User reviews

Guy Pearce could have a career as a singer based upon what he does in this movie - the vocals he performs as "Drumstrings Casey" are phenomenal - and the always-brilliant Lili Taylor turns in another beautifully realized, multi-layered portrayal as Evie Decker, the film's center. What I liked most was how she wasn't a groupie or a pushover but rather a 3-dimensional person with a strong mind, and I liked how Pearce's character slowly came to realize that he needed her. Ideally, this should have been an overwhelmingly compelling film but it suffers from a weird kind of vagueness, which could have worked for the material but instead it pulls us away from it, so the ending isn't as satisfying as it could have been. Still worth catching on cable nonetheless, for the two brilliant central performances.

A Slipping down life was shelved for many years, and the lack of real hipness or accessibility is probably to blame for this. Helmed by two indie stars Lili Taylor and Guy Pearce, this film was held back simply because neither person could conceivably carry this film.

But unlike some crappy movies that see a rebirth it didn't deserve, ASL was quietly pushed into the underground cinema and then quickly reborn on cable. And while this doesn't sound good on paper, ASL actually surprises you a little with some of the little nuances within each character's performance (with the exception of Sara Rue and Shawnee Smith---ugh!!). Lili Taylor exhibits yet another introverted woman who is somewhat shunned not just due to her nature but also her looks. Much like previous films Dog Fight and even The Haunting (where her character was visibly overwhelmed by Catherine Zeta-Jone), Taylor makes you believe she is her character rather than an actor. And some people say method acting is dead.

Guy Pearce is especially interesting in this film. I especially liked the transgression of him embodying all the things his father hates and then turning into his father near the end. It was a strange transformation but an effective one. And its even more impressive how he can cover up his deep Australian with an effective North Carlina twang.

While the plot was pretty random at best, at least these two performances added some life to a film that would have been altogether listless.

A Slipping Down Life is a charming love story that keeps on giving until the very end. I especially enjoyed the performances of the film's two leads, Guy Pearce, and Lily Taylor. If you get a chance to catch this fantastic piece, jump at it. Fantastic soundtrack as well

Sort of warmed-over grits -- containing every trite character and expression that inhabits "Southern" storytelling down through O'Connor, Welty, Flagg, etc. None of the parts is more than one stereotype after another.

Therefore, the viewer is compelled to observe by contrast any small feature that redeems the larger picture. In this instance there is one that stands out: the versatility of actor Guy Pearce playing a weak, indecisive, and mushy musician whose impact lies solely in how he how he takes on an impossible role and somehow brings it to life.

How this Australian actor can master such a wide variety of theatrical work is something of a mystery to me. Lacking the "star" quality of such countrymen as Crowe and Gibson, he nevertheless steals every scene of every picture I have seen in which he appears, from "Priscilla" to "L.A. Confidential" to "Memento." Very impressive indeed. Worth watching this otherwise drab film.

Evie (Lili Taylor) is a quiet and seemingly simplistic small-town girl living in a small town becomes obsessed with an ostensibly "deep" local rock musician (Guy Pearce). After carving his name into her forehead at one of his shows, she becomes his #1 fan, good luck charm, and lover. Lili Taylor is an exceptional actress and gives a fine performance with what she is given to work with here. The supporting cast also stands out, especially Sara Rue and Shawnee Smith. Unfortunately, the story is completely absurd. The dialogue is painful at times, and you have to wonder whether Evie is trying to be comedic or if she really is that stupid. While the music is good and written by respectable songwriters, the trailer clearly states: "featuring actor/musician Guy Pearce." You have been warned. My Rating: 4/10.

I just saw this on Sundance channel.

Although there were some super korny things about it... I loved it.

This was also my intro to Guy Pearce. Whoa man! That is why I google'd it why I am here actually. That man is hot and has more stage presence then I've felt in a long time.

I also LOVE Lilly.

Okay, my two cents.

p.s So now this freakin' site is telling me I need to have more lines for this review to post. WTF??

Anyway... let's see if this works...

Tonight I watched "A Slipping-Down Life", Toni Kalem's film based on Anne Tyler's 1970 novel by the same name. It was originally released at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, but just released commercially in May 2004. I saw this with a friend on the spur of the moment, not knowing anything about it, when the film we went to see was sold out.

