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Parents' Guide to

Landline

By Joyce Slaton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Family confronts infidelity in mature but uplifting dramedy.

Movie R 2017 93 minutes
Landline Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

Three complicated women are at a crossroads in the 1995-set dramedy LANDLINE. Dana Jacobs (Jenny Slate) is floundering at work and unsure about her plans to marry fiancé Ben (Jay Duplass). Her mom, Pat (Edie Falco), feels invisible and unappreciated and is bored with her husband, Alan (John Turturro). And high school senior Ali (Abby Quinn) would rather go out clubbing than listen to her mom's lectures about college applications. But things change for the Jacobs family when Ali finds a stash of Alan's longing, erotic letters -- which were written to another woman. As the characters slowly sift through the wreckage of their family's relationships following the revelation, Dana, Pat, and Ali find new connections to each other -- and to their own more authentic selves.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

It might seem contradictory to say that this fresh, funny drama is simultaneously airy and charming while conveying deep messages about partnership, fidelity, and family bonds. It's not usually this much fun to watch people who are this miserable, but the characters in Landline are so quirky, cute, and real that you can't help loving them even when they're doing awful things to the people they love. Alan's sins are writ largest, but Pat is a bit of a killjoy and a nag, Dana's drifting through a life she's not sure she wants, and Ali's alternately sneaking out to be with her boyfriend and tormenting her long-suffering mother. (Their relationship is made perfectly clear in a scene near the movie's beginning, when Pat asks Ali what her boyfriend was talking about on the phone. "I dunno, butt stuff," is the reply. Her surprised mother laughs. "Oh, I love you. Good night." Ali waits until her mom closes the door to mutter back, almost silently "Love you.")

The discovery of Alan's affair turns out to be the excuse each member of the Jacobs family was looking for to blow up their lives. Dana not so secretly wanted her staid relationship with Ben to change, Ali wanted her parents to know she wasn't the do-gooder they were hoping for, Pat wanted her daughters and her husband to see her as a person, not just someone who exists only to make other people's lives better. Slowly, they find that their relationships with one another are what carries them through life's problems. It may not be perfect at home, but at least the people there love you ... and are willing to dress in group Halloween costumes with you, even if that means wearing a garbage bag.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the way Landline depicts sex. Is it loving and meaningful? Why do you think characters cheat on their significant others? What lessons are learned regarding adultery and commitment?

  • How are drinking and drug use portrayed? Are there realistic consequences for substance use/abuse? Why is that important?

  • How does the movie communicate the time and place where it's set (New York, 1995)? What does it show you to tell you where you are? Did you spot any anachronisms? How do you think the movie would change if it were set in the year it was released (2017)?

  • Why do you think so many movies are about families with problems? What about a dysfunctional/struggling family is more interesting than a happy and/or stable one? What episodes in your own family history might make for a good drama (or comedy)?

  • Do you think the sisters show perseverance and/or teamwork in the movie? Why are these important character strengths? How does being siblings affect their relationship to each other and the type of support they can offer?

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