Seriously, this movie is yet another piece of work that screams the question "who greenlit this shit?". When I read a review about it, I was mildly intrigued. It was a tale of suburban angst in the flavor of Ang Lee's "The Ice Storm." Plus the cast included the always welcome Edie Falco and the always reliable Elizabeth Marvel ("Homeland). It was 90 or so minutes long...a reasonable sit. Why not?
An hour and a half later, I was asking why in the first place. To say that nothing happens in "The Land of Steady Habits" is an understatement. This thing was flat lining as soon as the Netflix "ta da" logo appeared.
We immediately meet the main character, Anders, in the first frame. He is shopping in Bed, Bath, and Beyond and they should immediately disavow this product placement. He's just retired from his job in finance. He's estranged from his wife (Falco) and their millennial son. Stocking up his single guy condo, he winds up sleeping with an assortment of sales clerks. You would think that, with all this sex, this film would be fun to watch.
Um no. The main reason for that is Ben Mendelsohn as Anders is such an unlikable character, you want him to disappear as quickly as he first appears. I have no clue what Mendelsohn has done in the past, but, in this one, all his scenes are done while he is seemingly sucking on a lemon. Yep, that sour.
With all this suburban malaise in his life, Anders complicates matter by becoming an ally to a neighbor's drug addicted son. I suppose this is Mid Life Crisis # 1246. But, as this plays out, you've seen it all before. 1245 times.
Trust me on this one, folks. Just because it's free on Netflix, you really should not succumb to watching "The Land of Steady Habits." Unless, of course, you really need the sleep.
LEN'S RATING: One-half star.
Dinner last night: Leftover meat loaf.
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