Welcome to Me
Film Review
by Kam Williams
Lottery Winner Hosts TV Talk Show in Droll Character-Driven Dramedy
Let’s say you’re a diehard Oprah fan who has always wanted nothing
more than to have your own television series just like your idol’s. What would you
do if you hit it big in the lottery and suddenly had the money to turn that
dream into a reality?
That’s precisely the quandary confronting Alice Klieg (Kristen
Wiig) when she has the good fortune to win $86 million in the California Stacks
Sweepstakes. Trouble is she’s also a manic-depressive suffering from bipolar
disorder who deludes herself into believing she no longer needs drugs now that
she’s rich.
So, she informs her shrink (Tim Robbins) that she’s going off her
meds before offering him a bribe to give her a clean bill of health. Next, she
approaches the general manager (James Marsden) of a TV station specializing in
infomercials about buying air time for the talk show about herself she hopes to
host.
Concerned only about his struggling network’s bottom line, Rich gives
his okay as soon as Alice
comes up with the $15 million needed to underwrite the project. His
brother/business partner (Wes Bentley) is less enthusiastic about taking
advantage of the reckless mental patient until she unleashes her powers of
seduction in his direction.
Alice appropriately names the program “Welcome to
Me,” since she’s the topic of every episode. The themes range wildly, featuring
titles like “Jordana Spangler – a Liar,” “Matching Colors to Emotions,” “Lucky
Foods,” “I Can Still Smell You,” and “Regulating Your Moods with a High-Protein
Diet.” All they have in common is that they invariably focus on some aspect of the
narcissistic emcee’s life.
The emotional exhibitionist proves compelling enough to improve
ratings and is allowed to self-destruct in front of couch potatoes who just
can’t get enough Alice whether she’s nattering on about her orgasms or Irritable
Bowel Syndrome. But with a burn-rate of $150,000 per episode, it’s obvious that
she’s in for a devastating crash-landing, eventually.
Directed by Shira Piven (Jeremy’s sister), Welcome to Me is a
droll character-driven dramedy tailor-made for the tongue-in-cheek comedy style
of Kristen Wiig. Alternately vulnerable and bizarre, but always endearing, the
Saturday Night Live alum enjoys her best outing since Bridesmaids, here, as an anguished
soul allowed, against her better judgment, to purchase a terribly-embarrassing,
15 minutes of fame.
Kudos to Kristen for baring herself, literally and figuratively, in
deliverance of a poignant performance which could very easily have degenerated
into the sort of slapstick she did on SNL.
Excellent
(4 stars)
Rated R for
sexuality, profanity, graphic nudity and brief drug use
Running time: 87 minutes
Distributor: Alchemy
Thanks for sharing the review. I'm going to watch the movie. Being the lottery player myself ( thelotter review) I did thought of starting my own TV show (especially about myself) in case of a big winning. Cool idea!
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