“THE ENORMITY OF LIFE” BRECKIN MEYER STARS IN A TENDER DRAMEDY NOW ON-DEMAND
Actor Breckin Meyer has always possessed the quality to be charming, vulnerable and endearing onscreen. He once joked that he had cornered the market playing “offbeat” characters. But whether it’s roles as the affable stoner in Clueless or the well-meaning boyfriend in Road Trip or the nice guy with big dreams in the highly underrated film Dancer, Texas Pop. 81, Breckin Meyer is always someone you’re rooting for.
In his latest film, The Enormity of Life (available via Virtual Cinema, VOD and digital), Meyer plays a suicidal man who just can’t seem to find any joy in life.
After his life hits rock bottom, emotionally despondent Casey (Breckin Meyer) decides to end it all. But when a timely phone call with some unexpected news about a substantial inheritance forestalls his suicide, it sets off a chain of events that just may save his life, including meeting a quirky single mother (Emily Kinney, “The Walking Dead”) and her precocious, yet troubled, young daughter (Giselle Eisenberg, “Life in Pieces”) who happens to have an unhealthy obsession with mass shootings. When his bipolar mother goes missing, Casey enlists their help, along with his selfish, estranged sister, Missy (Debra Herzog). And together, through numerous jarring twists and emotional turns, they embark on a journey of hope and healing.
The Enormity of Life is a tender, poignant dramedy about life, love and the pursuit of lost innocence.
“I’m very proud of The Enormity of Life’s careful balancing act between drama and comedy,” says filmmaker Eric Swinderman. “Because the film deals with such difficult subjects as mental illness, depression, suicide, and the residual effects of school shootings, it was important to keep the mood light enough so the film didn’t get too heavy while making sure that the social issues weren’t the punchlines.”
With so many mass shootings, and in particular school shootings, these days, you can’t help but cringe at the timeliness of the film. The same can be said about the topic of suicide, as the losses of icons Robin Williams, Anthony Bourdain, Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington are still fresh in our psyche.
Thankfully the film doesn’t make fun of these tragedies, instead it deals with them in an honest way where you relate and cheer for these characters. The sorrow and misfortune of Breckin Meyer’s Casey isn’t one-dimensional. This is a well-developed, albeit flawed person that we hope the best for.
During the pandemic, I have enjoyed watching small first-run films at home. They don’t need the big screen experience, especially not when positive transmission numbers are on the rise again. In this case, I relished watching a thoughtful and daring film in the safe comfort of my home. I couldn’t ask for a better movie experience.
“It is my hope that the audience will take this at times dirty and uncomfortable journey with us and come out clean on the other side, with perhaps a sense of hope or understanding, and maybe even a little innocence returned.”
