Director Mike Mills brings all the right pieces together to make C’mon C’mon, a genuinely touching and emotional experience that redefines what it means to be human. Visually, Robbie Ryan’s black and white cinematography allows performances and characters to come through stronger and become the complete focal point of each scene.
All the locations that an eccentric young boy named Jesse (Woody Norman) traverses while on a cross-country trip with his estranged uncle, Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix), who conducts interviews with kids on their thoughts about their lives and the future, feel connected. There’s something really unique in the way the monochrome cinematography both forces each location’s architecture and environment to establish its identity while also connecting them visually. This cinematography really brings the world together and excellently complements how the story and characters’ different observations about life.
The use of audio in C’mon C’mon is incredibly surprising, creating these engaging and thought-provoking conversations about life and generally giving unheard voices the spotlight. Kids are more aware than they’re often given credit for and can maybe offer a wider perspective on a situation or themselves than some may expect. Mills embodies this belief as he embeds different stories and conversations with children about their own personal struggles, views on their upbringing, and their vision of what the future holds for them into the film. These audio segments are perfectly unapologetic, unafraid, and handled in a mature light to give the interviewees a sense of respect and meaning that translates into these open and engaging conversations.
Each story presents a unique perspective that’s touching and really grabs your heart with how beautiful and tragic they can be. It’s an eye-opening auditory experience that opens you up and makes you legitimately think about life and humanity as a whole. Even though these segments come with visuals of the kids talking or transitions between locations, their views are so descriptive that you could literally close your eyes and paint a picture of their experiences. It’s unclear, at this point, if Mills conducted real interviews or wrote these segments himself, but he’s able to keep them feeling genuine and his direction and execution allow them to have a lasting impact on both viewers and the relationship of Johnny and Jesse.
Although Johnny and Jesse’s mom Viv (Gaby Hoffmann) don’t have a solid connection, Johnny and Jesse instantly connect in a way that’s heartwarming and darkly hilarious. Johnny’s lack of parenting experience leads to some catch-your-breath moments of worry, but also some unexpected comedic moments, as certain exchanges between Jesse and Johnny have this innocent power struggle that’s especially fun when Jesse comes out on top. Their relationship is endlessly compelling and engaging thanks to Phoenix and Norman’s incredibly complex performances.
This is the kind of role that was made for someone like Phoenix and if he hadn’t already won an Oscar for Joker, it would’ve been great to see him win for his performance as Johnny. Phoenix brings that sense of committed realness that he always does with his performances while also blending Johnny’s light-hearted nature and closed-off emotions. He really embodies Johnny’s desires to understand life and find purpose again by re-establishing a relationship with both Jesse and Viv. It’s a deeply emotional, unforgettable performance that continues to solidify Phoenix as one of film’s modern masters. Norman has this same emotional blend in his performance and almost acts as a younger version of Johnny. While bombastic and full of youthful ambition, Jesse also searches for his own understanding of life and harbors some pain from his mother and father’s (Scoot McNairy) troubled dynamic that stems from his father’s mental illness. Norman defines “breakout performance” with the level of charismatic charm and internal struggle he displays here.
Where Mills really reaches new heights, though, is with his storytelling, as he combines the film’s two central characters and this exploration of life to make C’mon C’mon a fulfilling experience. Mills uses moments of Johnny reading a book for research purposes or putting Jesse to sleep are the emotional peaks to connect and flesh out the characters. As Phoenix’s narrates, there are flashes of the past that show why Jesse’s family broke down, the effect it’s had on Viv as a mother, and even some of Johnny’s defeats in life. After the first sequence of this narration, it’s something you constantly look forward to because of how these scenes add to the self-reflective and life-exploring aspects of C’mon C’mon. With the characters’ experiences being almost universally relatable, viewers will find something in themselves from watching C’mon C’mon, as it emphasizes the impact of being open, asking tough questions, and not being afraid to reflect through Johnny and Jesse’s building relationship.
C’mon C’mon is nourishing food for the soul and one of the most relevant and necessary watches out there. Mills displays the importance of open conversations and exploring ourselves in a time where we need that more than ever and mixes engaging storytelling and themes with top-tier performances. It’s one of A24’s strongest non-horror offerings and frankly, the kind of underdog, dark horse candidate that would be awesome to see get some awards love.
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