Rating of
3/4
The Florida Project
Leslie - wrote on 06/20/18
Willem Dafoe is the glue that holds all of the other pieces together in "The Florida Project." Without Dafoe, who plays the even-keeled motel manager Bobby Hicks, this cinema verité styled film would disintegrate into loosely tied together improvisational scenes featuring non professional and first time actors. Dafoe is at his best when his character struggles to manage the moral dilemmas he’s presented at the hands of the guests of his "Magic Castle Motel," most of which are more like permanent residents. At times he is a strict disciplinarian and rule enforcer. At other times he is a playful and compassionate guardian. Waiting to see which part of Bobby’s personality emerges in the middle of any of his many guests’ crises proves to be just as nail bitingly anxious as the unraveling of their eventual fates.
