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Alec Baldwin, Rory Culkin, Emma Roberts, Jill Hennessy, Timothy Hutton ... see more see more... , Cynthia Nixon , Kieran Culkin , Logan Huffman , Brandon Thane Wilson , Derick Martini , Adam Scarimbolo , Phillip Pennestri , Louis Ruffolo Jr.

A family unit begins to bow under the pressure of a failing marriage.

Flixster Users

50% liked it

18,249 ratings

Critics

63% liked it

108 critics

R, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: Derick Martini

Release Date: September 8, 2008

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DVD Release Date: September 22, 2009

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Stats: 562 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (562)

  • hunterjt13
    May 23, 2012
    hunterjt13
    In a 1970s bourgeois neighborhood a naive teenager copes with his father philandering and his mercurial love interest.
    I think Flixster Super Reviewer Pamela De Graff said it best: "We've seen Lymelife's somber imputation in other movies about suburban values and relationshi... read moreps, Lymelife's is not a pensively warm-hearted slice of life, nor merely a bleakly cynical condemnation of the American dream. It's a reasoned, dryly tongue-in-cheek indictment of yuppie hypocrisies and contradictions."
    And I liked the acting -- particularly by Keiran Culkin, who has grown up into a smarmy smart ass.
    Overall, I think writing more would be redundant as I found De Graff's review to be spot on and more intelligently written than I can attempt here.
  • xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    April 19, 2012
    xXGiNoBiLiPRXx
    The American Dream Sucks

    Very good Film. Great acting and superb story, I quite enjoyed it alot. Emma Roberts continues to surprise me with such great energy and suave. I highly recommended because is in fact quite lifting and a great piece of cinema.

    Set in the late 70's, seen... read more through the innocent eyes of a fifteen year old boy, SCOTT, "Lymelife" is a unique take on the dangers of the American Dream. This funny, sad, violent and sometimes tragic look at first love, family dynamics and divorce weaves an intricate tapestry of American life during a time of drastic economic and emotional change.
  • itsjustme2004
    October 14, 2010
    itsjustme2004
    I really thought that this movie was excellent! Maybe partly because I was a teenager in the 70s, but mostly because it was very well done. Those two Culkin boys really are very good actors. I was rather amazed at how much I liked them. Very good drama!
  • LWOODS04
    July 3, 2010
    LWOODS04
    CAST: Rory Culkin, Kieran Culkin, Jill Hennessy, Alec Baldwin, Emma Roberts, Timothy Hutton, Cythia Nixon

    DIRECTED BY: Derik Martini

    SUMMARY: Set in 1970s suburbia, this coming-of-age tale revolves around the exploits of a pair of Long Island families grappling with complex... read more relationships, financial woes and an outbreak of Lyme disease that's "terrorizing" their community.

    MY THOUGHTS: "I really liked this movie. The cast was really fantastic, acting was great. The Culkin boys, Alec Baldwin, and Timothy Hutton really stand out for me in this movie. All of the others were a great supporting cast. These two dysfunctional families end up clashing with each other in infidelity. It really gets real when Rory Culkin's character locks himself in the restroom whilst his parents are having it out. Anyone who has went through similar things in their family will really be able to connect to his character more in that moment then in any other. Theres also a part where Brenda asked her son Scott "Why you even worrying yourself with my problems with your father?" It's like parents don't understand that their worry and pain become their childrens worry and pain.
    The title is 'LymeLife' and the synopsis says the town in 'terrorized' by the disease, but it really has very little to do with the film. Well besides one person having the disease and a over-protective mother freaking out about it. Besides that, its mostly centered on these two families trying to deal with where their life is at this moment. It's a really good story. It's a movie some will be able to relate too. Whether it be with the teen angst, or the parental problems. All in all a great cast, great script, good acting, and some humor. I highly recommed this movie."
  • puffchunk
    December 9, 2009
    puffchunk
    Another "real life" movie that shows how much life sucks. Really the only thing in it worthwhile is Timothy Hutton. P.S. does Alec Baldwin ever play "not" an asshole?
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    September 30, 2009
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "The American Dream Sucks"

    A family unit begins to bow under the pressure of a failing marriage.

    REVIEW

    My favorite part of this movie was a scene where Alec Baldwin and his wife who is played ... read moreby Jill Hennessey finally tear each other to shreds with their fifteen year old son, hiding in his little bathroom, hearing the whole thing. Remarkably it is so realistic that I found myself choked up but also laughing. I've heard the same kind of parental blow outs in my childhood and they are so painful but Martini, a novice writer-director, magically weaves agony and humor into this painfully honest sequence. And there are other sequences as well that walk the same tight rope: a sex scene where two of the characters lose their virginity, a scene where Timothy Hutton seeks revenge on Alec Baldwin in a bar, a scene where Emma Roberts confronts Rory Culkin about a certain lie he's told about her, another scene where Timothy Hutton shows his wife who is played by Cynthia Nixon exactly how he feels about her - with no words mind you. I am a huge fan of PT Anderson and, if we're lucky, we'll see more commercial films from Anderson and Martini. There's a similar style here that's difficult to put into words. Characters, situations, camera style, the bravest kind of acting you have seen since Martin Scorsese. Oh, wait, Martin Scorsese produced this film and it is no shock. If anyone knows talent it is Scorsese. After Lymelife, the torch is officially passed to Anderson and Martini. Please, give us more.
  • CrookedlittleB33
    September 6, 2009
    CrookedlittleB33
    Two Culkins...in one movie? And the story looks a little intriguing, to say the least.

