Tribeca Film Festival: 'Don McKay'

At the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, Thursday evening was highlighted by a massive turnout of A-list movie stars, but Friday was reserved for the crème de la crème of character actors: Oscar nominees Thomas Haden Church ("Sideways"), Elisabeth Shue ("Leaving Las Vegas"), and Melissa Leo ("Frozen River") all star in "Don McKay" and came out for its premiere at the Borough of Manhattan Community College down by Chelsea Piers.

The film, which marks the feature screenwriting and directorial debut of 31-year-old Jake Goldberger, is a mind-twister that fails to fall neatly under any traditional genre label -- it blends horror, romance, drama, comedy and even film noir in a way that is somewhat evocative of early Coen Brothers films such as "Blood Simple" (1984) and Miller's Crossing (1990), if not nearly as polished. It would be foolhardy even to attempt a synopsis of the plot, but let's just say the tagline for "Miller's" certainly applies to this film, as well: "Up is down, black is white, and nothing is what it seems."

The problem with a film of this sort is that the audience has to care enough to go along for the ride. Most of the people with whom I spoke after the screening and at the after-party agreed that the film takes a while to get going and become engaging but picks up steam as the pieces slowly begin to come together. Above all, it was agreed, it was a treat to see these first-rate actors -- all three of whom are now in their late 40s and grossly underused -- find meaty roles that they could sink their teeth into.

"Don McKay" is still seeking a distributor.

Photo: Elisabeth Shue and Thomas Haden Church in "Don McKay." Credit: Tribeca Film Festival