Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

Where'd You Go, Bernadette?

Starring Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Emma Nelson, Kristen Wiig

Directed by Richard Linklater

The Story:
Bernadette Fox (Cate Blanchett) used to be one of the most acclaimed architects of her time, a woman who designed the most beautiful buildings and really had a second sight for what was needed.  But for the last twenty years, she went off the grid and now lives in a huge rather run-down home with her Microsoft husband Elgin (Billy Crudup) and her intellectual, endearing daughter Bee (Emma Nelson), who's become basically the only human Bernadette cares for.  She's despised by the other moms at the school, especially her neighbor and head of the PTA Audrey Griffin (Kristen Wiig), and Bernadette doesn't enjoy being around people anymore.

When Bee says she wants the family to go on a trip to Antarctica, Bernadette retreats into herself and shows obvious signs of depression and agoraphobia, and eventually disappears.  Bee discovers where Bernadette has gone, and hopes that she can find her mother in a new state of mind.

The Synopsis:
Bernadette is a highly intellectual, artistic woman.  She also dislikes people, doesn't want to be around any size groups, makes plans on backing out of plans, is outright rude and mean to those who are rude and mean to her, and holds no qualms to be downright off-putting if it means getting away and being alone.  Basically, Bernadette is my soul sister.  Many of her mannerisms I could associate with, and as I laughed at many of the events that happen to Bernadette, I then found myself feeling bad because the film takes a total tonal shift and makes her mannerisms look like the cries of a woman secretly suffering from depression, agoraphobia, and hidden narcissism.  The film is a strange study on a magnificent woman who just needs to find her footing again and find faith in herself, but is delivered in a way that glosses over pretty much everything and - with a runtime of over two hours - feels like it doesn't really tell any real story at all.

The film would've been a complete bust of it wasn't for the acting talent of Cate Blanchett, and the revealed acting ability of newcomer Emma Nelson, who plays Bernadette's teenage daughter Bee.  As Bernadette, Blanchett gets to explore different avenues of acting, and delivers a completely well-rounded performance where even she doesn't really seem to understand her motives, which develops well as we see her struggling with what's going on and whether or not she's really loosing her mind.  She was once a renowned architect, but secludes herself after a public mishap and relegates herself to being the hermit in the castle, living in a huge former boarding house that's dilapidated on the outside and often on the inside, but there's some rooms that are very modern (which was confusing).  She has a husband (a strange performance by Billy Crudup) who either cares so deeply about Bernadette that he'll do anything to help her, or just wants her to be back to normal and doesn't care how it happens.  The entire tone is strange throughout, and Blanchett still manages to breeze through with an affable laugh and snide sarcastic comment that will make you laugh, but then feel kinda bad for laughing because you could be laughing at an undiagnosed mental illness.

The heart and soul of Bernadette lies with her teenage daughter Bee, who is performed by Emma Nelson in her first starring role.  She does a phenomenal job and is the true light of the film, a young girl who's incredibly intelligent and talented in her own right, and also still manages to stand up for herself and her mother.  Emma Nelson will easily get bigger roles due to this, and I can't wait to see her next project.

As Bernadette's PTA-leading nemesis, Kristen Wiig goes over-the-top as the typical suburban mother who's more into the town gossip and coming across as the perfect mother to realize her own son is a mess, and still Wiig gets more to work with than just this outer shell.  Her pas de deux with Blanchett is infectious, and really makes the film fun.  The film is littered with cameos including Laurence Fishburne, Judy Greer, Troian Bellisario, Megan Mullaly and Steve Zahn, and all add their own unique touch to the film.

The trailers make the film look like a family-fueled adventure, where Bernadette runs off so her daughter can find her, but she doesn't even disappear until there's about an hour or so left in the film.  Her abandonment itself is strange, but moreso how others react to it.  Her husband Elgin seems relegated to moving on with life, and if it wasn't for Bee's constant prodding would probably forget about his wife altogether.  But since Bee won't give up on her mother, she drags her father to find her in a mystery that's solved within five minutes, and sends the family on an adventure of a lifetime.  Again, as with the rest of the film, the ending itself is tonally strange and you leave not knowing how you should feel about what you've just seen - but there's no doubt that Cate Blanchett gives another stellar performance.

The Summary:
Maybe it's a story of a woman dealing with a hidden mental illness, or it's about a woman who just plain doesn't like people, but "Where'd You Go, Bernadette" doesn't really shed light on what's going through the character's mind, and really should've been titled "What's Up, Berandette?"

The Score: B-