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Fest Track On Sirk TV Film Review: THE ATLANTIC CITY STORY [Denver Film Festival 2020 – Virtual]

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The story of any city comes from the identity of its residents, past, present  and likely future, but it is a matter if the story resonates, is a reflection of the times or is simply an overwrought ode to the city in certain ways. Taking an angle from “Leaving Las Vegas”, through in a differing and more optimistic way. “The Atlantic City Story” here ushers more for Terrence  Malick than Mike Figgis. But that said Malick’s recent forays don’t capture the power of “Badlands” or even “The Thin Red Line.” “Knight Of Cups” or “To The Wonder” have certain moments of awe but are mostly disjointed. The reasoning is that slice of life has to do with a sense of perspective and not simply normal people or the fact that a shot looks good. The characters here, a slighted wife (Jessica Hecht) who is not ready to return to her husband and a young gambling addict (Mike Faist) who is both oblivious and aware of his shortcomings, don’t have the kind of romantic or doomed pairing that made “Before Sunrise” work. Those stories were meta in a way on the philosophy of life. The idea here is a bit more contrived and while the music is supposed to impact this, it seems more filler. Keying in more New York 20s music (harking back to its origins and “Boardwalk Empire”), although a bit of Gershwin comes in, would work more.

The director tries to highlight local haunts but without a sense of structure or reference. Slice of life requires a bit of intention with these places they are visiting, otherwise it is simply a travel-tick. The believability of the characters also strains credibility no matter what their hang ups but that might just be due to casting. The notion of a blind tryst and that attraction comes off empty. One scene that seems to paint possibility is the young gambler sitting in the rain looking into the ocean after he loses all his money. There was more that could have ben done. Ultimately the gambler himself who needs to walk the line between monster, scared child and romantic lead is simply too anachronistic to focus on while the older lady is gentle but mostly silent. A venture into a psychic tries to broach this exposition but seems like a plot ploy. A good comparison in use of location is when Darren  used Coney Island in” Requiem For A Dream”. It was brief but one got a sense of it right away without being mired in melodrama. Having spent time both in Coney Island and Atlantic City, there is a very specific identity to each place. “The Atlantic City Story” scratches the surface only. It has nothing to d with being in the casinos (although they shoot inside a little here). It is about the dream lost but also what lengths or strengths it takes to get it back.

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By Tim Wassberg