Driveways

Graced by a completely unexpected performance from Brian Dennehy that is by far the best of his career, 'Driveways' is a richly realised drama that doesn't overplay its lessons on life, but contains them, warmly embracing values that another film might have simply ignored.

• Jake Watt

Read Jake's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-driveways-a-story-of-rare-emotional-depth-and-sensitivity

When her sister dies, "Kathy" (Hong Chau) and her young son "Cody" (Lucas Jaye) turn up at what is now their house to prepare it for sale. It's fair to say that she hasn't two cents to rub together, really, so they aren't best pleased to discover the house is an Aladdin's cave of clutter with no electricity and an expected guest in the bath, so are forced to dwell in a motel whilst they work - and that's stretching their already limited budget. Next door lives "Del" (Brian Dennehy), an elderly veteran who is usually content to sit on his porch minding his own business, when he isn't playing bingo with his friends in town. When his best friend "Roger" (Jerry Adler) forgets to collect him one afternoon, she volunteers to drive him and that starts off a friendship between the young lad and the older man who offers him an unconditional degree of friendship and a go on his sit-on lawn mower! "Del" is a recently widowed man whose successful daughter lives far away; "Roger" is clearly suffering from the advanced stages of dementia and "Cody" appears to be able to breath new life into the man. The youngster, likewise, seems to thrive from his gently affectionate friend who makes it quite clear that the other neighbours - especially the gushing (and nosey) "Linda" (Christine Ebersole) and her two constantly wrestling children aren't really worth knowing. There's quite a lot of poignancy contained within this shorter feature and all three actors are on good form as they deliver some quite engagingly considered performances that look at age, at loneliness and at the effects they can have. It's really a film about the benefits of companionship for people at all stages of their life and shows us vulnerability and even opportunity in a subtle yet affecting way, too.