The film takes place in a sleepy small town in North Carolina around 1962 or 1963 (based on the music we hear on the radio). Naive Evie (Lili Taylor), who lost her mother at childbirth, lives with her father (Tom Bower). She hears musician Drumstring "Drum" Casey (Guy Pearce) on the radio, is drawn to his ego and voice, and seeks him out at his performances. Other women flirt with Drum, but shy Evie can only take a quick photograph of him and then in a strange (and, I found, hard to believe) act, carve his last name on her forehead with broken glass. The story is of their relationship to each other and to life in their small town, where they fear nothing changes and their existence or non-existence is hardly noticed.

I didn't enjoy the film. I couldn't understand where it was going, and found the utter simplicity of Evie unrealistic. I found Drum to be rather wooden and two-dimensional as in fact I found many of the characters. The only characters commanding any admiration were the gentle father who seemed to indulge Evie, their gutsy housekeeper, Clotelia (Irma P. Hall), who told it like it was (reminding me just a bit of Dilsey in William Faulker's novel, "The Sound and the Fury"), and Evie's loyal friend, hairdresser Violet (Sara Rue).

I wondered about the raucous music of Drum's band, which seemed to me at least a 15-year anachronism in the early 1960s. I didn't find the editing to make a dull, uninspiring, and "so what" story anything but even more dull. Of course, my comments could be attributed to my unfamiliarity with Anne Tyler's novels or lack of attention to slow, sleepy, small-town southern culture (though I enjoyed the 1989 film, "Steel Magnolias").

--Dilip June 15, 2004

This film is an absolute gem. It was filmed in and around Austin, and I didn't even know it until I saw the landscape. Not to mention the cameo of our former mayor Kirk Watson!

What can be said about Lili Taylor that hasn't been better said by superior raters? She's simply amazing as Evie. I've read other reviews that claim she was too old for the part and I completely disagree. She brings a clear and clean strength to this role that was absolutely required for the part to shine as it did. She just simply glowed through the movie like a firefly. Guy Pearce made this viewer fall in love with him the way Drumstrings made Evie fall in love.

Evie's relationship with her father was warm and touching. Her soul is so strong yet so fragile because of it's capacity to love that at one point I caught myself saying to the screen, "Don't break her heart. Please don't break her heart". This movie is a special treasure.

I just happened to catch this movie on satellite. I like both Lili Taylor and Guy Pearce, so I sat down to watch it. I thought Guy was very hot in this movie. He is a good actor and I didn't know he was a musician until I saw it.As for the movie, I didn't know anything about it or the book, before watching. It was kinda off the wall, but what kept me watching was the songs. Guy Pearce has a sexy voice and can sing! So all in all, I wasn't disappointed. The satellite went out for about 20 minutes, so I missed whatever happened from where he kisses her for the first time until his mom and that pr*ck were eating dinner with Evie, Drum and her dad. I'll probably try to watch it again.I don't really like Shawnee Smith's character. Was she ever sober?

Film started simply and innocently enough but gradually proceeded to disgust me with its ignorance, sluttiness, dirtiness, whacko storyline and lack of anything special shown by the lead actors, Pearce and Taylor.

How these cheap indie films get made is beyond me, but someone gets up the money somehow. Probably an investment film made by a bunch of GenX similar types who have some money but no taste in anything and demonstrate it every day in the foul and useless way they live their lives, just like the characters in this useless film.

How could the director get so little out of these good actors? Answer: Take a totally terrible screenplay and let them run with it. That's all anyone could get out of anyone in this shltty film. It's a true waste of time and I want my $6.25 and 109 minutes back!

I saw this earlier this year at a film festival and was pleasantly surprised by it. This is a well told story with some thoroughly engaging performances.

People used to seeing Guy Pearce in intense roles should be in for a nice surprise. It's a low-key performance as a budding singer and he plays very well off Lili Taylor, who turns in yet another wonderful performance.

Although the subject matter might seem a bit weird, initially, Pearce and Taylor build such a beautiful rapport that you buy into the story and go along for the ride. The script is peppered with delightfully understated humor. There also are two superb supporting performances by Sara Rue and Shawnee Smith. Even Bruno Kirby has an entertaining cameo.

I'm surprised this film has yet to be released commercially and is only now receiving publicity. If you're in the mood for a charming, quiet, funny and offbeat film, this one will do the trick.

