With two active kids, it’s rare that I am able to go a theater and enjoy a movie without cartoon characters or a catching theme song. I usually have to wait until the DVD comes out–after all the spoilers have been all over the internet. Imagine my delight when I was invited, along with many other bloggers, to attend the online preview of the upcoming movie, Mighty Fine, three weeks before it theaters!

About the movie:

Mighty Fine stars Chazz Palminteri and AndieMacDowell as Joe and Stella Fine. They move with their two daughters–played by Jodelle Ferland and Rainey Qualley–from Brooklyn to New Orleans. But everything is not as it seems and Joe quickly finds himself over his head. As his temper flares up, it is obvious this is not the first time for him. His behavior gets more erratic as his family struggles to find a solution.

The trailer:

My thoughts:

I loved recognizing familiar places in New Orleans. I immediately recognized the house they moved into; I’ve passed it several times on St. Charles. Some of those houses in that neighborhood sell for millions. Knowing that fact definitely puts the Fines’ financial situation into perspective, even though the movie takes place in the 70s. In fact, the house acts as a mirror for Joe’s larger than life personality. On the outside, it is beautiful; but on the inside, it’s much too big for anyone to handle. The movie handled his decline flawlessly, including the stigma surrounding mental illness during that time. My favorite character was Natalie, the youngest daughter, because she put all her emotions into writing instead of internalizing them.

Chat with the cast:

After watching the movie, we were given the chance to ask some of the cast members questions. The first person we spoke with was Rainey Qualley, who is also the daughter of cast member Andie MacDowell. During our discussion, we learned that Rainey had also worked with her boyfriend on set. Mighty Fine was her first movie role and also features her singing in the credits. Rainey was very personable and a pleasure to talk to.

The second person we got to speak with was Chazz Palminteri. I do have to admit I was a bit nervous about talking to such an icon, even if it was only by typing on a keyboard. Mr. Palminteri was polite and thoughtful about his answers. When he was asked if he knew anyone like Joe Fine, he replied that he had been lucky growing up and that he had a wonderful relationship with his parents. How delightful that was to hear!

This is a wonderful movie to demonstrate how far we’ve come as a society in helping people under mental duress. It was interesting to find out from the actors and director Debbie Goodstein about filming the movie. Mighty Fine opens in select theaters on May 25. You can also follow the movie on Facebook.

I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Mighty Fine and the distributor. I received access to an online showing of the film and a promotional item to thank me for participating.