Review: Chlorine (2013)

Cast: Kyra Sedgwick, Vincent D’Onofrio, Tom Sizemore
Director: Jay Alaimo
Country: USA
Genre: Comedy | Drama

Editor’s Notes: Chlorine opens in limited release today, February 28th. 

If you Google Chlorine long enough you’ll eventually find what little information there is to be found on this film that for some reason has almost slipped completely under the radar. Production on the film dates back as early as 2005 with Ray Liotta and Demi Moore attached to star in the film before Hurricane Katrina put a kink in the production. It took ten years for the movie to resurface yet again, this time with Kyra Sedgwick and Vincent D’Onofrio in the lead roles. When filming happened exactly is hard to say, but the film begins its limited theatrical release this weekend. If you dive deeper into the recesses of Google, you’ll find a retelling of a Q&A where writer/director Jay Alaimo revealed that the film was shot on super 16 in only 17 days. Knowing that information going into the film makes the movie feel more exciting and even imbibes it with a grittiness found in a 70s movie. Now whether or not that means the movie is the stuff of greatness is another matter.

Jay Alaimo revealed that the film was shot on super 16 in only 17 days. Knowing that information going into the film makes the movie feel more exciting and even imbibes it with a grittiness found in a 70s movie. 

Set in 1985 somewhere in New England, the film follows the adventures of an upper class family intent on maintaining their wealthy lifestyle. At the urging of his well-to-do wife Georgie (Sedgwick), Roger (D’Onofrio) finds himself in the middle of a real estate deal of a questionable moral and legal nature. While D’Onofrio makes his protagonist likable enough, it’s incredibly hard to root for him – or any of the characters for that matter. These are rich people just want to make more money. In a year where movies like The Wolf of Wall Street remind us why we don’t like these people, it’s really hard to root for characters like this.

Also in play are Georgie and Roger’s kids, played by Flora Cross and Ryan Donowho. We are first introduced to Cross as she learns how to use a tampon after getting her period. If that doesn’t hook you, then the fact that she spends the whole movie learning about things like makeup and the birds and the bees should make you like her character. Donowho doesn’t spend much time on screen, but he’s a gifted actor who spends too much time moping around and spouting out random quotes that aren’t as revelatory as the script thinks they are. Elisabeth Rohm, Tom Sizemore, Michele Hicks and Jordan Belfi show up in supporting roles, but all are incredibly underused and forced to deliver pretty bad dialogue.

The true star of the film is Rhys Coiro, whose cocaine dealing tennis instructor steals every scene. This guy is a hilarious character straight out of a Coen brothers movie.

The true star of the film is Rhys Coiro, whose cocaine dealing tennis instructor steals every scene. This guy is a hilarious character straight out of a Coen brothers movie. In a movie where both the script and its actors are too busy trying to play their character straight-faced (Sedgwick may be the only exception here), Coiro shoots for the moon with his performance, providing a huge bale of laughs. It’s like he’s from a different movie, which in this case is a good thing.

Despite its uninspired writing, Chlorine is a harmless film that is mediocre in its entertainment value but rarely unwatchable. The grittiness and low budget nature of the film are fascinating and the plot has enough screwball elements to make it enjoyable. However, if Jay Alaimo had spent a little more time fleshing out his characters, he could have really come up with a solid quirky and topical comedy. Alas…

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Daniel Tucker

Director of Media & Staff Film Critic

I never knew how movies could make your imagination soar until I saw "Star Wars," I never realized how inspiring they could be until I saw "Rocky," and I never truly appreciated film until I saw "Goodfellas." Film has been a central part of my life as long as I can remember and it continues to mold who I am. My " movies to watch" list is miles longer than my "movies I have watched" list. My only regret is not having enough time to watch them all.

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