Palmer (2021) || Movie Review

In my head, Justin Timberlake is a cool musician, so I sometimes find it odd to see him in movies, especially one where he portrays a character quite relatable to most people. I expected this movie to be impressive and entertaining but it turned out not so.

Palmer (2021) is an American teen drama written by Cheryl Guerriero and directed by Fisher Stevens. Released and distributed by Apple TV+, this movie stars the former boy band, Justin Timberlake as Eddie Palmer, Juno Temple, Alisha Wainwright, June Squibb and Ryder Allen.

The storyline follows Eddie Palmer, a former high school football star convicted for attempted murder and armed robbery and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment. After serving his sentence, he returned home to put his life back together. To do this, he had to move in with his grandmother Vivian who frequently babysits a boy named Sam. Sam, the son of her neighbor, Shelly, a drug addict, is different from his other peers (he behaves like a feminine boy).

Not long after settling in his grandmother's house, Palmer soon begins to work at the local school in his community as a janitor and also helps his grandmother watch Sam, as Shelly keeps leaving town with her abusive boyfriend, Jerry.

Although Palmer doesn't want to have anything to do with Sam but he doesn't have a choice when his grandmother passes away. So, Palmer is forced to become Sam's temporary guardian until Shelly his mother returns. Will Palmer bond with Sam? What happens next in Palmer’s life?

My Review And Rating.

You must be open minded to enjoy this movie. Palmer is a movie that has a ton of story thread going on in the plot. The directorial style was soft, easy, straightforward and most especially good but not great. Stevens finds a way to seamlessly merge everything together such that viewers don't feel the roughness of it. By roughness, I refer to the homophbia some viewers may have for male characters who are genderfluid or more effeminate.

Also, he makes screen time for each story thread. The plot is well written and solid, considering that all the themes portrayed in this movie are relatable societal problems or issues we face or see everyday. Themes like, bullying, sex/gender issues, homophobia, family dynamics, love, relationships, effects of drugs, consequences of indulging in criminal activities and how it taints a person's life. I love how the acts were arranged to give the movie a slow yet emotional pace.

The cast were averagely amazing but Justin Timberlake surprised and impressed me in this movie. His role says how much of a good and talented actor he has become over the years. Also, I loved June Squibb who plays Palmer’s grandmother. She nudged Palmer into fixing his life despite his past and prison record, making it easy for him to bond with Sam.

The romance subplot is not bad. Palmer’s relationship and chemistry with Maggie is convincing. I love that Maggie grounds him and helps him with raising Sam.

The only beef I have with this movie is the boy who plays Sam. First, his character is too young (eight years) to decide his sexuality and even more, lean toward non-binary or genderfluidity. I find this part of the movie morally depraved and wish a much older person, maybe a teenager, acted this character.

Rating this movie, I will give it 6 stars out of 10. The movie is well done and entertaining, touching on societal issues. The acting is good. There are no profanities except for two nude scenes so I won't recommend children and young teens to see this movie.