Milwaukee Minnesota

Winner of awards at Deauville and Cannes, Milwaukee Minnesota is an understated comedy thriller that begins uncertainly but grows on you over time. Mummy’s boy Albert (Troy Garity), a slightly retarded (mostly likely autistic) young man is into ice-fishing. His life is dominated by his dictatorial mother who fatally disappears early on in a car accident, leaving Albert alone and sitting on a big inherited fortune. Naturally this attracts the attentions of local businessman McNally (Bruce Dern) who Albert used to work for. Also taking a healthy interest in Albert’s welfare, are street drifters Tuey (Alison Folland), a thin waif of a girl who Albert takes a shine to, her hypochondriac brother Stan (Hank Harris), and sleazily smooth salesman Jerry James (Randy Quaid).

Using a first-person narrative (Albert), you get to realise these outsiders are ruthlessly smooth operators and if Albert is not careful he’s going to be parted from his fortune quicker than he could ever hook a prize-winning fish. Mindel though has other ideas and Albert, like Raymond Babbit in Rain Man, may just be smarter than people think.

Mindel’s feature debut is largely understated both in terms of the humour and the action, but he does direct his actors with real affection and plus marks particularly go to Troy Garity and Bruce Dern in the leading roles. There is also a fantastically memorable final scene which is reminiscent of Lowry, as the camera pans out wonderfully over a snowbound landscape. Milwaukee Minnesota as a film could have done with a little more excitement and a bit more bite but the performances of those involved succeed in giving it a likeable offbeat edge.

Matt Arnoldi