I am a fan of Flannery O'Connor's Southern gothic, the kind of short stories that define `grotesque,' where humor is slow, characters are off center, defects abound, and life is a series of stops along the born-again trail. First-time writer/director Toni Kalem (`Sopranos') channels O'Connor when a lady sitting in an early scene of `A Slipping Down Life' has a large wound on her knee, not featured but just there as the camera pans the group.

Besides minor grotesqueries, the major one consists of the name Evie Decker (Lili Taylor, `Casa De Los Babys') inversely carves on her forehead with broken glass: `Drumstrings. ' `Drum' Casey (Guy Pearce, `Memento') is a soulful country singer catching wallflower Evie's fancy, implausibly marrying her, and along with her going through a few hells on the road to rebirth. The thirteen original songs Pearce sings are melancholic country, all the more impressive because of his singing.

The road is littered with Southern stereotypes (O'Connor never allowed those types in her very original stories) like Clotelia (Irma P. Hall, `Lady Killers'), whose black housekeeper is a true throwback to unoriginal Hollywood typing of the early 20th century. Add Drum's rube family members and slutty Faye-Jean Lindsay (Shawnee Smith) as an oversexed, overacting girl friend and you have an inexperienced director ignoring the nuances of Anne Tyler's novel, from which Kalem adapted.

But `A Slipping Down Life' belongs to Lili Taylor, who gives us a sympathetic young virgin, lovingly attached to her introverted widower father and doggedly determined to make something of Drum's talent and her life. Her underplayed demeanor and plain looks offset the grotesque mark on her forehead; her strength of character ("I've never backed down on anything in my life") serves further to distance her from the usual Southern hicks so popular in immature cinema.

In his `Autobiography,' W.B. Yeats described the link between self and happiness and renewal so much a part of this film's power: `I think that all happiness depends on the energy to assume the mask of some other self; that all joyous or creative life is a rebirth as something not oneself, something which has no memory and is created in a moment and perpetually renewed.'

Although the story brings no surprises and repeats some Southern chestnuts, the film ultimately succeeds because of the principals' considerable acting talent and the sheer truth of a young couple trying to escape their tyrannical roots to be reborn.

Toni Kalem is a new voice that shows a lot of promise by undertaking to make this 1970 Anne Tyler's novel into a quirky film. "A Slipping down Life" was shelved after its 1999 debut at Sundance. The film was released last year and since it disappeared before we could see it, it was a surprise when it was shown on a cable channel recently. Ms. Kalem, who adapted the story got the blessing from Ms. Tyler; the finished product follows the original text in a great adaptation.

Evie, the lonely young woman living with her widower father, gets her entertainment through the radio. It's the early 1960s in a small town in North Carolina. The late night program Evie tunes to brings her perhaps the only satisfaction she gets all day long. Working in a children's amusement park, Evie doesn't seem to fit. Evie's only friend is the beautician Violet, who being overweight, is another misfit living in a small community.

The Decker household is dominated by Clotelia, the black maid who is the only one with any spunk. Mr. Decker is an aloof man who is more interested in listening to his short wave radio. His only complaint is about too much Spanish broadcasting.

The young woman discovers the songs of Drumstring Casey late at night. He becomes an obsession. Evie drags Violet to go watch this not too popular singer at a local hangout. Evie becomes completely taken by the music and the young man singing the songs she loves. As a token of her infatuation Evie cuts her forehead with the name YESAC, or CASEY spelled backward when she looks at herself in the mirror. Drum, as he wants to be called, resists Evie's attention at first, but eventually he comes to love her in his own fashion.

The role of Evie is played by Lili Taylor. This young actress is what make us care for Evie because we root for her happiness with Casey. She has a dreary existence living at home and basically staying by herself. Lili Taylor, one of the most versatile actresses working in films these days, makes a great impression on the viewer with her rendition of Evie.

Equally effective is Guy Pearce, an Australian actor, who makes Drumstring Casey come alive. It would appear to be the wrong casting, but in reality, Mr. Pearce looks a natural and the right choice for the role. His take on the singer offers another dimension in Mr. Pearce's range, an actor that is at home in drama and comedy.

Irma P. Hall, an excellent actress of stage and screen, appears as Clotelia. Tom Bower is seen as Mr. Decker. Sara Rue is fine as Violet, and Shawnee Smith is also good as Faye Jean.

