Review: Pedro Pascal plays a cellist adrift in Tony Gilroy’s fun but unresolved ‘Behemoth!’

Best known for his screenplay work in big action and sci-fi films and TV shows like the “Bourne” series, “Andor” and “Rogue One,” Tony Gilroy takes a stab at a midlife crisis story in “Behemoth!” with mixed results as both writer and director.

On the plus side is an excellent cast led by the ever-likable (and seemingly omnipresent) Pedro Pascal as Alex Serian — a professional cellist, serial rake and aimless soul looking for meaning as he navigates his 50s. Alex swaps orchestras and film-scoring gigs as often as he does girlfriends, but the fallout from one such union forces him to confront his identity and purpose by the end of the film.

Despite being billed as a drama, “Behemoth!” often feels more like a comedy as Alex navigates a rocky landscape of characters and situations. His chief antagonist is the wife of an ultra-wealthy orchestra donor he jilted, who pursues him throughout the film. This is a mega-entitled, clueless Olivia Wilde in a ridiculous but very funny series of scenes where she tries to get him back through bribery and bullying.

As Alex’s brother Andy, Will Arnett brings his signature humor but also a bit of grounding as a struggling musician/podcaster trying to navigate the looming death of their mother (JoBeth Williams). These are some of the best scenes in the film, as Alex sees himself reflected in a brother he doesn’t respect but who may not look all that different from himself.

There are also some very funny bits by Hank Azaria as the late father, appearing on videos recorded decades earlier where he harangues his sons in sardonic but loving fashion. And in a seemingly rare example of real “adulting,” Alex tutors a young cellist (Kaya Ralls) for an audition with genuine skill he’s acquired from decades playing.

Pascal did a crash course in playing cello for the role, and it shows. There’s no way he could have faked all that playing and, at least to my untrained eye, he looks legit.

 

 

An action-y drama

Gilroy’s action-film chops add an intriguing element of motion to the kind of dialogue-heavy film that would typically be pretty static. His script is comprised of a great many scenes that are chopped up and reorganized in a jumbled chronological order. To keep up, you’ve got to pay attention to the amount of gray in Alex’s beard and the name of the orchestra to set the character in time and place.

The score-heavy film also provides plenty of opportunity to juxtapose the action on screen with the scores Alex is working on in L.A. That in itself provides both comic and portentous moments, as the score is often mismatched or over-the-top. Sound designer David Acord does strong work putting it all together, and he spoke about it in a conversation after the screening Oct. 24. (Read the Q&A here.)

While that’s interesting to watch and hear, the lack of a true story arc ultimately undermines the film. Alex runs and runs, literally and figuratively, but never seems to get anywhere different. He may have a new take on life when he discovers something momentous later in the film, but he doesn’t act on it and ends up leaving L.A. for another gig in Vienna. With the film ending there, we never know whether he changed at all or what all that action ultimately meant.

That lack of resolution is perhaps entirely realistic for many, but a story demands more and “Behemoth!” — while fun to watch — never quite delivers.