Mordecai (Judd Hirsch) is a Holocaust survivor, meaning he’s capable of anything, right? Wrong! When his son Marvin (Sean Astin) comes to town to take him shopping for a new cell phone, things in his life begin to change. Mordecai is now faced with his own mortality, with the reality that life is changing and there’s nothing he can do about it. iMordecai is Mordecai’s awakening, and his realization that things will never be the same.
You’d have to imagine that any film with Hirsch, Astin, and Carol Kane (Fela) as the leads would be good. Is the film great, not necessarily–but this feels like the sort of film that requires a certain point of view in order to appreciate it. Furthermore, it’s important to understand that iMordecai isn’t all fun and games; you won’t be forced to laugh from beginning to end, and you’ll see these actors in an interesting light. Each of these talented actors have been cast in roles that beg them to be emotionally charged, but I feel that a lot of viewers still often view these actors as being of the comedic sort (and I’m one of those people for sure). iMordecai is, in fact, emotionally charged–telling the story of a once close-knit family that has found themselves drifting from one another.
Again, I think that viewers have to be in the right state of mind–to be prepared to sit back and watch a series of dramatic events rather than really having the chance to repeatedly laugh out loud. For some that might work, but for me I struggled with this reality. Not because I’m unable to see these actors in this light, but because iMordecai felt as if it was on the cusp of comedy throughout its duration, never truly manifesting it and allowing it to come to life.
I had an issue with Hirsch recently being nominated for Best Actor in a Supporting Role for his short time in The Fabelmans. In my opinion, as wonderful as he appeared, he wasn’t given enough screen time to warrant this nomination. In order for such a massive honor to be earned I believe that you should have more than just a few minutes on screen–and with my questioning of this nomination, I began to question other things as well. Things like “is Hirsch actually as good as everyone believes?” (because the human mind sucks and causes us to travel down paths that sometimes don’t make sense). With that, however, I looked at iMordecai as an opportunity for the seasoned actor to prove himself to me (as if he really needed to). iMordecai allows Hirsch to showcase every bit of talent that he holds inside of him. Every second of this film, whether he’s on screen or not, revolves around Hirsch’s Mordecai–and that’s a testament to his performance (and the writing of Rudy Gaines, Dahlia Heyman, and Marvin Samel).
Gaines, Heyman, and Samel are tasked with bringing a series of very different characters to life–in particular Mordecai and Nina (Azia Dinea Hale). The two are so massively different, with nothing in common, yet they often share the screen and must be able to both juxtapose and support one another throughout. Mordecai reminds me of my own grandfather: set in his ways, stubborn, frustrating, and more–and it’s impressive that these writers are able to bring such an honest character to life. Again, Nina and Mordecai should potentially stay far away from one another, as they have little (almost nothing) in common, and aesthetically it just doesn’t make sense. However, the relationship that Gaines, Heyman, and Samel are able to forge on paper and deliver to these actors is the shining star of iMordecai. Everything between them works beautifully–and my biggest complaint about the entire film may be that I wanted to see them together more often.
iMordecai is likely not what viewers would have expected from this cast, and that’s okay. With that being said, however, I believe that there was meant to be more hard-hitting comedy that wasn’t able make its way into the light. Even with this shortcoming, the writing is so impressive, creating characters that so beautifully embody the real world and surprisingly work so well together. It’s these characters, the ones that are scripted by Gaines, Heyman, and Samel, that really make iMordecai worth watching.
Directed by Marvin Samel.
Written by Rudy Gaines, Dahlia Heyman, & Marvin Samel.
Starring Judd Hirsch, Carol Kane, Sean Astin, Azia Dinea Hale, Nick Puga, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
I really did enjoy the movie, but going over it in my head the next day I am having trouble reconciling the age differences in the characters. Mordecai had to be young in 1939 when Poland was invaded; maybe ten. So, he would be ninety three in 2022. His son tells him to act like the eighty years old he is. And Nina's grandfather had to be at least in his twenties during the war. It would be more likely he would be her great grandfather than her father.
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