In the kind of one-note part that threatened to kill his career before the one-two punch of Zombieland and The Social Network saved it, Jesse Eisenberg stars as Eli, a young man with a bright future as a pianist ahead of him, if not for having to act as a surrogate father for his own drug-addicted, hippie-dippie mother (Melissa Leo, Flight).
Further making Eli put-upon, his little sister (Emma Rayne Lyle, I Dont Know How She Does It) communicates only via Julio, a filthy sock puppet on her hand. (See, I knew you knew the kind.)
Anyway, Elis set to audition for the single spot open for a music conservatory in Boston, but first he has to put Mom in rehab. But her urine isnt dirty enough for the place, and since she doesnt have insurance, she needs to get high first. So Mom directs Eli to score for her at the home of her dealer, Sprinkles (Tracy Morgan, TVs 30 Rock).
Oh, if only were things were so simple! But as these credibility-strectched set-ups often go, every plan that could derail does, sending our time-challenged Everyman into a whirlwind that suggests Martin Scorseses After Hours stripped of its cleverness and adapted into a family sitcom.
The pacing of newbie Phil Dorling and veteran Ron Nyswaner (an Oscar nominee for penning 1994s Philadelphia), who share scripting and directorial duties, feels all wrong for the tone, and the dialogue emerges flat from the mouths of very talented people. Morgan, in particular, can make the most mundane lines sound funny elsewhere, yet cant wring a single laugh out of any of the material. At least hes in good company, because nobody else can.
Why Stop Now is not so bad that it insults and offends viewers' intelligence; its too lifeless to approach that level. Still, I do not suggest even starting. For another wry look at a dysfunctional family from Nyswaner, but one that charms, give 1988's The Prince of Pennsylvania a try. Rod Lott
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