Watching this film for the second time I found it wasn't as good as i'd initially remembered.
Vince Vaughn is excellent in a straight dramatic role and his performance really carries the film, his interaction with his son is the main selling point. Joey Lauren Adams, although not given a whole lot to do, is very charming but remains two dimensional. Monica Potter does OK with a fairly thankless role but like Adams, her character's moods and motivations are never really explored. As a examination of the relationship between father and son the film does its job, however the various subplots are neglected and give the feeling of being there solely to pad the runtime.
Overall not a bad way to spend an hour and a half, just don't expect to be blown away by it.
Plot summary
Russell, a single father, balances his work as a lawyer with the care of his five-year-old son after his wife abandoned them. When she reappears creating turmoil, he must deal with his new love interest and the job opportunity of a lifetime.
Uploaded by: FREEMAN
July 21, 2020 at 06:41 AM
Director
Top cast
Tech specs
720p.WEB 1080p.WEBMovie Reviews
Enjoyable but forgettable
A Cool, Dry Place is An Effective Place to Be ***1/2
Guess what, Vince Vaughn can really act and it is about time that he be used more in mature subject matters. He is quite effective here in the role of a father who is forced to take care of his little boy when the wife and mother goes off to her sister's engagement party and never returns after 18 months.
While the premise may be a little silly to believe, Vaughn gives it his all and in certain ways reminded me of Dustin Hoffman's "Kramer vs. Kramer."
The little boy is adorable and appealing in the role. The film works because it deals with maturity and responsibility in a very apt way.
Vaughn is an attorney who also dabbles in coaching basketball in the film. One of his renegade players has a sister and you know the rest.
An earnest, sincere drama about choices
"A Cool, Dry Place" puts Vince Vaughn in the vortex of choices created by the return of an estranged wife, a son in his sole custody, a lover, a major career move, and a job as a High School basketball coach. This even-tempered film finds a pleasant middle ground between hardcore reality and melodrama as it shows the audience how, perhaps, the best thing we can all have in life is as simple as "a cool, dry place".