A One Mann’s Movies Film Review of “Suncoast” (2024).
“Suncoast”, new on Disney+ (Star), is about impending death and the grief associated with that. So if you are looking for a cute romantic rom-com for Valantines Day, look elsewhere. While death is inevitable for all of us, it is seldom addressed quite so head-on as in this hospice-based tale. But that isn’t a bad thing at all if done well. And, thankfully, this is done well, helped along by a knockout performance by young Nico Parker.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
Quiet teenager Doris (Nico Parker) is having a difficult relationship with her mother Kristine (Laura Linney). But there’s a reason for that. Her brother Max (Cree Kawa) is suffering from brain cancer and about to take his final one-way journey to Suncoast, the local Clearwater hospice. Kristine is so wracked with ‘pre-grief’ that she can’t appreciate that Doris is going through a vital period of her teenage life that she will never get back again.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: R. (Disney+ rating = “16”).
Talent:
Starring: Nico Parker, Laura Linney, Woody Harrelson, Cree Kawa, Pam Dougherty, Amarr, Ella Anderson.
Directed by: Laura Chinn.
Written by: Laura Chinn.
Twitter Handle: #Suncoast.
Running Time: 1h 49m.
“Suncoast” Film Review:
Positives:
- Written and directed by Laura Chinn, this is a very personal film for her as Doris is basically HER… but 20 years ago. Her brother, Max Kenneth Chinn, who the film is dedicated to, was the person dying of brain cancer. For this reason, the story feels very real and vibrant.
- Nico Parker, who was young Milly in the Tim Burton “Dumbo” movie, turns in a really cracking little performance as Doris. You really feel every ounce of her pain and frustration at what is going on. A young actress to keep an eye on for the future. Laura Linney – when is she ever less than excellent – was made for the role of the outrageously over-the-top mum, lashing out at everyone and everything.
- As well as being a film about grief, it is also a coming of age drama and – in the main – the friendships that the isolated Doris makes feel warm and natural, bringing some much-needed balance to the doom and gloom.
Negatives:
- I wasn’t quite sure what to make of Woody Harrelson’s character Paul. Paul is a demonstrator at the hospice where a famous euthanasia case was playing out (that of Terri Schiavo, who was on life support for 15 years and her husband was wanting it turned off). Paul seems rather of a ‘something and nothing’ character. On the plus side, its a portrayal of a middle-aged man forming a relationship with a cute and vulnerable teen of the opposite sex that appears not to be aimed at getting in her pants! But on the downside, other than being a shoulder for Doris to occasionally cry on, he seems to add little to the plot. (It also struck me as an odd aspect of the script that when he meets Kristine outside of the hospice, he doesn’t say a word of comfort to her. In ‘my script version’, there would have been the hint of a possible future relationship, to close things out on a more positive note.)
- The script is full of some very perceptive dialogue (a discussion between Kristine and grief counsellor Sue (Pam Dougherty) is particularly good). But elsewhere, there are some clunky edges:
- Would Doris’s teacher (“Veep”s Matt Walsh) really not know her name?
- The whole ‘poor girl out with rich friends’ thing is, I thought, rather clumsily handled.
- When Doris is asked to the prom by Nate (Amarr) – a cute moment – their friend Brittany (Ella Anderson) yells “OK, now finger her!”. Sure, teens can be crude, but this scene didn’t feel remotely realistic to me.
Summary Thoughts on “Suncoast”
This is a well-made teen-oriented drama that covers difficult subject matter delicately and believably. Despite the odd rough edge, it’s well worth a watch.
Oh, and note for teens: if you’re playing ‘truth or dare’, always have someone on lookout for Mum coming home. #cringe.
Trailer for “Suncoast”:
The trailer is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeQGCLOxh2g .
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