    Typical scenarios played out in an atypical fashion with a cast that is fiercely brilliant. Emma and Rory were pretty amazing in here.

    [review TBC]
  • gator681
    August 18, 2010
    gator681
    In "Lymelife," Scott Bartlett(Rory Culkin) is a fifteen year old high school student living on Long Island. His father(Alec Baldwin) is a property developer with a lot riding on his latest deal. Despite this, Scott's mother(Jill Hennessy) would rather be living in Queens. Cons... read moreidering his bully problems, he probably concurs, but luckily for him, his older brother Jim(Kieran Culkin) is home on leave from the army. Scott's best friend Adrianna(Emma Roberts) has problems of her own, in the person of her father(Timothy Hutton) who is suffering from Lyme's disease and cannot get a job.

    While "Lymelife" is certainly well-acted(it looks like Emma Roberts might just be the real deal), there is very little story to go on. And any number of attempts to explore any number of themes miss the mark but not by much, especially how suburban developments encroach on the habitats of animals.(I am reminded of seeing deer at a bus stop when visiting my brother near Denver recently.) The exact time this is set is kind of fuzzy(somewhere between 1979 and 1982), due to its conflicting set of cultural references. This could have been successfully linked to a character not remembering all of the details of his past but there is not a strong enough point of view to support this. And I live less than a mile from the Long Island Rail Road but I am sure there are some places on the island where you cannot hear the trains go by.
  • fb1644764650
    May 24, 2011
    fb1644764650
    Despite the original plot's presentation as something worth watching, it was extremely disappointing. The acting was too one-dimensional, like watching real-life scenarios. Plus, Emma Roberts is not the best 'bad girl'.
  • Nutterjr
    July 27, 2010
    Nutterjr
    Can be easily dismissed as "seen it before" as it covers similar territory to American Beauty or The Ice Storm. But this ordinary, dysfunctional American suburban family tale is so sharply written and well acted that it appears as good as new. Alec Baldwin is a better actor than... read more I have given him credit for in the past and Rory Culkin could easily be true gem of the 7 siblings.

View All Lymelife Reviews

Critic Reviews

Reyhan Harmanci
May 14, 2012
Reyhan Harmanci, San Francisco Chronicle

At no point did I feel bored or condescended to, and even though the ending may be overwrought, it had me gripping my chair. Full Review

Liam Lacey
May 8, 2009
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Another film that looks back at late seventies' suburbia with a mixture of tenderness and condescension. Full Review

Greg Quill
May 8, 2009
Greg Quill, Toronto Star

Even in its darkest moments there are flashes of warm comedy and gentle farce that lend the story considerable credibility and charm. Full Review

Colin Covert
May 7, 2009
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Overall the film feels like The Ice Storm or American Beauty on training wheels, but Martini's next efforts could be well worth watching. Full Review

Roger Moore
May 6, 2009
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

The players dazzle, but co-writer-director Martini has attrracted this cast with chewy roles and a sharp metaphor, a disease that tears down the veneer of normality. Full Review

Tom Long
May 1, 2009
Tom Long, Detroit News

The dysfunctional suburban family drama has become so ubiquitous that the genre has lost all impact. Full Review

Cary Darling
May 1, 2009
Cary Darling, Dallas Morning News

Solid performances combine with a sense of warm naturalism to make for engaging, memorable drama.

Andrea Gronvall
May 1, 2009
Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader

Thanks to a strong ensemble cast, it's poignant and funny. Full Review

Steven Rea
May 1, 2009
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

The cast is ferociously good, bringing an edgy unpredictability to familiar scenarios of infidelity, alienation, and betrayal. Full Review

Roger Ebert
April 30, 2009
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Lymelife doesn't have the sheer power of "The Ice Storm," but it's not just another recycling of suburban angst. By allowing their characters complexity, the Martinis spill open those tiny model homes... Full Review

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    • Charlie Bragg: It's the bad kind.
    • Todd O'Leary: Fart-lett.
    • Scott Bartlett: You know, you can always hear the train on Long Island, no matter how far away.
    • Adrianna Bragg: What are you Walt Whitman now?
    • Mickey Bartlett: So... do you have syphilis?
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