguez), into joining their next scheme, completely shaking up Old Dolio’s routine. Her unlikely connection with Melanie begins to challenge Old Dolio’s odd and stoic reality – and she finds herself suddenly caught between the only family she has ever known and the prospect of total freedom.

Let’s take a look:

This looks unique, quirky, and pretty damn funny. I also think that it might be a bit too quirky for its own good, because something just felt off to me while watching the trailer. While the direction, performances, and dialogue all seem good, Wood’s character just seems off to me. The idea of Old Dolio being so naïve and unworldly given her age and profession doesn’t ring true to me, and messed with my suspension of disbelief.

What do you think?

Kajillionaire is due for release in US theatres on 18 September (for now). It also stars Diana Maria Riva, Patricia Belcher, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Mark Ivanir, and Rachel Redleaf.

Last Updated: August 3, 2020

2 Comments

  1. Everyone’s trying to get by, short story – sat in the most expensive building in S******, with a couple of friends, they were having coffee for breakfast in a basement office, they were showed me what they were looking at, pictures of food on Facebook, at what everyone else is eating, they were hungry as ever, with nothing else to eat, no money, their boss buys them lunch, probably their only meal for the day, with their stomachs sore, my heart sank in my chest, I realized how rich I was, I could go out buy them food for the entire week, for them and their families, life’s rough, look at everything in front of you right now, that’s how much more you have than these guys.

    Reply

    • Original Heretic

      August 4, 2020 at 08:46

      In the business I’m in, I hear these types of stories every week.
      Breaks my heart every time.

      Reply

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