Fresno
is a pretty preposterous wannabe comedy about two sisters who have lasting
conflicts. Martha (Lyonne) is the
“good” sister, who has a job as a maid at the Fresno Suites and has managed to
buy a house. Her sister Shannon
(Greer) has a slew of problems as a result of pathetically poor judgment. She has just gotten out of rehab (sex
addiction), and Martha is trying to help her get back on her feet. Shannon is hostile to just about
everyone and makes a point to voice her opinions, no matter what they are. This characteristic is one of the many
faults with the film; that is, how does this angry person pick up so many
sexual contacts? Not that she
spends any time getting acquainted with her contacts; she proposes sex at the
drop of a hat—or anything else.
Shannon is supposed to be helping Martha clean
rooms, but the first chance she gets, she slips away for a quickie with a hotel
guest. Martha discovers her, and
the encounter ends up very badly with a dead body on their hands, and the rest
of the film is an absurd story about the various ruses they use to get rid of
the body, strategies usually thought up by Shannon.
This involves visiting the deceased’s sister,
getting the body out of the hotel unseen, keeping ice on it to keep it from
smelling, finding a place to bury it, stealing or raising enough money to bury
it, and so on and on and on.
The works of writer (Karey Dornetto) and
director (Jamie Babbit) have primarily been in television. I found the script to be sorely lacking
in coherence and got the impression ideas were simply strung together without
much regard to logic. For
instance, Shannon has not demonstrated an ounce of empathy at any time, and
we’ve mentioned her poor problem-solving skills; but suddenly she shows empathy toward two people and gives them good advice! The script also has her sleeping with her therapist and his
helping her in a matter he shouldn’t, both of which would get his license
revoked. The character could have
been anyone—why make him a therapist?
The four main actors—Lyonne, Greer, Plaza, and
Amisen—are good in their roles, and this is just about the best thing I can say
about Fresno.
An attempt at comedy without much
coherence.
Grade: D- By Donna R. Copeland
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