“Where’d You Go, Bernadette” is not for everyone

Sometimes a movie benefits from low expectations. Whether expecting a typical chick-flick or worse yet, another “Eat Pray Love” (2010), “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” is a riveting character study of an agoraphobic, professional woman. This loving mom has gradually dropped out of society and then turns up missing and is nowhere to be found.

Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett (“Blue Jasmine”) stars in this dramedy with a wonderfully nuanced performance of a quirky and witty woman whose behavior is becoming increasingly irrational. Uncomfortable with the upper-middle-class social structure, Bernadette has it all, a loving husband, brilliant daughter and huge mansion, seemingly designed for “The Addams Family,” but she is missing one thing, herself.

Clearly, this movie is not for everyone. For those not able to identify with the characters or the circumstances, it could be tedious or even chew-your-arm-off boring. The strong supporting cast includes Billy Crudup, as Bernadette’s long-suffering hubby Elgie, and a breakout performance by Emma Nelson as Bee, their teenage daughter.

Laurence Fishburne, Kristen Wiig, Judy Greer, Megan Mullally and Steve Zahn add to the ensemble cast, but make no mistake this is a one-woman show. Blanchett not only carries the load but delightfully commands almost every scene. She seamlessly toggles between power, vulnerability, humor and sadness, while generating empathy.

Based on the runaway bestseller of the same name by Maria Semple, who also co-produces, the emotional crisis includes one-liners and personal mumblings that aren’t so much insult zingers as thoughtful humor. Directed by Richard Linklater (“Boyhood”), there is little action, but he keeps the audience glued to the screen. This father of three girls was attracted to this story because of the strong mother-daughter relationship.

All people are flawed, but we get the impression that somewhere along the line, Bernadette was severely damaged. Nevertheless, she finds comfort in the strong bond between her and daughter Bee. The successful Elgie, a loving husband and father, can’t seem to connect much with his wife of twenty-something years.

A former architect, Bernadette has left that profession behind to be a stay-at-home mom. She does her best to avoid the mean-girl soccer moms, as one of them summarizes her feelings, “You don’t belong here, people don’t like you.” Bernadette explains to Bee, “I am not good where I have to relate to people, popularity is overrated.”

Everything comes to a head when Bee asks her parents for a family vacation to Antarctica. Initially trying to avoid this upcoming adventure, Bernadette’s longtime friend tells her, “People like you must create or become a menace to society.” Her leap of faith eventually takes her on an epic adventure that could jump-start her life and lead to a triumphant rediscovery. Then again, her whole world could come crashing down.

For the Antarctic scenes, the production team planned for green screen shots, but Blanchett insisted on authenticity. So, while filming in Greenland, a hurricane hit. Rather than wait it out, they filmed what they could and used the storm in a few of the scenes.

“Where’d You Go Bernadette” is 130 minutes and rated PG-13 for strong language and drug material. It doesn’t seem possible for a person have “everything” and suffer from social anxieties. Blanchett effectively and affectively reveals Bernadette as a complex, empathetic and valued character, flaws and all.

With very few set pieces and no action to speak of, there is still so much here to see; the mother-daughter bond, parental interactions, seemingly helpless husband and a creatively suppressed soul. Her personal struggles are vividly presented, but half the battle is understanding the problem. As they say, a bird that knows he’s a cuckoo is half way out of the clock.

Ron’s Rating: B+
Leigh’s Rating: B+