Though Scott Caan, son of James, has been in the movie business for over 15 years, he has yet to mark his territory the way his father did. By 1970 (only nine years into his career), the old man had the lead as Rabbit Angstrom in the film adaptation of John Updike’s controversial novel Rabbit, Run. In 1972 he was Sonny Corleone, welded into cinema history playing one of the most memorable characters in one of the greatest American films ever made.
Most remember the younger Caan from his recurring bit role in Steven Soderbergh‘s Ocean’s movies.
As it turns out, the young thespian has gone places his father never really touched – writing and directing. He has the IFC-distributed indie-romance Mercy opening this Friday (which he wrote and stars in).
Don’t worry, no one else has heard of this film, or his first two films, either.
And it’s a shame, because his two directed dramedies (Dallas 362, The Dog Problem) offer well-orchestrated oddball characters, moments of honesty and comedy that feels natural. Many indie films have a tendency to cross the line of “preciousness,” becoming exercises in celluloid masturbation, full of pop-culture references and cliched monologues salvaged by alternative rock. Caan’s films have a confident-enough voice to steer through the garbage, and the young man’s clearly got more than enough friends to help him navigate.
Shawn Hatosy and Jeff Goldblum are among the players in Dallas 362, an adventuresome coming-of-age story concerning Rusty (Hatosy) and his hope to live a better life through the connections of Bob (Goldblum) his mother’s psychiatrist boyfriend and maybe a pseudo-bank robbery. Goldblum, not surprisingly, steals scenes throughout, playing a more chilled-out version of his “mom’s love interest” in Burr Steers’ wonderful Igby Goes Down. And then there’s Dallas, played by Caan himself, Rusty’s best friend/the film’s comic relief who disapproves of the life change. This, of course, leads to conflict and what not.
There’s a planned heist (kind of) and a planned relationship (kind of) and a whole more kind “ofs.”
What’s special here are the characters and how each actor plays them. Independent film can be a blessing in freedom. Without studios watching dailies and handing back notes, the writer/director can (presumably) construct his/her vision as he/she sees fits. That presumption rings true in both of Caan’s films.
His second effort may be more tame, but it’s certainly more accomplished. The young man’s more sure-handed behind the camera – hell, he’s behind the camera more, playing much more of a supporting character, which certainly helps his cause. Having not yet seen Mercy, in which he plays an Alfie character of sorts, it’s hard to say that Caan is that versatile of an actor, especially when it comes to pathos. His strong suit has never been emotional pull, per se: easy to like but not easy to care about.
Giovanni Ribisi, on the other hand, can do whatever he wants. Here he plays Solo, a neurotic nowhereman with, if you can believe it, a “dog problem.” He uses his last bit of money to buy a dog based on his expensive psychiatrist’s (Don Cheadle) suggestion, a.k.a. the man who Solo gave all of his money to.
Solo wrote a best seller of a first novel, but he’s not proud of it and has writer’s block as a result. He’s got a lot of artistic problems, a la Woody Allen. Enter Solo’s love interest in the form of the lovely Lynn Collins, who plays a fellow dog owner whom Solo begs to pay his veterinarian bill after their two dogs have an incident. Meanwhile, his friend Casper (Caan) has found someone who wants to buy the dog, which would cover all of Solo’s unpaid expenses. Let conflict ensue.
Yes, it sounds like a sit-com and it’s not far off. Fortunately, much like Caan’s debut, the performances push on through. Does this mean Caan just knows enough talented people to save mediocre screenwriting/directing abilities?
Possibly. But then how would one explain nice, heartfelt scenes of dialogue like the meet-cute at the dog park between Collins and Ribisi? Or the awkward conversation that follows at the vet office? And, at the very least, Caan maintains a presence on screen as if to make sure people know who’s behind the camera/who’s vision this is.
And while the lack of recognition/success both of these movies garnered isn’t surprising (these are small films and Scott Caan isn’t, at the end of the day, a household name), it’s a shame these films will forever exist on the virtual shelves of the Netflix Watch Instantly Queue.
Or maybe it’s a victory they were even made in the first place.
Do you like Scott Caan as an actor? Have you seen any the films he’s written/directed?