Any film that has a top-name director on board as Executive Producer is going to attract attention for fans of his work.
Paul Thomas Anderson has certainly given some interesting work to the world over the years, with the likes of BOOGIE NIGHTS, THERE WILL BE BLOOD, MAGNOLIA and THE MASTER attracting a core group of fans who like a bit of intellect mixed in with the visual stimulants that we watch. They are also a good showcase for actors who thrive on the material. Daniel Day-Lewis and Tom Cruise are two such names whose best work has emerged in Anderson’s creative endeavours.
WATERLILY JAGUAR, which is written and directed by actress Melora Walters, who has featured in MAGNOLIA, premiered back in 2018 at the Breckenridge (Colorado) Film Festival. It is the tale of artistically and emotionally troubled writer Bob (James Le Gros, JUSTIFIED, GIRLS) who is in the process of drafting his latest work based on the ancient remains of the only human found down the La Brea Tar Pits.
His perspective is that whilst he is known for best-selling books that leap off the shelves at airports, he would like to be known for a more serious work, something which his agent Bill (Dominic Monaghan, LORD OF THE RINGS) is against and which his assistant Wilhelmina (Stacey Oristano) is equally unsure about. Bill, despite being married with children, is carrying on an affair with Wilhelmina and they are equally struggling to maintain a suitably loving relationship.
However, it is Bob’s artist wife Helen (Mira Sorvino, MIGHTY APHRODITE, ROMY & MICHELE’S HIGH SCHOOL REUNION) who is both the most conflicted and saddened by his demeanour which, coupled with an ongoing alcoholism and his obsession to do something real with his writing, is giving her much reflection as their relationship enters a new phase…
The issue of creative blocks and challenges has been explored over the years, in work like the Coen Brothers’ BARTON FINK and WATERLILY JAGUAR has the benefit of good performances from the quartet of main roles. It is great to see Mira Sorvino back in the zone in a film that gives us a reminder of why she has such appeal and presence in films like her Oscar-winning turn in MIGHTY APHRODITE.
The plot is secondary to the performances here and Walters shows much potential in this work which, whilst a little simplistic and flawed on occasion, redeems itself in the acting on screen.
