Vague Visages’ I’ll Be Right There review contains minor spoilers. Brendan Walsh’s 2024 movie features Edie Falco, Jeannie Berlin and Kayli Carter. Check out the VV home page for more film reviews.

The majority of I’ll Be Right There takes place behind the wheel of an old school station wagon, but the film isn’t a propulsive road adventure. Instead, Brendan Walsh’s second feature captures the back-and-forth mundanity of suburban motherhood. Wanda (Edie Falco) is a middle-aged divorcée who will do anything and everything for her family, acting as their personal chauffeur and constant savior. The protagonist has difficulty letting her twenty-something children leave the nest, even though everyone insists they’re long overdue to be flying on their own.

Walsh, who also collaborated with Falco for Showtime’s Nurse Jackie (2019-15), draws viewers into I’ll Be Right There through endearing characters and a quaint, small-town aesthetic. The sleepy hamlet of Pearl River, New York is one of those bland and unassuming communities that make up so much of America. The camera of cinematographer Aaron Medick patiently observes the wholesome surroundings — streets dotted with flags honoring hometown veterans, trains whizzing past the flat buildings of nail salons and hardware stores, cozy dive bars and a local ice cream stand that has been a family staple for decades. I’ll Be Right There has a setting that is unremarkable yet comforting in its familiarity, filled with ordinary people going about their daily lives. The film has a strong sense of place because most scenes are set in exterior locations or feature Wanda driving through various parts of town.

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Falco’s performance is the emotional kernel of I’ll Be Right There. Her acting feels very lived-in and recognizable, from the way Wanda briskly stomps around in tight jeans and clogs, folds her arms in frustration or rubs her fingers while assessing the various hijinks her kids get into. Falco carefully modulates her physicality to match the subtle humor of Jim Beggarly’s screenplay, such as when she knowingly raises her eyebrows at a local brouhaha or delivers discreetly cutting lines like, “What is it you think you’re good at, Mark?” with a bemused smile and a twinkle in her wide eyes. 

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As Wanda’s mother Grace, Jeannie Berlin has a quick wit and aloofness that adds levity to the scenes of familial discord. Plus, Charlie Tahan’s frail physicality and dazed expressions exemplify Mark’s waywardness after dealing with past drug and mental health struggles. And Kayli Carter’s performance as Sarah is the most histrionic in I’ll Be Right There — a perfect storm of pregnancy hormones and anxiety about having a church wedding as soon as possible. The wacky family is all over the place, and one can see why they need a stable presence like Wanda to keep them tethered, as Falco’s protagonist must balance all these spinning plates of family dysfunction during the day while bookkeeping at night in various bars and restaurants. Also, James Righton’s score has many comical beats that evoke the quiet chaos of Wanda’s life, such as when she has to lug a bike up flights of stairs, with the music coming to a halt when she stops to take a breath. 

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Wanda’s romantic relationships are equally as thorny. Bradley Whitford’s resonant vocals and piercing stare are a perfect fit for the role of the protagonist’s smart-aleck ex-husband, Henry, who drowns in the pandemonium of children from his new marriage and has no time to support his old family. As the characters verbally ping-pong between past grievances and current frustrations, the actors share a droll sense of humor and a palpable connection that makes the strained history between them as clear as a bell. Wanda juggles two separate relationships and has a cloyingly sweet yet existentially confused boyfriend, played by Michael Rapaport, who bemoans the futility of life and proposes marriage in one fell swoop. At the same time, Falco’s protagonist has a bohemian college professor girlfriend named Sophie, with whom she enjoys an active sex life while questioning the future. Wanda also rekindles a friendship with a firefighter and family man, Albert (a warm and amiable Michael Beach), and I‘ll Be Right There subverts expectations by depicting a mutually beneficial friendship, one that’s about the little things in life, such as the way the sun rises and sets. 

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I’ll Be Right There sits firmly in the middle as far as family dramedies go. It’s not as caustic as a Noah Baumbach film, nor is it as goofily sentimental as a Hallmark movie. There are some instances of very broad comedy, such as an impromptu parking lot wedding in front of a hospital. But much of I’ll Be Right There’s wry appeal lies in the understated jabs or visual gags.

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The stakes in I’ll Be Right There are very low; not much happens, and Wanda ends up nearly in the same place as she was in the beginning: regularly helping out her family and happy to do so. The film raises important questions about contemporary family dynamics, namely the shifting mindset that siblings, parents and grandparents should no longer remain in the same state or neighborhood but instead scatter in pursuit of individualism. Perhaps Wanda would benefit from taking more time for herself, but she is self-aware enough to recognize where her heart lies, and I’ll Be Right There doesn’t draw any definitive conclusions about the right decision. It’s refreshing to see a film devoted to the intimate life of a middle-aged woman navigating her sexuality and personal goals. 

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I’ll Be Right There has a gentle simplicity that sets it apart from other films. Through small yet poignant scenes, such as when several generations of family members share an impromptu nightly ice cream cone, the movie humbly asks the audience to celebrate everyday joys and family ties. Through well-defined performances and character dynamics, I’ll Be Right There presents heartwarming ideas about personal growth with a genuine thoughtfulness and clever humor, resulting a a beguiling viewing experience. 

Caroline Madden (@crolinss) is the author of Springsteen as Soundtrack. She’s also a film critic who has written for Screen Queens, Reverse Shot, IndieWire and more. Caroline is the Editor in Chief of Video Librarian.

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