Taking the good with the bad

Imogene Wolodarsky, Mark Ruffalo, Ashley Aufderheide and Zoe Saldana in a scene from "Infinitely Polar Bear." Image courtesy Sony Pictures Classics.

“We were happy,” Imogene Wolodarsky's character, Amelia Stuart, reflects in the opening narration to “Infinitely Polar Bear.” “I know there's more to it than that. There always is.”

What a perplexing sentiment to open a movie with, a  sentiment that's both loving and wistful, sanguine but with just a touch of sadness to it. The perpetual hope is at the forefront, a reminder that whatever negative moments come next are always overshadowed by an overwhelming optimism rooted in love. She comes from a dysfunctional family always on the verge of falling apart, yet she maintains her inherent optimism even throughout the constant turmoil, and the experiences have made her stronger than before.

It's not quite the case with the film itself – “Infinitely Polar Bear,” is irrevocably hindered by its obvious flaws – but the film's overt optimism, humor and underlying sweetness shine through and make it an endearing little trip down the director’s memory lane. 

    A Google image search found a literal memory lane.

Everything of this takes place in and around Boston circa the late '70s, where Wolodarsky, her sister Faith (Ashley Aufderheide), and her parents, Cam and Maggie (Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana), are living a nice little life just outside the city. The good times end when Ruffalo, who is diagnosed with bipolar disorder (the title is based on a mispronunciation of the disorder by Aufderheide), suffers a breakdown and is subsequently hospitalized. The lack of consistent income forces Saldana, Wolodarsky and Aufderheide to move to nearby Cambridge and into a dingy apartment complex as Ruffalo undergoes treatment. 

Saldana realizes she cannot earn enough money to support the family with her current station in life, so she decides to invest in herself and pursue a master's degree from Columbia University. The program should wrap up in 18 months, although pursuing the degree means Ruffalo, who is in a fragile state, has to watch the kids by himself for almost two years. Once the plan is settled, the film follows the episodic adventures of Ruffalo’s attempts to tend to his daughters, coping with his biploar disorder, and trying to rekindle his relationship with Saldana. Saldana faces a litany of issues in her own pursuits tied to overt sexism and racism.

“Infinitely Polar Bear” mentions those two topics frequently, along with concepts of feminism and the definition of manhood. Those are rather complicated issues to tackle and discuss, topics that were notable then and have become a huge part of today's cultural environment, emphasizing the point that there may never be any finality to discussion on those points. The film's problem is the way it addresses those subjects, mostly through heavy-handed exposition that feel jammed into an otherwise tight script. “Infinitely Polar Bear” has its characters state explicitly what its already showing, negating any sense of subtly and shifting the focus away from the Stuart family. That’s a shame, given how interesting and complex the family is.

“Infinitely Polar Bear” is at its strongest when it focuses on the family members, in particular their interactions and the smaller moments in their lives. There's a lived-in appeal to the quartet of actors portraying the Stuart family, a level of trust and camaraderie forged by love and survival. And they're all pretty great as well: the kids don't fall into that overly cute child actor trap; Saldana has verve and pathos in what has become a rare human role; and Ruffalo retains a bit of bite underneath his character's charming goofiness. He shines without trying to shine too hard in a role many actors would chomp to bits.

What they create is a reenactment of writer/director Maya Forbes' childhood in Boston, and they express her adult view of her past. “Infinitely Polar Bear” works best as a film about how people define their memories, how much nostalgia a person should have when reminiscing about a distant time in his or her life. The further back a person looks within his or her memory, the softer those memories become. 

Stock photos about memories are the best photos.

From the movie, its clear Forbes' view of a difficult childhood is honest; her surrogate, Amelia, is well aware of her family's state and is cognizant of the circumstances that could hold her back. Yet she never falls into the negativity; her memories are optimistic at heart, centered on the love she received from her parents and sisters and not the hard times surrounding them. She was happy, and that's all that matters.

Review: Four out of Five Stars

Click here to see the trailer.

Rating: R

Run time: 90 minutes

Genre: Drama

Ask Away

Target audience: Independent film fans and people who really like Mark Ruffalo.

And who doesn't like Mark Ruffalo?

Take the whole family?: I'm not a huge fan of the “R” rating on this one; there's a bunch of swears dropped in for sure, but nothing oh my goodness awful. Interested teens would be fine with it.

Theater or Netflix?: You can probably wait for Netflix; it might come out online in time for the annual Academy Awards buzz season. Speaking of which ...

Mark Ruffalo, Oscar winner?:  His role has Oscar bait written all over it, so it depends on whether or not he’s dinged or credited for what he does with the role. Considering his performance is generally understated, he might get more credit from Academy members and could garner a nomination for the second year in a row.

Watch this as well?: Another Ruffalo vehicle, “You Can Count on Me,” shares the theme of finding function in a dysfunctional family and sports amazing performances by Ruffalo and the great Laura Linney.