My First Mister

Those among us who spend too much time combing the shelves at video stores are all looking for the same score—the little movie we neglected to check out, or never heard of, that turns out to be a revelation. This one registered first as a curiosity: What, an Albert Brooks movie released straight to video? Not quite. There’s only so much you can say about the plot without saying too much, but let’s stipulate that it’s conventional enough to outward appearances. A lonely and cautious middle-aged businessman hires an equally lonely and disaffected 17-year-old goth chick to work in his clothing store, and they become friends. You can see where the story goes, right? Maybe you can, but the telling is filled with so many unexpected touches of grace and feeling that the ride seems anything but familiar. Brooks plays the same neurotic mensch as ever, though to more measured effect, and Leelee Sobieski takes utter command of every scene she’s in. If it weren’t for the movie’s inexplicable failure to show up on Hollywood radar, she could have been up for the “little picture” Oscar as easily as Sissy Spacek or Halle Berry. And Sobieski isn’t the biggest surprise. My First Mister was directed by the longtime yeoman actress Christine Lahti, who apparently has been spending her time on the wrong side of the camera.