Peter Dinklage, opera composer, seduced by Marisa Tomei, tugboat captain. There, you already know if you want to see this film. The seduction happens in the first ten minutes. I dunno that any adult here is especially relatable except for the racist dad who invokes the law to keep his daughter from seeing a black guy. But the people who would relate to that racist dad probably aren’t choosing this film. For the rest of us, She Came to Me is unrelatable fun, more-or-less. And you know right now if this is a film for you. But I’ll go on anyway.
Steven Lauddem (Dinklage) isn’t just a successful opera composer; he’s a collection of anxieties. He’s one of these folks so into his personal journey of collected dreads and phobias, one can’t believe he enjoys life at all. Meanwhile, his wife Patricia Jessup-Lauddem (Anne Hathaway) is equally off-putting. She’s a psychologist with severe OCD – you should really talk about that with someone, ma’am.
The two share an uncomfortable life in which they both seem to be getting in the way of one another. Steven has severe writer’s block and is driving Patricia crazy, so she sends him out to walk the dog. At a bar, Steven meets Katrina (Tomei) who invites him back to her tugboat for a little boat-tugging. Steven doesn’t realize this until, “Oops, I’m being seduced.” Sure, Steven, if that’s the story you want to tell yourself, go for it.
Well, check it out, Steven gets inspiration to write an opera about an attractive tugboat captain who is a serial killer. Oh, and, Katrina is addicted to romance, so, quite naturally, she’s now obsessed with the guy who wrote an opera about her.
Meanwhile, in another film, Patricia’s son Julian (Evan Ellison), a young man of color, is dating a white girl. Her father goes ballistic upon the realization the two have been intimate and threatens
statutory rape should this continue. OK, now you’re caught up to the first paragraph.
Opera composer, tugboat captain, and OCD psychologist are all milieus so far removed from my personal experience (and personal desires) that I found every moment in She Came to Me at least an arm’s length away. That’s not necessarily a bad thing; you don’t want to get involved with an addict, even if the addiction is romance, perhaps especially if the addiction is romance. Hence, I treated most of the film like one watches a Shakespearean comedy: this is amusing in a way that I’m glad not a lick of it applies to me.
Writer/director Rebecca Miller is something of a film festival queen. It’s extremely doubtful she’ll ever make a film that will gross $100 million in one weekend, but I could see any number of smaller venues that would rave about Ms. Miller being present and ask her to stay for hours of Q&A after presentation. From the title to the end credits, She Came to Me was amusing and instantly forgettable fun. I liked the picture but won’t go to bat for it. Maybe I’ll look for Rebecca Miller the next time I attend a film festival.
There once was a composer named Steven
Who had not a subject to believe in
So he goes for a walk
And acquires a stalk
In the form of salt with bosom heavin’
Rated R, 102 Minutes
Director: Rebecca Miller
Writer: Rebecca Miller
Genre: Weird lives
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: People who find life amusing
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Patriarchs
