Palmer (2021)

Palmer (2021)

 

7/10

Starring

Justin Timberlake

Alisha Wainwright

June Squibb

Juno Temple

Directed by Fisher Stevens

Palmer is a cool movie that plays it safe by putting the lead in an already-established family role—Palmer takes on a role his grandmother previously filled. The movie takes off from there, and even though you can predict the ending from the start, it’s the journey to that end that made the movie enjoyable for me. Justin Timberlake gave a fantastic performance, leading the way in helping a young boy feel comfortable in his own skin. You get to watch these two characters struggle with the people they’ve chosen to be, and later allow each other to become all they can be.

The whole movie is about second chances. Even though you may have seen that story a million times before, Palmer still managed to pull at my heartstrings in some places. It’s those most likely moments that will swell you up inside, and then you’ll watch the movie finally take shape.

Palmer starts with the character, Palmer (Justin Timberlake), getting out of jail and moving in with his grandmother. It’s clear that he didn’t have a traditional upbringing, and it seemed like his grandmother raised him. She was happy to have him back, but now Palmer had to turn over a new leaf. He faced the challenges of getting a job while always being careful not to mess up his parole.

One day, when he had to take his grandmother to church, a young boy named Sam joined them. Sam lived with his mother, who was a drug addict and often went off on long trips, leaving Sam to stay for weeks at a time with Palmer’s grandmother. Palmer wasn’t much of a fan of Sam, especially since Sam wanted to be a princess and liked dolls. Sam got picked on a lot because he also liked things like dress-up, putting on makeup, and all that. What was challenging to watch in this film is that Sam wasn’t just picked on by children—adults treated him the same way.

When Palmer’s grandmother passes, he’s left to care for Sam. He did it grudgingly at first, tried to change Sam, but soon we get to watch them bond. We also see the challenges of the system, which claims to offer second chances but doesn’t actually help a convict. We see a mother who loves her son, but her drug addiction is making it difficult for her to care for him.

What really carries this film for me is the acting from everyone in it. The cast was able to convey the joy you feel when watching a good film, making you forget time is passing by.

You can watch Palmer on Apple TV+.