August 29, 2025
FILM: A LITTLE PRAYER
DIRECTED BY: ANGUS MACLACHLAN
STARRING: DAVID STRATHAIRN, JANE LEVY, WILL PULLEN
RATING: 2 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
I am usually a sucker for films about families and the various dynamics that make them unique. Angus MacLachlan’s new film A Little Prayer attempts to make an intricate network of family relationships interesting but instead leaves us with too much that is left unstated and underdeveloped. It’s a shame because the film boasts a good cast that occasionally leads to some winning individual moments. As a whole though, the script doesn’t quite gel.
The film centers on David Strathairn as Bill Brass, a family man in Winston-Salem North Carolina. In the early scenes we see the strong bond he has with his daughter-in-law Tammy, played by Jane Levy. Whenever they are together there is warmth and a clear connection made all the more strong by their fascination with an unseen woman who sings hymns in the distance early each morning. Their love of hearing this voice stands in contrast to Bill’s wife Venida, played by Celia Weston, who finds the singing annoying and bothersome. Then there’s Tammy’s husband David (Will Pullen) who appears to be having an affair at the same time Tammy is trying to get pregnant. Also entering like a hurricane are the Brass’s daughter Patti (Anna Camp) and her own little one Hadley who decide to move back into the family home due to Patti’s own marital issues.
One might read all of this and think it sounds like a big daytime soap opera. I don’t think it comes across that way on film but the elements are definitely there. Angus MacLachlan is best known for his script to the 2005 film Junebug that earned Amy Adams her first of many Oscar nominations. That film also featured some lively southern characters embroiled in its own family issues.
Since the narrative primarily takes the point of view of Bill, we only really see what he sees and understand what he understands. As such, the characters’ individual stories get a bit short changed. Why, for instance, is David cheating on Tammy? Why does little Hadley not speak? In fact, much of the script is overloaded with storylines that are never fully developed. There’s a storyline involving Bill’s buddies from Vietnam. There’s an allusion to PTSD there but it’s not ever emphasized. Similarly, there is an abortion sub-plot involving Tammy that feels significant to the film but seems to get brushed aside more than it needs to be. (Jane Levy is very good in many of these scenes however.)
As such, this is an ensemble film with an array of characters that doesn’t really amount to much. The best I can say is that the focus on Bill’s knowledge, or the lack thereof, is generally well expressed. He fears he might have been a bad father given the situation his adult children are in. He’s by far the caretaker more than Vedina is and has a warmth and empathy we often don’t typically see in these southern family stories.
In the end, this isn’t really a bad film just one that doesn’t live up to anything particularly unifying or memorable.
A Little Prayer premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. It’s taken this long to finally get a release. It opens today in select theaters including the Music Box in Chicago.
FILM: A LITTLE PRAYER
DIRECTED BY: ANGUS MACLACHLAN
STARRING: DAVID STRATHAIRN, JANE LEVY, WILL PULLEN
RATING: 2 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
I am usually a sucker for films about families and the various dynamics that make them unique. Angus MacLachlan’s new film A Little Prayer attempts to make an intricate network of family relationships interesting but instead leaves us with too much that is left unstated and underdeveloped. It’s a shame because the film boasts a good cast that occasionally leads to some winning individual moments. As a whole though, the script doesn’t quite gel.
The film centers on David Strathairn as Bill Brass, a family man in Winston-Salem North Carolina. In the early scenes we see the strong bond he has with his daughter-in-law Tammy, played by Jane Levy. Whenever they are together there is warmth and a clear connection made all the more strong by their fascination with an unseen woman who sings hymns in the distance early each morning. Their love of hearing this voice stands in contrast to Bill’s wife Venida, played by Celia Weston, who finds the singing annoying and bothersome. Then there’s Tammy’s husband David (Will Pullen) who appears to be having an affair at the same time Tammy is trying to get pregnant. Also entering like a hurricane are the Brass’s daughter Patti (Anna Camp) and her own little one Hadley who decide to move back into the family home due to Patti’s own marital issues.
One might read all of this and think it sounds like a big daytime soap opera. I don’t think it comes across that way on film but the elements are definitely there. Angus MacLachlan is best known for his script to the 2005 film Junebug that earned Amy Adams her first of many Oscar nominations. That film also featured some lively southern characters embroiled in its own family issues.
Since the narrative primarily takes the point of view of Bill, we only really see what he sees and understand what he understands. As such, the characters’ individual stories get a bit short changed. Why, for instance, is David cheating on Tammy? Why does little Hadley not speak? In fact, much of the script is overloaded with storylines that are never fully developed. There’s a storyline involving Bill’s buddies from Vietnam. There’s an allusion to PTSD there but it’s not ever emphasized. Similarly, there is an abortion sub-plot involving Tammy that feels significant to the film but seems to get brushed aside more than it needs to be. (Jane Levy is very good in many of these scenes however.)
As such, this is an ensemble film with an array of characters that doesn’t really amount to much. The best I can say is that the focus on Bill’s knowledge, or the lack thereof, is generally well expressed. He fears he might have been a bad father given the situation his adult children are in. He’s by far the caretaker more than Vedina is and has a warmth and empathy we often don’t typically see in these southern family stories.
In the end, this isn’t really a bad film just one that doesn’t live up to anything particularly unifying or memorable.
A Little Prayer premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. It’s taken this long to finally get a release. It opens today in select theaters including the Music Box in Chicago.