Don McKay is a bizarre little independent film from first-time director and first-time screenwriter Jake Goldberger. In his debut film, Goldberger is luck enough to have 3 former Oscar award nominees – Thomas Haden Church (Sideways), Elisabeth Shue (Leaving Las Vegas) and Melissa Leo (Frozen River) – in his cast. If his future movies are like Don McKay, Jake Goldberger may be a name you’ll want to remember.
Don McKay (Church) has a pretty dull life. He lives in a small, plain one-room apartment. He cleans bird-droppings off the side of a building as a janitor for a Boston public school.
One day after 25 years, Don receives a surprise letter from Sonny (Shue), his former high school girlfriend who he’s never gotten over, telling him she is sick and she’d like to see him. When Don arrives at Sonny’s home, he meets Marie (Leo), Sonny’s over-protective nurse.
It is not long before Don starts to feel something is not right with this picture. Out of the blue, Sonny tells Don she has never stopped loving him and she wants to marry him, even though she has not seen or talked to him in 25 years.
Marie is as friendly as a rabid pit-bull and Sonny’s doctor (James Rebhorn, The Box) seems like he got his medical degree from a Cracker Jack box.
The rest story is full of twists and turns, murders and people who you don’t know to trust or not up until the final scene, which may make you look over your shoulder the next time someone is dethawing a frozen pot roast, when the truth finally comes out.
Don McKay benefits greatly by the wonderful performances of its cast. Thomas Haden Church is very real as a simple guy who gets caught up in a wild scheme. Church does a great job of displaying Don’s emotions and confusion over the situation that he finds himself in.
Elisabeth Shue is not only nice to look at, but she is fun to watch act too. Sonny has the face of an angel, but she has the conniving mind of a scam-artist. Shue flawlessly blends these two traits into her performance.
Marie makes Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest seem as cute and cuddly as a new puppy dog thanks to a terrific acting job by Melissa Leo. Marie is startling brought to life by Leo as someone who is strong and scary.
Equally entertaining, but in smaller roles are Keith David (Death at a Funeral), Pruitt Taylor Vince (Constantine) and M. Emmet Walsh (Youth in Revolt). Their quirky behavior adds some humor to an otherwise distorted story.
Jake Goldberger, whose only other film credit is as a production assistant on Adam Sandler’s 2003 pic Anger Management, does a marvelous job of writing a story that keeps you guessing. You do not know who to believe? When you do finally find out what the truth is, you’d never would have seen it coming, but pay close attention because it would be easy to say “Huh?” when its over.
For being only in his early 30’s and directing his first film, Goldberger does a fine job of getting top-notch performances and keeping his story straight on track until the satisfying end.
So, the next time you get a letter or email or text message from a former flame that you haven’t heard from since high school, BEWARE and remember Don McKay!!
Don McKay was a limited release on April 2, 2010.
It is scheduled to be released on DVD on June 29, 2010.