A great debut for a new talent. Toni Kalem is to be congratulated for tackling the job of bringing this mostly unknown work of Anne Tyler to the screen.

"A Slipping-Down Life" tells a story of Evie Decker (Lili Taylor) who is about thirty years old and she still lives with her father. She has a pretty boring life and she works as a bunny in a local kiddie park. Then Evie hears a new vocalist Drumstrings Casey (Guy Pearce) on a radio. Evie gets caught up in a deep fascination about unique-styled singer.She really believes that Casey has real talent. Evie realizes she never will be free if she doesn't act and her whole life will pass before her eyes.

"A slipping-Down Life" is a love story which makes you laugh and cry. It is a story about different people who have same aim in life but will need a little push to achieve happiness. I don't usually like Guy Pearce but in this movie I absolutely loved his character as Drum! He made a huge impression by singing all the songs himself. Lili Taylor makes a subtle work as quiet and lonely Evie who still has a great personality bubbling underneath.

All in all I was very positively surprised by this film based on a novel by Anne Tyler. This movie is great for a hunger of romance. Two thumbs up!

"A Slipping Down Life" was originally released at the Sundance Film Festival in 1999, but because of "creative differences" between the producers and the director/actors, it never was released...until now.

Lion's Gate Films now owns the distribution rights. The film premieres in NY and LA on May 14th (elsewhere across the United States in late May/early June).

I saw the movie last month at the Phoenix Film Festival. Toni Kalem, the director, was present, and she conducted a Q&A session with the audience after the showing. One of the common topics during this discussion was related to the differences between the book and the movie.

While I haven't read it, it appeared that the die-hard fans of the book were totally drawn in and satisfied with the movie (and Anne Tyler, herself, gave her "official approval" to Toni Kalem's screen play adaption).

Lili Taylor is absolutely brilliant in this movie, and Guy Pearce offers a performance you might not expect.

Finally, before heading out to see this, make a point to grab a box of Kleenex - I found myself in tears more than a few times.

Though this film is hard to find, it's worth the effort. Lili Taylor gives a delicate and beautiful performance as a troubled and lonely girl slipping directly from childhood to middle age. Guy Pearce plays an aspiring musician who refuses to abandon his vision, but desperately wants to hit the big time. The images of small-town America are dead on, and are some of the most enjoyable parts of the film. The minor roles are absolutely delightful. Irma P. Hall's role as housekeeper is hilarious, as is Bruno Kirby's portrayal of Evie's boss. See this one when you get the chance.

"A Slipping Down Life" is better at showing the power of radio and music than explaining the characters inspired by it.

Lili Taylor's "Evie Decker" is living in a house filled with the sounds of radio and not much else in her life, as we see in somewhat mocking scenes that duplicate from many movies about small town Southern life from "Last Picture Show" to "Fried Green Tomatoes," etc. Her dad spends his time exploring short wave frequencies ("There's too much damn Spanish in the world!") and she's hooked on the romantic dedications and atmosphere created by WLUV.

So it's His Voice that gets to her first, as she hears an interview with a local singer/songwriter trying to establish himself as "Drumstrings Casey" and she's inspired to actually go out to see him at a local club.

Guy Pearce perfectly captures the type; while he's singing --quite well-- songs actually written by Canadian Ron Sexsmith, he floored me that his body language of being both sexy and laid-back virtually duplicated rootsy singer/songwriter Chris Whitley from the first time I saw him perform back in '91 for a similarly small audience. So I can certainly relate to "Evie"'s emotionally charged response to him -- but her actions are just plain odd, as she changes from passive guilelessness to exhibitionist stalker.

Debut writer/director Toni Kalem (a Jersey girl who is also "Angie Bonpensiero" on "The Sopranos" and can't resist sticking in Bruce Springsteen references here and there) confusingly shifts gears that I don't know if come from the original novel by Anne Tyler as I haven't read it yet. Both characters start getting more sympathetic and complex as they get more co-dependent and much more than just musician and fan, and more intriguing than Keith Carradine with his various groupies in "Nashville."

Though some pithy truths do come out, their artistic and emotional viewpoints are inconsistent as they try to find themselves, together and apart, with only hints of psychological explanations, such as "Casey"'s relationship with his mother, a former singer herself, and his hearing local bluesmen. But in maturing you do have to take a few steps back in order to go forward. The conclusion satisfyingly comes together around music and the radio, but is awkward plot-wise.

