Kajillionaire is an American comedy-drama film, written and directed by Miranda July. The film stars Evan Rachel Wood, Debra Winger, Gina Rodriguez, and Richard Jenkins in the lead roles. The film was released on Video on Demand on 16th October 2020.
The film's plot revolves around Old Dolio Dyne (Evan Rachel Wood), a 26-year-old woman, who with her parents, does small scams and stealings and lives a very ordinary life, not like kajillionaires. The family owes rent on the house for several months, and the rent is $500 per month. Their house is very weird, and it's attached to a soap factory or something, and one time in a day there's bubbles leaks happens on their floor from the factory. They come up with a plan to pay their rent, they would go to New York with the tickets they won in a contest and they will act like they are not a family, then at the airport, the parents will take her luggage so that Old Dolio could claim it on airlines. The travel insurance will help her with her lost luggage by giving her money which will be enough for her to pay their rents. The parents met Melaine (Gina Rodriguez) on the way to New York and they tell her everything about their scam and now Melanie wants to be a part of the scam too. So will the scam they planned, going to work?
Miranda July has also written the story and screenplay for the film and I'll say it's weird and funny, and quite interesting. But it's the vision of the director that is admirable. It's a film, one never thought of making it, as it needs someone to dare to put forward something that is weird at its best. It has a bizarre setup of the family itself, a daughter who is nothing more than an accomplice to them. Old Dolio clearly has no future ahead, always wear oversized jackets and tracksuits, and the long hair parted in two, is one of the unforgettable characters to witness this year. The strange chemistry between her and their parents is remarkable to see, which will surely make you laugh sometimes, but at the same time, it's heartbreaking too. Some of the scenes are clap worthy, like the first scene where Old Dolio steals an envelope from the adjacent mailbox of hers, and inside is a tie, then next time again when she to steal, she sees a camera on the ceiling and walks out. I said you'll laugh but it's heartbreaking too. There's this one scene, where Old Dolio says her mother to call her Honey, but her mother doesn't, that scene is amazing.
Evan Rachel Wood as Old Dolio (Dolores from Westworld) has given an effective performance. She truly gets into the skin of the character, from the deep voice to her weird dressing sense, she is outstanding. Another performance that stands out is Gina Rodriguez as Melanie, a bubbly woman, she is confident and her chemistry with Old Dolio is sweet. Debra Winger and Richard Jenkins as mother and father are entertaining to watch.
Miranda July's Kajillionaire has an unconventional story to tell that is very novel and raw and so are the characters, that'll make you fall in love with them, even if they're planning on doing another scam. You'll love to spend the 100 minutes of your time with this strange family, especially Old Dolio and Melanie that are the bones of this well-structured film.
Rating:- 3.5/5
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