The novelty of seeing Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan reunite again on the big screen is fun but fleeting in Ithaca, a schmaltzy period drama that marks the latter’s directorial debut.
Based on William Saroyan’s novel The Human Comedy, it’s a mildly poignant examination of the psychological effects of war on families and small towns on the home front, although the heavy-handed execution diminishes its emotional impact.
The story takes place during World War II in California, where teenage Homer (Alex Neustaedter) takes a part-time job as a bicycle messenger, delivering for an alcoholic telegraph operator (Sam Shepard) who nevertheless becomes a mentor. Ryan plays his widowed mother (with Hanks in a cameo role), who seems withdrawn after losing her husband, especially with Homer’s older brother (played by Jack Quaid, Ryan’s real-life son) away in combat.
Despite his enthusiasm, the job starts to wear on Homer once he realizes his primary function is to deliver casualty notices to families from the Department of War, and he becomes increasingly worried that such news might hit too close to home.
Ryan demonstrates some confidence behind the camera, although the wholesome screenplay by Erik Jendresen (Killing Lincoln) doesn’t give her much to work with. Despite an evocative wartime backdrop that conveys a heartfelt small-town charm, much of the dialogue feels earnest and forced. “Do you think the world will be a better place after the war?” his boss rhetorically asks Homer.
At its core, the film is a coming-of-age story about the clash between childhood innocence and the horrors of war. It’s also a tribute to military sacrifice and heroism that’s mildly poignant but could use more restraint to avoid wallowing in sentimentality.
While Neustaedter (TV’s “Colony”) makes Homer’s wide-eyed charisma endearing and Shepard lends his scenes a certain level of gravitas, the didactic narration aggressively pushes its pearls of wisdom beyond all credibility.
The source material, written in the 1940s, drew inspiration from Homer’s Odyssey and was more relevant to its time. This muddled adaptation too often feels like it’s moving in slow motion and suggests the material might have worked best as a short, despite its star power.
