By Paul Hall
Eddie Palmer (Justin Timberlake) has a past. Upon release from prison, he heads home to live with his grandmother (June Squibb). With Eddie’s mom and dad out of the picture, his grandmother has always been there for him, and she will be again as he attempts to start over in the new film Palmer.
Thankfully, Eddie’s grandmother agrees to take him in again, if he follows some rules, and Eddie is happy to oblige. He quickly realizes that an old flame, Shelly (Juno Temple), still lives in a trailer on his grandmother’s property. It doesn’t take Eddie long to make a conjugal visit to Shelly that proves to be intense but brief. It seems his new freedom takes Eddie back to his old ways.
Those old ways include the fact that many in the small town know his past. Friends and foes alike make Eddie’s new life difficult. It takes him serious work to get a job and he needs a second chance to land a meager janitorial position. His friends are still the same people who he left behind in every behavior he remembers, both good and bad.
But life soon smacks Eddie square in the face. Shelly goes off with a boyfriend and leaves her son Sam (Ryder Allen) to be cared for by Eddie’s grandma. Sam doesn’t fit Eddie’s image of a boy. He likes princesses more than anything, and prefers many things that are not conducive to fitting in with the other boys in school. Sam has many great girlfriends and a heart of gold and couldn’t be a nicer kid, but living in a Southern town that is not willing to accept a different young boy proves to be a struggle that just may unexpectedly open Eddie up.
When tragedy strikes, Eddie is forced into a role that he never dreamed of, needing to stand up for Sam. It is not at all what Eddie knows, but can a man change? Can he see the value in a set of ideals that is different from what he has been taught his entire life? With all the strength in his body, he will be challenged to become the man he should be, despite his inherent flaws.
Timberlake takes an emotion-filled journey from hardened criminal to an accepting man just looking for a new start. He delivers along the way, from his initial uneasy meeting with Sam to sticking up for the boy at every turn. It’s a journey filled with heartache and discovery that we cringe at and cheer for within the same two-hour block.
The revelation here just might be the young Allen. His is a role that needs to connect with the audience to make the entire film believable. It is a smashing success. The relative ease with which Allen is able to display a naivete of his environment is crucial to grabbing your heart. We are cheering for him to just become the person he wants to be, and not who everyone else wants to turn the young boy into.
Palmer has a way of bringing together some distinct pieces into a coherent narrative. Sure, there are some shortcomings in the way things end up, but along the way, we are introduced to a variety of interesting characters who are necessary to combine the parts into a whole.
Eddie Palmer changes. We all can change, and no matter our individual circumstances, there are no excuses for not growing. It will mean a better world for all involved.
Paul’s Grade: B-
Palmer
Rated R
Stars: Justin Timberlake, Ryder Allen, Alisha Wainwright
Director: Fisher Stevens