John Hawkes of "Deadwood" is also charming as the band drummer and promotion-seeking manager.

Nice range of singer/songwriter music on the soundtrack, but it doesn't reflect the Southern milieu that is so carefully visually established.

This film left me with a special feeling. It wasn't that all the elements came together in the way one would normally expect from a film, they didn't. But the mood and feel of this film is special, real, and different. Both LiLi Taylor and Guy Pearce (who happens to be Austrailian with dead-on southern dialect) do a wonderful job with their characters, as well as many of the supporting cast. As I grew up in a small town in the South in the 70s and 80s, the film actually captured the mood and setting surprisingly well. I do remember what a big deal the local paper and radio were. I remember going to clubs not unlike the ones portrayed in the film. I remember the local popular bands. Anyway, I don't expect that all the films I like to build off the same formula for success. There are a lot of things I'm sure one could criticize this film for, but I'm grateful for this film and for the way it was made - to have corrected some of the flaws would have altered the mood.

I just caught this film on IFC late one night and was drawn to it by two actors I've always admired in other films: Lili Taylor and Guy Pearce.

Although Lili delivered her usual unique, offbeat take on a complicated character, I was especially impressed by Guy Pearce, an Aussie who nailed the Carolina dialect and surprised me by his musical acuity. I found him as magnetic as Evie/Lili did, though you wouldn't find me carving his name on my head for love or money! But I get why she did it. She's living a stultifying quiet life, wondering if she could just disappear off the face of the earth and probably no one but her devoted Dad would notice. She looks in the mirror and sees a plain, blank face and slumps through her plain, blank life. Several people have commented that his almost grunge musical stylings are way ahead of their 60's time setting, although I found no difficulties accepting that premise. Evie sees him as ahead of his time and bursting with potential, while the rest of the town (with the exception of the hoochie women attracted to his fine physique) just view him as a weirdo. And I think that's the bond that eventually makes him fall for wise and weird little Evie.

I missed the first few opening credits so I didn't notice that this was an Anne Tyler concoction. But halfway through the movie I found myself thinking that the internal lives of these characters were very reminiscent of Tyler: Think about Geena Davis' quirky and devoted dog trainer pursuing the emotionally stunted William Hurt in "The Accidental Tourist," and you can see the parallels.

No, this wasn't a "great" film in the Hollywood mode, but so what? It moved me. I was drawn in and wondered how their lives played out at the end. They probably should have headed for Seattle, where young Drum could have found himself giving Kurt Cobain a run for his money later on. Pearce himself should think about diversifying into a musical career: what a voice and presence! Not a flick for everyone, but it will hit home to those who are able to suspend their disbelief and "be there" for it.

While off to a slow start, "A Slipping Down Life" eases into a intelligent story of how a relationship between a man and a woman soon becomes an experience worth telling. There is depth and insight into the character of Evie (Lili Taylor) and Drumstring Casey (Guy Pearce). They are both strong people in their own different ways. Evie approaches her relationship with Drum in a passionate and caring way. To convince him of her love she does something which most people would find childish and infantile. But no matter. To Evie she has professed her love for Drum in a way no other woman has.

The movie takes us through the ups and downs of a relationship and the many influences and events that, if successfully handled, must ensure that the bond between two people will never be injured.

Lili Taylor has given us a performance that will not soon be forgotten and Guy Pearce has added a dimension to his character which is a very viable indication of the wonderful actor he is.

This is simply one of the most superb little films around. I'm always surprised when people have never heard of it. This film really capitalizes on the chemistry between Guy Pearce and Lili Taylor. I've liked many of the films Pearce has made, "Memento," "L.A. Confidential," etc. but "Slipping-down" life is in my opinion his best. He's a natural. One of the best working actors today. I just wish he were in more films like this one.

I'm looking forward to seeing "Jack Irish."

I saw him recently in "Hateship, Loveship" and he was simply terrific. The real downer in the film was Kristen Wiig, who was supremely awful. She was the antithesis of good acting. For the life of me I can't figure out how people can cast a supremely good actor like Guy Pearce next to the flat, boring, expressionless Kristen Wiig. I can't believe she continues to get acting jobs when she's so utterly boring. Okay, enough ranting.

Watch and enjoy "A Slipping-down Life."