‘Linoleum’ Review
Stars: Jim Gaffigan, Rhea Seahorn, Katelyn Nacon, Gabriel Rush, Michael Ian Black | Written and Directed by Colin West
I had to watch Linoleum twice before sitting down to write this review… Not because of the complexity of the latter half of the movie, or that there was something niggling me about it (which is often the way). I wanted to watch the movie again to make sure I wasn’t falling into hyperbole when I made my final statement on my thoughts about writer/director Colin West’s latest film. We will get there soon though…
I do have to add though, with Linoleum director Colin West (Double Walker) has introduced himself to me in a huge way and dare I say it, has utilised Jim Gaffigan in a practically flawless dual performance you will not forget in a hurry.
Linoleum is the story of Cameron (Gaffigan) and we meet him at a very strange point in his life. On his way to work Cameron witnesses a car falling from the sky, when he goes to see what has happened he helps pull a man from the car. The funny thing is he kinda looks like Cameron. He gets to work only to find that the kids late-night TV show he hosts about space exploration has been bought by PBS, however, they don’t want Cameron as host and are replacing him with Kent. Kent is the man from earlier and as it turns out he is pretty much Cameron’s doppelganger (played by Gaffigan).
The movie from here becomes the story of Cameron trying to figure out where his life is going, what came before and just how his life turned out the way it did. His marriage to Erin (Rhea Seahorn) is on the rocks. His daughter Nora (Katelyn Nacon) is striking up a relationship with the new kid in town Marc (Gabriel Rush) who just happens to be Kent’s son. Oh, there are also parts of a space station that seem to be falling from the sky. which could give Cameron the perfect opportunity to build that rocketship he always wanted to.
Linoleum comes with a hefty left hook of a surprise ending. This for me was a story beat moment that, though I have seen done very poorly before, director Colin West had laid his groundwork, subtlety throwing in enough little moments that had you subconsciously pondering what you saw (or didn’t see) and brought together a superb cast in such a way that Linoleum had earned my reaction. Little things that could be seen as continuity errors suddenly become a “how did I not see that”. Then there was a particular low-key cast choice that flies under the radar but packs a sensational punch.
As already stated Jim Gaffigan puts in the performance of his career here. We’re so used to seeing him do comedy, so I wasn’t overly sure how this would go. Thankfully he controls this movie and narrative with such ease that turns the surreal moments into some of the most heart-defining and shapes the audience’s thinking, so that you may miss some of the small stuff leading to a rewarding and somewhat satisfying ending. Of course, this is also a credit to our writer/director as the work and performances are nothing without each other.
Rhea Seehorn as Cameron’s wife Erin doesn’t have a lot to do in the opening stages but as the movie heads towards the final moments, she puts in all the work and really comes into her own. Then we have our MVP, Katelyn Nacon as Cameron’s daughter Nora. Nacon is part of that select group from The Walking Dead that I always thought was just a little bit too good for the show. I loved her in this Jenna Malone ‘Donnie Darko-esque’ role. She really brings a super earthly quality to the movie and the relationship she strikes up with new boy Marc is about as charming as it gets.
It will come as no surprise to anyone that I really enjoyed Linoleum and thought it ticked a lot of boxes for me. I do have some issues but not many and it’s hard to bring them up without spoilers. There is a lot to take from this one and I’ve been thinking about that ending a lot since watching the film. Twice. There is a real rewatch ability to Linoleum which has you spotting all the idiosyncrasies that build up to the last act. One such through-line is agonisingly brutal yet utterly gorgeous in its execution.
I was tempted to drop a slightly lower score on the film, due to one moment that, if you pick up on it, almost telegraphs what is to come. However, that wouldn’t be fair so it’s full marks from me.
***** 5/5
Linoleum is available on digital platforms now.
