Two of the finest character actors working today come together for a bizarre, frankly misguided summer distraction entitled Between the Temples. Carol Kane has been on my radar for years, between scene-stealing turns in Addams Family Values and Jawbreaker, to an unhinged performance performance in 1997 gem Office Killer, and even final girl status in When a Stranger Calls and When a Stranger Calls Back. Likewise, Jason Schwartzman has been turning heads since his breakout in Wes Anderson’s Rushmore, and I used to be a regular listener of his band, Coconut Records, in high school. These two actors on screen together should, for all intents and purposes, be a formidable must-see event. Unfortunately, with erratic editing, a shaky script, and a failure to launch in fleshing out the two very different lead characters, Between the Temples exists as an empty vessel taking up precious space in Kane and Schwartzman’s respective filmographies.
In a total crisis of faith, Ben (Schwartzman) cannot adequately finish a standard shabbat service without rushing off stage in embarrassment. His moms (Dolly de Leon, Caroline Aaron) keep trying to set their son up with a romantic interest, to no avail. Freshly divorced, Ben spends more time being beaten up at bars over too many mudslides than most people probably would. All of that may be about to change when Karla (Kane), Ben’s former music teacher, helps get him cleaned up after an incident. The two seem to have reconnected by some stroke of luck—Karla wants to finally have the bat mitzvah she was never allowed earlier in life.
What follows plays out almost exactly as one would expect, with Karla opening Ben up to the joys of his monotonous life. Ben works closely with Karla on learning Hebrew and the entire process, despite thinking her age should prohibit the bat mitzvah from actually happening. Over the thirteen months to her booked date, the two grow closer and closer, despite a massive age gap. The dramedy vibes fail to function convincingly. For some reason, the chemistry between this duo does not gel. The standard plot could work, but the ending and poor direction are too frustrating to mask narrative shortcomings. With a relatively simple story, flooding it with constant drastic close-ups and innumerable cuts is equal parts frustrating and distracting. At one point, a weird implied cemetery blowjob scene has been chopped to pieces and intercut with random tombstones. The result of the choppy editing job rarely functions as a satisfying cinematic experience.
Despite the best efforts of Schwartzman and Kane, even they are unable to shoulder the weight of such a flimsy movie. One stellar, tightly-scripted but lengthy dinner table scene almost manages to save the movie, yet it arrives too little too late. The characters play a game of telephone that contains a hidden love proclamation. Editing woes even plague this segment as well, leaving it feeling underwhelming, though an obvious standout. I am not sure what went wrong here—the assembled ensemble are terrific separately, and I am a major fan of Schwartzman and Kane.
Follow the path Between the Temples, exclusively in theaters nationwide on Friday, August 23rd.
