Film Review: SHOWING UP (2022): Michelle Williams Shines in a Small but Intriguing Film About True Artistry

Showing Up Review

Showing Up (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Kelly Reichardt, written by Jonathan Raymond and Kelly Reichardt and starring Michelle Williams, Hong Chau, Judd Hirsch, Andre 3000, Lauren Lakis, Jean-Luc Boucherot, Ted Rooney, Maryann Plunkett, Heather Lawless, Chase Hawkins, Izabel Mar, James Le Gros and Bahni Turpin.

Filmmaker Kelly Reichardt’s latest character study, Showing Up, is a well-meaning film about artistry that moves along at a snail’s pace but will nevertheless capture the viewer’s attention thanks to the lead performances by Michelle Williams and Hong Chau. Williams plays a sculptor named Lizzy who gets in over her head when she begins to care for an injured pigeon in Reichardt’s mediation on the importance of quality time in order to achieve true freedom of expression. Williams couldn’t be more different here than she was in her Oscar-nominated turn in Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans and it’s to the actress’s credit that she makes Lizzy watchable because the character doesn’t have too much of an upbeat personality. She puts her heart and soul into her work and a lot less into her life otherwise. It’s a fascinating character in a movie that may have benefited from a bit more pizzazz.

After an overlong opening credits scene where we see some artwork on display, we meet Lizzy who is a cat owner who wears crocs shoes and brown flats that help define her as a woman who is a bit more interested in her art than anything else, including her fashion sense. There’s one problem with preparing great art, though: Her landlord, Jo (Hong Chau) isn’t really helping her out as much as she could be. Jo is tying up a tire to swing on at the film’s start. More importantly, there’s no hot water in Lizzy’s apartment. Well, there is warm water for a few seconds then it goes back to cold. Lizzy can’t take showers and is distracted by many things that she shouldn’t have to deal with while preparing for an upcoming art show. When she catches her cat “playing” with an injured pigeon, she sends the pigeon away,

Jo finds the pigeon and thinks someone else’s cat is responsible for its injury. Jo needs Lizzy to attend to the bird. In short order, Lizzy takes the pigeon to a vet (Bahni Turpin) who charges $150 to give Lizzy some advice. Lizzy will need warm water to help the pigeon which is something she doesn’t have but she can always heat up some water on her stove, right? Lizzy wants to know if there’s anything else she should do but the vet simply responds, “it’s a pigeon.”

Meanwhile, at her mundane secretary job, Lizzy tries to communicate with her boss/mom, Jean (Maryann Plunkett) but she’s too busy to pay Lizzy much mind. In one scene, Lizzy requests some personal time off but Jean just tells Lizzy to do what she needs to do, well more or less anyway.

In the middle of what passes for a story line, Judd Hirsch appears as Lizzy’s dad to deliver some meaningful dialogue about life and retirement that is well-suited to Hirsch’s abilities. Hirsch was great in The Fabelmans and he is solid here in his brief, but worthwhile, screen time throughout the picture.

Lizzy has a lot on her plate. Jo doesn’t really help by adding the insight that Lizzy pays a cheap rent and shouldn’t really complain about the hot water. Poor Lizzy is consumed by her art but wants to have a successful display of her work which is something completely different from the art of creating.

Kelly Reichardt’s film moves so slowly that one could wonder when the plot is going to lead somewhere but this film isn’t about plot twists. It’s a study of two women who come together despite their differences. They do this in one major way by helping the pigeon. This bird becomes a fleshed out character in the movie and is eventually set back into the world but not without the help of Lizzy who can hardly help herself given her circumstances. Jo and Lizzy have a bond that is explored on screen too but it’s not a formulaic one. It is one which is grounded in reality.

Showing Up has some other characters in it such as Eric (Andre 3000) who is basically just in the background to add comic relief. It’s really Lizzy’s story. She wants to create great art and present her work accordingly but there are just too many things that get in her way. One could feel for her as she tries to take a shower wherever she can while waiting for Jo to get a cheap enough hot water tank.

Michelle Williams can do no wrong. She plays her character believably and intelligently. Hong Chau shines beside her in the more difficult role. Let’s face it–playing a landlord who won’t give her tenant hot water in a timely fashion is not a likable role but Chau brings complexity to the part.

There are other scattered characters throughout the film but it’s Lizzy’s show, for better or worse. How much you enjoy the film could depend on how much you relate to Lizzy. Artists will feel her plight and want to see her triumph against the hardships she faces.

While Showing Up isn’t the most entertaining movie I’ve seen recently, it’s one of the most thoughtful. It puts a great deal of time into developing the character of Lizzy so that we can sympathize with her and know what it’s like to bring fine art into the world. Williams is gold in anything she does and she makes this role her own in Kelly Reichardt’s eventually pretty moving little picture.

Rating: 7/10

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