Charming and unpredictable 'Kajillionaire' is sweet delight

I'm embarrassed to admit I am not well-versed in Miranda July's oeuvre.  I had heard her name, knew she had a devoted following, but she simply wasn't on my radar. Having finally seen her 2020 film Kajillionaire, I am eager to check out more.

The film has very original tone and aesthetic -- quirky and specific in a way that recalls Spike Jonze or Wes Anderson. But of course July also has a voice all her own. 

And while Kajillionaire has its share of laugh out loud moments, it's also got pathos and a delicacy that I appreciated in this era where cynicism is often teed up as the ideal comedic tone.

The film opens on misfit family of gangly misfits led by a hilarious Richard Jenkins and almost totally unrecognizable Debra Winger. They are their twenty-something daughter (played by Evan Rachel Wood) pull off (or attempt to) petty crimes to sustain their shambolic existence.

Wood is saddled with extremely long straightened hair, an ill-fitting track suit and a deep, monotone voice that I thought would grate on me by grew on me over time. 

Wood shows she has solid comic timing and she makes her character feel more real than simply a comedic caricature.

However, the film really comes alive when Gina Rodriguez shows up in a disarming, sexy and natural performance as a gregarious woman who stumbles into this strange family's world and decides to go along for the ride.

I suppose the film may be trying to say something more profound about class and consumption -- but I enjoyed it more for it's unpredictable trajectory and it's willingness to be unapologetically weird when mood strikes it.

It largely avoids sentimentality or easy satire -- the film doesn't condescend to its characters or its audience and it has a bright, bold look about it from start to finish.

I've long lamented the dearth of good comedies out there but this past year had a few bright spots -- the enjoyable On the Rocks, the surprisingly fun Freaky and of course the raucous Borat sequel, all tickled my funny bone.

I wouldn't go so far as to say Kajillionaire is some sort of revelation, but it was creative and diverting (not unlike this year's Palm Springs) and it gave newfound appreciation for Gina Rodriguez, who gives the film's best performance and who is worthy of more of her own starring vehicles in the future.