Welcome to Me (DVD REVIEW)
Welcome
to Me
DVD
Review by Kam Williams
Tongue-in-Cheek Dramedy Tailor-Made for SNL Alum Kristen Wiig
Let’s
say you’re a die-hard 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
DVD Extras:
Behind-the-scenes featurette; and theatrical trailers.
To order
a copy of Welcome to Me on DVD, visit:
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