Comedy. 1 hour, 49 minutes. R. At the AMC Highlands Ranch.
Jenna Fischer talks directly to the camera in early scenes in “A Little Help.” She lets us see the life that’s overwhelming her, the bitterness that threatens to swallow her whole and the irritation she’s trying her darnedest to hide.
As Laura, a woman unhappy with work (she’s a dental hygienist), unhappily married (Chris O’Donnell plays the husband always “in a meeting”) and failing at keeping the upper hand with her rude 12-year-old son (Daniel Yelsky), Fischer has the perfect big-screen role to fit her TV-perfected (“The Office”) hangdog persona.
Toss in the mother (Lesley Anne Warren) and sister (Brooke Smith) who bully her, and it’s no wonder that Laura sneaks cigarettes in her car and chugs Budweiser in her quieter moments.
And then, just like that, she’s widowed. The marriage she wanted to fix or cast aside is over. Her kid copes in unacceptable ways, which she helplessly indulges. Her relatives push her at a no-prisoners lawyer (Kim Coates) who promises revenge, or restitution for her husband’s death.
It’s not a huge stretch to see Fischer playing a character overwhelmed by little things long before the tidal wave of major life changes rolls in. What is cool is seeing her as a distinct “type,” the faded beauty who peaked in high school.
Writer-director Michael J. Weithorn’s tie-in to 9/11 is a bit of a stretch. But he’s blessed with a cast that makes the clunkier moments skip by almost unnoticed.
