My First Mister

Seventeen-year-old Jennifer wears black, has piercings, spends time in cemeteries, and talks to no one. She is the child of a divorce and hides her pain behind a hard surface. Forced to look for work, she takes a job at the menswear store of forty-nine-year-old Randall. Randall does everything in order, has shrunk what he expects from life, and lets nobody near. The two are exact opposites, and for that reason they start talking. This was Christine Lahti's first film as director. The narrative does not turn romantic; the relationship stays a friendship and the film's interest is in how two solitudes recognise each other. Leelee Sobieski plays Jennifer and Albert Brooks plays Randall. Brooks is not doing comedy here, and it is among the most measured work of his career. Who it's for: Viewers who like American independent drama, narratives of friendship across generations, and Albert Brooks. Who it's not for: A development in the final quarter turns the narrative into melodrama. The writing of Jennifer also runs to type in places.