Measure of a Man (2018)

Measure of a Man review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

The coming-of-age formula for most rise-of-the-geek teen movies is at its sleepiest in Measure of a Man. The whole experience has the sensation of a lazy August summer, where things seem to move much slower and there’s no haste in getting to where you need to go. You can practically feel the heat on set that drains the energy from the screen to deliver only a passable comedy that can be placed in the big bin of retro coming-of-age comedy.

Based on the novel by Robert Lipsyte entitled One Fat Summer, the film takes place in the 1970s where Bobby (Blake Cooper) is a bullied teen with a weight problem. His parents look down on him, his peers mock him, and even the local police seem to insult him as well. His small-town life sucks and it's treated on such a relatable level that the story could easily take place in modern times considering how little of the 1970s vibe is present, more used to create a Stand By Me style of storytelling. Bobby’s plight is mostly just one of self-esteem to stand up for himself, which the hazy summer days will provide him with just enough time to build up that confidence and finally go swimming without fear.

An elderly Wall Street executive, Dr. Kahn (Donald Sutherland), will be the one that helps push the kid forward in his bitter old-man ways. In need of some lawn work, Kahn tasks Bobby with a summer job of tending to the green on his large estate. Kahn is typically strict, keeping Bobby on a tight schedule, low cash payouts, and a scrutinizing eye for the work Bobby does. Sutherland gives a standardly scowling elder performance that showcases how he is harsh but fair and willing to hear Bobby out about a raise if he’s willing to put in the effort, both to do the work and ask for it.

Bobby has all the standard hallmarks of a classic fat kid’s goals of obliterating in one summer. He has a girl that he fancies and hopes he can impress her enough at parties and over walkie-talkies to be his girlfriend. He has a bully he must defeat if he wants said girl which leads to him training in underwater breath-holding that may come in handy for a battle at the beach. And he also wants to prove to his parents that he’s not just some kid anymore that needs constant coddling to be safe and happy.

While Measure of a Man is certainly tender, there’s nothing all that engrossing to launch itself out of the doldrums of a by-the-numbers mumblecore picture. Not a single actors explode onto the screen, either by performance or their very presence. Consider how Judy Greer and Luke Wilson play Bobby’s parents with such a low level of push and shove, even for these actors, that they could’ve been entirely absent from the picture and it wouldn’t have mattered. The film merely drifts from one to scene to another as Bobby slowly makes his rise from the fat kid too down on himself to the large lad willing to put himself out there.

Measure of a Man doesn’t quite size up to its competition despite the admirable effort. There’s very little here that hasn’t been handled with better drama and genuine chemistry than this picture and it’s rather unfortunate. One more for the coming-of-age pile.