Movie Review: "Carnage"

"Carnage": A- Penelope (Jodie Foster) is the mother of Ethan Longstreet, an eleven year old boy who was struck by chum Zachary Cowan with a stick during a playground argument. She and her husband Michael (John C. Reilly) ask Zachary's parents, Nancy (Kate Winslet) and Alan (Christoph Waltz), to come to their New York City apartment to have an adult conversation about the scuffle. After some minor disagreement over the choice of words (Was Zachary "armed" with the stick or "in possession of" the stick?) on a statement which Penelope types up, it appears that things are settled and the Cowans are headed for the door. They have not, at this point, even removed their coats. But tightly wound Penelope can't resist making a comment which the Cowans won't let pass, and before you know it the Cowans have settled in for a longer duration. Although Alan is a litigation attorney, he does not seem eager to get into a verbal jousting match with Penelope; he lets Nancy, an investment broker, do most of the talking in defense of Zachary. Meanwhile, Michael, who is a laid back hardware parts salesman, tries to keep things light with his smile and his sense of humor.

Ethan has suffered some dental damage which is covered by the Longstreet's insurance. But Penelope feels that the conversation should be about more than that, and if the Cowans aren't attuned to that reality, Penelope is bent on making sure they see her point of view before they leave. The discussion turns to deeper yet related themes such as child rearing, discipline and punishment, apologies, bullying and even gangs. In spite of the divergent points of view, the Longstreets are nevertheless aware of their roles as hosts, even offering Penelope's prized cobbler to the Cowans while the four of them continue their discussion. All too frequently, Alan answers his cell phone and carries on conversations with his pharmacuetical company client regarding a prescription drug which may be defective. It's obvious he has his mind on more pressing matters than two eleven year olds' mishaps in a park, even if one of those kids happens to be his son. These interruptions are annoying to the other three, but then Michael's elderly mother starts calling too. As it turns out, she has been taking the same questionable medicine that Alan's client has been manufacturing. One of the funniest bits in the movie occurs when Michael puts Alan on the phone. Michael's mother thinks Alan is a doctor!

The script for "Carnage" is brilliantly written. At first it is the Longstreets against the Cowans in a civilized manner. Your instinct tells you that the serene atmosphere won't last forever. Then, before you know it, the two men take sides against the women, one of the characters gets violently sick, and Alan's cell phone stops ringing for a surprising reason. When Michael decides to break out his eighteen year old single malt scotch and Cuban cigars, that is a game changer.

It is often said that great athletes have the ability to bring out the best in their teammates. If one were to test that theory as it applies to acting, "Carnage" would be offered as Exhibit A. All four leads are on top of their game. Austrian Christoph Waltz, who was brilliant in 2009's "Inglorious Basterds," is probably the least well known of the four to American audiences, but he is an amazing actor, having the ability to send out mixed signals with the utterance of a sentence or two coupled with subtle facial expressions. If you have ever said, "I'd like to be a fly on the wall" to eavesdrop on a lively private argument, you won't want to miss this movie.