‘Carousel’ Review: Chris Pine and Jenny Slate Are Pitch Perfect in Whimsical Love Story
Though it can often be hard to fully see it, there is whimsy and romance to be found in even the most mundane rhythms of life. At least, if you’re lucky enough to be living in a world from writer-director Rachel Lambert.
The mind behind 2023’s stellar gem “Sometimes I Think About Dying” has already proven she has a uniquely sharp eye for those special little moments between people and the worlds they inhabit. In isolation, they may seem inconsequential. But when gently stitched together? They can become something quietly breathtaking.
With “Carousel,” Lambert’s new romantic drama starring the excellent duo of Chris Pine and Jenny Slate, she strikes gold yet again. Though a film about two old flames — Pine’s caring, troubled doctor Noah and Slate’s passionate, whip-smart Rebecca — reconnecting in Cleveland after many years apart could seem more conventional at first glance than “Sometimes I Think About Dying,” which was defined by visions of death that Lambert rendered in surreal yet beautiful detail, looks can be deceiving.
This is a film of the same deep feeling she tapped into with her previous film, finding its own humble wonders in watching two people drift back together. It’s a simple story that takes its time in unfurling and also isn’t afraid to jump around in moments, but it’s one that rewards every moment you spend with it.
What makes the film work so well is that its two leads give performances that are right up there with their very best work. In particular, Pine does his best acting since “Hell or High Water,” capturing both the uncertainty of his lonely patriarch and the faux confidence that he uses to mask how he’s not sure what to do with his life. Equally as great is Slate, who gets the chance to show off her comedic and dramatic chops in a way we can only hope to see more of in the future.
The duo rekindles their relationship when each finds themselves at a crossroads, now with Noah’s sweet yet anxious daughter, played by a great Abby Ryder Fortson of 2023’s lovely “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” and you can feel the passion they have for each other in every frame. Neither Pine nor Slate strikes a single false note, ensuring you fully buy into the hope their characters have that they could make this time work.
When complications and conflict arise, it doesn’t stem from some big blow-up. Instead, it all expands outward from a more lived-in emotional core that rings clear and true, ensuring each subsequent escalation that could push them apart makes it hurt that much more. When the duo gets in an extended, drawn-out argument that puts even the iconic “Marriage Story” scene to shame, you feel like you’ve just glimpsed a real couple struggling to speak to the other about what they really want.
You can see them falling back into old patterns that may provide the illusion of safety, completely smothering any risk of being hurt, rather than attempting to open up and honestly communicate with each other. You want to scream at them or ask them what the hell they’re doing, but this is a feature, not a bug, and a testament to the strength of the two performances that you still care for both characters. Their behaviors are not always easily legible by design, but the emotions that underpin them are what makes it resonate all the same.
The film also benefits from a consistently spectacular score that’s bursting with splendor by Dabney Morris and gloriously textured cinematography by Dustin Lane. It’s meticulous technical craft that is often unexpected, injecting sweeping joy into the recurring scenes of the day-to-day life in the community or framing a conversation in a more potently off-kilter fashion. There are even some moments that lean almost entirely on these aspects to hold our focus, with Lambert showing a great confidence in how she merges the music and visuals together to speak to something deeper.
How Noah and Rebecca’s relationship resolves is best left to the film, as many moments intentionally leave you adrift and prove to be wonderfully surprising in how they play out. But if there is one moment that encapsulates what makes “Carousel” special, it’s one where Noah literally listens to his own heart. In lesser hands, this could come across as cheesy nonsense. What ensures it doesn’t is the way Lambert slows everything down and lets us just sit with Pine’s delicate performance. It makes this feel like an explosion of potential meaning rather than a narrowing of it to just one thing.
Check out all our Sundance coverage here
The post ‘Carousel’ Review: Chris Pine and Jenny Slate Are Pitch Perfect in Whimsical Love Story appeared first on TheWrap.