THIS MUST BE THE PLACE Review

What happens when you take Sean Penn, dress him up like an aging 80’s rocker, and send him on a cross-country trip to hunt a Nazi? The answer to that question lies in the beautifully bizarre and hilarious film This Must Be the Place. Although it certainly won’t be for everyone, this wonderfully shot and uniquely charming story provides not only a strong plot, but also one of Sean Penn’s best performances on screen.

To explain this film to someone after seeing it, may prove to be difficult. The stripped down synopsis would describe the film as a road trip story about an aging rock star who’s going through a mid-life crisis, only to find out his father has died. As a result, he embarks on a quest to kill the Nazi that held his father captive during the holocaust, as this was his father’s main goal in life. On his journey he meets some interesting and enlightening characters, and as the road takes him on some strange paths, he finds something more substantial than just an old Nazi.

The film stars Sean Penn in the lead as Cheyenne, a soft-spoken 50-year-old who bears an odd resemblance to The Cure’s Robert Smith. In fact, Penn’s character’s real name in the film is John Smith. This role once again proves that Penn can completely transform himself into the character he is given with little to no effort. Although it is mainly a comedic performance, he has no problem seamlessly transitioning into serious mode and delivering some powerfully heartfelt lines. Make no mistake about it, this film does a lot of things right, but it’s Penn’s performance that pushes it over the top.

Francis McDormand also provides a stellar performance, playing Cheyenne’s loving wife of 35 years, Jane. It’s clear from the start of the film that she is his rock, and McDormand seems to know exactly how to make the audience love her character. Even though the two live in an enormous mansion and have millions of dollars, she still works as a volunteer fire fighter. This relates to another one of the films strengths. It has likable, and fully developed characters.

Nearly all the characters in the film have this likable charm about them that give the film a refreshing glow. Normally, if you see a film about a rock star, the protagonist is often times a sleaze, but that simply isn’t the case in this film. Everyone has enough personality and quirkiness to them, that you will find yourself not hating a single character. Except maybe for the Nazi, but hey, he’s a Nazi, there’s not a lot you can do about that.

One of my only criticisms with the film, is an unnecessary scene featuring David Byrne from The Talking Heads in which the film sort of inexplicably turns into a music video. Fortunately, I’m a fan of the song, so it didn’t bother me too much, but it certainly didn’t need to be there.

This is most certainly a love it or hate it film. The mixture of slightly peculiar humor and seriousness may discriminate against the common movie-goer, and Penn’s Cheyenne could be seen as sweet and reserved, or just annoying. The trick to this film is to go into it knowing that it is slightly odd, and hopefully you’ll walk out of it with an appreciation for all that it is.