Set in California in 1979, Annette Bening plays Dorothea, a single mother to a 15 year old boy, Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann) and shares her house with lodgers Abbie (Greta Gerwig) and William (Billy Crudup). Jamie’s best friend Julie (Elle Fanning) who he has an unrequited crush on, also spends most of her time in Dorothea’s house. The film charts the relationships of that group of people.
I found 20th Century Women to be a film of wild contradictions and therefore struggled to form a firm opinion of it. The performances are universally good, but most of the characters are really annoying. There is way too much voice-over, from multiple people, but the best scene in the film is a voice-over from Bening looking back at the period being depicted. There is a great moment where the characters are watching Jimmy Carter’s Crisis of Confidence speech that is followed by an excruciating dinner table scene.
In the end, a disappointment bearing in mind the talent involved but it is worth seeing for Gerwig’s career best performance.
Rating: 6 out of 10