James Gandolfini plays a troubled man, who finds a new purpose in his life by becoming a father-figure to a teenage prostitute, played by Kristen Stewart.
Set mostly in the ravaged parts of New Orleans, Welcome To The Rileys is a bleak look at how lives can be affected by other people. Doug (Gandolfini) is a father who lost his daughter in a car accident, and has lost touch with his wife Lois (Melissa Leo), who has not been able to leave the house in the years since the accident.
During a business trip to New Orleans, Doug enters a strip club by accident, and meets Mallory (Stewart), a dancer with a wayward attitude towards life, who lives in a run-down house by herself. Doug begins to help and care for Mallory in different ways, like fixing up her house and buying her food, all the while maintaining a non-sexual relationship. As his bond with Mallory increases, more and more of her troubled story is revealed, and Lois becomes determined to reunite with her distant husband.
A moving drama, there is a great dynamic between these characters, with plenty of pathos swimming around. The dirty and grungy look is authentic, and reflective of the location and themes. The three main actors all give good performances, in particular Gandolfini, who brings depth to this damaged man. Stewart is worlds away from her usual style, offering up some foul-mouthed, lascivious lines that reveal the broken nature of her character.
The film touches largely upon the maternal and paternal bonds, exploring loss as well as redemption, and the underlying issues about shame in modern society, all of which make compelling viewing.
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