A woman’s life is turned upside down when her criminal parents invite an outsider to join them on a major heist they’re planning.
“Kajillionaire” thrives in exploring the most unconventional relationships and between Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood) and her parents, Robert (Richard Jenkins) and Theresa (Debra Winger), there is no comparable dysfunction to theirs. Old Dolio and her parents live off of scamming others, pinching pennies, and risking the exposure of their tactics at every turn as money becomes more and more of a desperate need. Yet, the saddest disposition of their relationship is not from the circumstances of being broke, but it is the lack of familial connection and affection that is usually prominent between parents and their children. Instead, profits and other benefits are split three-ways like a business relationship and it remains a wonder how Old Dolio survived the way she did without ever getting to experience familial love.
Old Dolio remains hesitant to act against this deficiency in her relationship with her parents until the entrance of Melanie (Gina Rodriguez) during a risky “heist.” While the Dyne family intended to cheat a system of insurance supplied by an airline company after Old Dolio wins a free trip to New York and back, they never expected to come across someone to be so enthusiastic about their efforts. Suddenly, Melanie is “sweetheart” and “dear” while Old Dolio has only ever been “Old Dolio” and it’s enough to grow a hesitant crack into a full-blown rift between the family. Melanie’s presence may have been the catalyst for Old Dolio to establish separation from her parents, but it is also Melanie that inspires confidence for Old Dolio to cease her codependent relationship with a family who doesn’t act like family.
Director Miranda July is clever to explore the psychology of children and their relationship with the expectations of their upbringing. Old Dolio’s parents could have succeeded in producing the perfect offspring to supply the free labor necessary for all their “perfect” heists. Old Dolio’s youth was the advantage to the team of scammers. However, it is also impossible to hide the rest of the world from Old Dolio and she is left to grapple with her resentment as her parents remain far from an artificial but ideal standard. Old Dolio’s internal frustration and sadness might leave you wondering whether you carry your own resentments and how expectations and reality can often collide in ways that can be damaging rather than uplifting.
Another strong theme in the film besides the question of familial love is the question of trust towards other people. The Dyne family carry themselves with a heavy underlying mistrust for other people due to their own identity as scammers. A sharp contrast to that picture is Melanie and her charismatic ability to penetrate the Dyne’s heist to become almost one with the team. While Melanie later regrets her reckless trust in the Dyne parents, Melanie stays true to her instincts about Old Dolio and eventually gains something more than just a quick adventure.
Rodriguez is perfectly cast in the role of Melanie, emitting an aura of friendliness that could break down even the cruelest of cynics but also delivering a sensual strength to become a pillar that Old Dolio can rely on as she gains independence. The connection between Old Dolio and Melanie is hard to ignore when Rodriquez and Wood share an electric intimacy onscreen without coming across as cheap or queer-baiting. On the other hand, Wood does well in leaving you slightly uncomfortable with her blunt yet naive presence. She simultaneously expresses herself as a lost child doubting her family, a woman learning to deal with her hormones, and a human trying to connect reality with hopes – all of which culminate into a brilliant interpretation of Old Dolio.
“Kajillionaire” is a hoot to watch as the film’s quirky characters leave you desiring for more human connection, especially during the pandemic. Surprisingly, it has somehow become one of my favorite romance movies yet to date, simply because the connection between Old Dolio and Melanie felt natural. “Kajillionaire” will remind you that humans can be quite dysfunctional but sometimes it only takes the right connection to uplift and strengthen each other into a different reality.
In Select Theaters Friday, September 25th
