Where I Watched It: Apple VOD

English Audio Description Provided By: Deluxe

Narrated By Laura Post

Cast: Michelle Williams, Hong Chau, Judd Hirsch, Amanda Plummer, Andre 3000, John Magaro

Written By: Jonathan Raymond

Directed By: Kelly Reichardt

First Cow is still on my very long list of “I’ll get around to it”, so this is my first experience with Reichardt. Showing Up ended up winning an all inclusive Altman award, which blessed the entire production. No one asked me.

I think as an independent film, or a meditation on normality, and the banality of existence, Showing Up works. but as far as being interesting, compelling, or either decidedly funny or series, I can’t say this really does either. Michelle Williams plays an artist, who is deeply behind on anything that requires money, and is working to try and get some pieces together for an upcoming show. She has a cat, and cat lovers might not like what this cat does, but he is a presence in the film. Other people float in and out, most notably John Magaro (whose name I’ve been butchering for so long), as her brother who is mentally on a different plane. It’s not quite determined what they are going for with him, but in many ways, it’s more of a role than what he had in Past Lives. He’s not a third wheel.

Basically, Williams has her life upended when her cat almost kills a bird, but she somehow makes it seem like that’s not what happens, and decides to take the creature under her wing until it has rehabilitated. There are so many scenes of her cat trying to get at the bird, I really thought we were living out some kind of morbid real life Sylvester and Tweety sketch. She keeps the bird in another room with the door closed.. but the cat knows.

I really got nothing from this film. Everyone in this film has been better in at least one project, if not all of them. Williams drew ire from me last year with her reasoning as to why she was the lead of The Fablemans, but I still named her my Best Supporting Actress of last year for her fantastic turn as the matriarch of The Fableman clan. She has so little to do here, with her range, i wonder if that’s what drew her to it. being asked to do nothing, and still somehow make your character come alive. She’s fine, and no one in this film delivers a bad performance, but this is the cinematic equivalent of painting your walls white. Lots of walls are white. It just isn’t memorable, it doesn’t pop, and it certainly doesn’t help define your creative side.

Laura Posts audio description is necessary. I saw this is on Showtime on Paramount Plus, and if it doesn’t have audio description, don’t bother. Post allows you to track the movement of the cat, who really is around a lot, as well as the bird, who essentially are two non-verbal characters. plus, you probably want to know what Williams’s art looks like, and the ending would be far less impactful if you didn’t have audio description.

I don’t like or hate this movie, just like I don’t like or hate white paint on walls. I just am not sure it really has anything to say.

Final Grade: C