![]() ![]() As Perry, his obviously sincere commitment to the character is almost endearing, but it ultimately serves as a reminder at what he does better, and suffice to say, it is not on screen. ![]() ![]() ![]() Over the past few years, it seems that Armstrong himself has made slight attempts at becoming a sort of budding actor, with a few credits in film and a role in his own “American Idiot” production on Broadway. Kirk, similarly, settles for mediocrity the way his protagonist repeatedly does, lazily relying on a predictable end to drive the story home. Perry is always somewhere in between, struggling to come to terms with his “new” life and too past his former self to indulge in it the way he used to. He wants to have a party with his friends, but he’s now too much of a square to party like he used to. Perry shows a clear devotion and love for his family, but he can’t even muster the energy to finish painting and customizing a near-finished playhouse he started building for his daughter. Every issue in the story places blame on Perry’s utter lack of ambition, but the same could also be said for the film’s director/writer. Much like its protagonist, the film itself a mess, constantly trying to stay afloat with very minimal effort.įor a film that clocks in a total of only 86 minutes, it instead feels like a drag due to issues with pacing, especially when every twist and turn could be predicted from a mile away. Sure enough, everything goes awry as a tug of war between Perry’s responsibilities in the real world and his desire to bask in nostalgia keep him scrambling in the middle of the chaos. And if all of that wasn’t enough to emphasize the stark contrast between his former and current self? Even his own wife Karen (Selma Blair) and daughter remember everything else in the day’s agenda but his birthday.Īs both an act of rebellion and an attempt to revive his half-baked career even for just one night, his brother Jake (Chris Messina) takes pity on him and encourages him to let loose by throwing a birthday party that exceeds both his finances and expectations, all with his former bandmates and old flame in tow. Fast forward a decade later to the current state of the protagonist’s life as a total schmuck, he is covered in tattoos with a messy mop of hair and a half-assed attempt at a beard, barely able to take care of his children, let alone himself. Each frame drips with carefree youth, nostalgia and unbridled joy, topped off with a shot of Perry smiling by the end. Shrouded in black and white, the film opens in a seedy little club in the 90s, just as Perry’s band readies to take the stage in front of a crowd full of adoring fans. Written and directed by Lee Kirk (“The Giant Mechanical Man”), “Ordinary World” has plenty of heart and charm, but is ultimately a paint-by-numbers film that fails to pack even half of a punch. A decade after his old band’s “indefinite hiatus,” Perry can barely get his shit together, in case we failed to remember the all-too-familiar tale of the aging rockstar. He worries about coffee table rings, taking the trash out, and delivering his daughter’s guitar in time for her talent show performance. Now at 40, Perry is absolutely anything but badass with a capital b. What happens when a punk rocker is forced to grow up? For Perry Miller, played by real life rockstar and Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong, life has sucked him out of his glory days and has instead thrown him into the lifelessness of suburban New York, stuck with the responsibilities of being a conforming member of society: taking care of his family, all while leaving his rock n’ roll dreams behind in the dust. Dude, I watch ‘House Hunters’ ten times a week!” ![]()
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