C'MON C'MON

"Over the years, you will try to make sense of that happy, sad, full, empty, always shifting life you're in. And when the time comes for you to return to your star, it may be hard to say goodbye to that strangely beautiful world." - Uncle Johnny

Every once in awhile a film comes along that rips you apart and slowly pieces you back together. A film that makes you want to put your phone down and reconnect with people, with nature, with the emotions locked away inside yourself. A human experience that uproots your understanding of communication, your idea of maturity, and explores what it truly means to be emotionally defenseless. Mike Mills asks us to trust him through his soul-stirring, metamorphic new film ‘C’mon C’mon’.

‘C’mon C’mon’ observes the relationship between 9 year old Jesse and his radio journalist uncle Johnny. Estranged after almost a year of no communication, Johnny volunteers to fly across country to watch Jesse after his mom Viv leaves to try, again, to admit Jesse’s bipolar father into psychiatric care. Having to still travel for work, Johnny takes his eccentric nephew on a country wide road trip. What follows is the most beautiful, schmaltzy, tear-inducing one hundred and nine minutes 2021 has to offer.

The incredibly impactful narrative of ‘C’mon C’mon’ focuses heavily on the experiences and perspective of inner city students. Throughout the film, Johnny and his coworkers interview children, asking them recondite questions like ‘What do you think the future holds,’ and ‘If you had to raise your parents what would you teach them?’ Their authentically unscripted responses procure profound results.

Children are the auteur; the voice of reason. Mills exhibits the importance of not silencing the brilliance children bring to the table - the mindfulness and vulnerability humans of all ages poses. Their wisdom, strife and awareness significantly contradicts the stigma that children are too underdeveloped to have an enlightened ideology. These kids have opinions that happen to be an eloquent and cognizant grasp many jaded adults stifle with age. The inclusion of these interviews is essential in opening the flood gates to the heart of the film - a refreshingly poignant reminder that the essence of human connection is through communication.

Soothing in black and white, emotive with its musical score, the film establishes an emotionally intelligent communicative style between nephew and uncle. Through published work read aloud and practicing evidence-based psychotherapy, especially molded after dialectal behavioral therapy (DBT), Mills creates a cocoon of educational opportunities to learn from Johnny and Jesse’s conversations. Johnny learns to be gentle, validate Jesse’s feelings, and voice his frustration and fears calmly. Together they learn to accept each others emotions and mistakes and trust that their amenability will be received and reciprocated.

‘C’mon C’mon’ at its core is a lesson about being unguarded and receptive. Depictions of this include Jesse’s obsession with Johnny’s recording equipment. Jesse spends a lot of time walking the streets with headphones in and microphone out, as well as replaying Johnny’s interviews frequently. Similarly, Johnny takes parenting advice from Viv through a series of phone calls, which helps rekindle their sibling relationship from years of distance after the death of their mother. Both unpack compartmentalized personal issues, voicing things that haven't bee said before, and in doing so bridges their gap of stoic detachment.

The success of this film heavily, if not solely, rides on the chemistry amongst the core family members, specifically Jesse and Johnny. Woody Norman and Joaquin Phoenix are unmatched in their portrayal of a familial bond. Norman’s portrayal of Jesse as an outlandish and capricious nine year old should be praised up and down. Phoenix is the gentle, patient uncle everyone wishes they had. Masterful in almost every aspect, the performances from each actor deserves special recognition.

The potential for human connection is all around us. ‘C’mon C’mon’ implores humanity to step back, be present, and listen. It is a nonjudgemental cinematic haven to sift through emotions, reevaluate relationships, and cry. Embrace your peers’ quirks, voice your feelings and pain, but most of all, be willing to learn. What Mike Mills has created is extremely special, so grab a box of tissues, get comfy, and enjoy the emotional rollercoaster.