When “CODA” won the Best Picture Oscar, many film fans were shocked and disappointed. Sure, the film is perfectly serviceable, if not a bit too sentimental, but is it a true Best Picture? Eh, maybe not. So, it’s with that bit of damning praise that we can say that the new film, “Wildflower,” really does have a “CODA” vibe to it.
As seen in the trailer for “Wildflower,” the film follows the story of a teen girl who not only has to wrestle with the struggles of being a young woman in the world but also has to reckon with the responsibilities of taking care of all of the housework and adult stuff that her neurodiverse parents seemingly aren’t capable of doing. She’s forced to grow up and skip the parties, dating, and frivolous things associated with teenage years, and instead, she has to make sure bills are paid and benefit checks are sent, along with the chores and whatnot. It’s a tough life, for sure.
The film stars Kiernan Shipka, Dash Mihok, Charlie Plummer, Alexandra Daddario, Brad Garrett, Reid Scott, Erika Alexander, Samantha Hyde, Jacki Weaver, and Jean Smart. “Wildflower” is directed by Matt Smukler.
We saw the film at last year’s TIFF, and in our review, we said, “With its platitudes about how things can get tough, but we all make it through with a hand from the people around us, its depth stops at the profundity of a sitcom theme song. This shallowness extends to the intentions motivating the overall enterprise, too; a viewer gets the creeping feeling that something is being sold rather than revealed to us.”
“Wildflower” arrives in select theaters on March 16 before hitting VOD and digital on March 23. You can watch the trailer below.
Here’s the synopsis:
Wildflower is a hilarious big-hearted celebration of family in all its variety. A coming-of-age film about growing up too fast and slowing down just enough to recognize one’s good fortune.