Clevercell Very disappointing...

Crwthod A lot more amusing than I thought it would be.

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Voxitype Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

smash016 While she's struggling with her lines in some scenes, Stewart pulls it off and is certainly expertly cast. I can't imagine what 18-year-old would've been a better candidate for the role of runaway stripper Mallory. Something about that gritty face, that strikingly unglamorous attitude, that hint of tomboyism in her looks, voice, and mannerisms, that works like magic.She drapes her character with subtle neurotic tendencies and seemingly improvised facial expressions, and when she lets loose, there's no stopping her. The amount of profanity borders on being intolerable, but is brought with such convincing teenage angst that it avoids turning cheap.The pace of the film is relaxed without getting tardy, although I did get the impression you only get to really know the characters when the story draws to a close, as if you're watching a pilot episode.The epilogue disappoints doubly as it presents a somewhat forced positive outlook, something the film is in no need of. While it is clear how plot events might have served as a catalyst for improvement in the lives of troubled married couple Gandolfini and Leo, Stewart changes from self-destructive hooker to neat schoolgirl, from one scene to the next, and nothing lingers to explain any bit of that transformation.I read that director Jake Scott didn't inherit every one of his father's movie genes, but there are similarities that shouldn't go unnoticed: here we have a plot that falls short when evaluated critically, especially in terms of credibility and logical sense, yet I found its aesthetic presentation, acting performances, and profuse melancholy too addictive to even want to think about the story anymore... a liberating experience I've come to love about most of Ridley's movies, anyway.

Ed-Shullivan The story line has been done many times before but James Gandolfini always brings more to the table than most other actors can and this is no exception. It does not take the audience long to realize that Doug Riley (played by James Gandolfini) and his wife Lois Riley (played by Melissa Leo) have been grieving for a few years over the loss of their daughters life.Doug seems to be a lost soul and a shell of the man he once was before his daughter died. Lois is struggling with her depression and coping with pills and hiding in her home 24 hours a day. Doug is on his way to New Orleans for a business convention when he innocently runs in to a teenage stripper/prostitute named Molly/Allison (played by Kristen Stewart).Doug takes it upon himself to stick around New Orleans after the convention comes to a close and see if he can help Molly realize that her way of life can be changed. Doug is not looking for anything in return, only redemption for losing his daughter. Once Doug's wife gets the phone call from Doug that he is staying in New Orleans for awhile she is determined to break her self imposed entrapment and so Lois begins her long journey from her confined home in Indianapolis to New Orleans to meet Doug and the person who appears to be keeping Doug in New Orleans.The three main characters do meet and there is no end of drama with young Molly still trying to make a living as a stripper/prostitute and living in a run down row house owned by a perverted landlord. Eventually Doug and Lois realize that they are at a crossroad with Molly and that they have to let go of their own ideals for Molly and accept the fact that Molly/Allison needs to come to her own life decisions.Doug eventually gets that dreaded phone call from Molly a few weeks later and as I don't like to give away the ending I can say that Doug did have some level of influence on Molly and she thanks Doug for his and Lois's love and support. If there were more men and women like the Rileys, the world would in fact be a much more caring and loving place to live and grow.Gandolfini's screen appearances are limited due to his untimely and premature death in 2013 by a heart attack. He commands the big screen and so this is a picture worth seeing if for nothing other than to see a man in turmoil cope with his grief for his daughter by how he goes about helping others. I rate the film a strong 6 out of 10.

sddavis63 It's a tough balancing act - trying to be both sad and hopeful at the same time. "Welcome To The Rileys" tries to pull that tough balancing act off - and for the most parts it succeeds admirably. It's about troubled people and the tentative relationships they have with one another. James Gandolfini and Melissa Leo are the Rileys - Doug and Lois. Several years before the events of this movie their 15 year old daughter Emily (their only child) was killed in a car accident. They've never really been able to put the pieces back together. Their life is empty and shallow; their relationship is practically non-existent. Lois is heavily medicated and can't even leave the house; Doug goes from work to his weekly poker game and has managed to develop a relationship with a local waitress on the side. Then she dies suddenly and unexpectedly, and Doug just wants out. At a convention in New Orleans, he meets Mallory (or Allison), played by Kristen Stewart. Mallory is a teen stripper and hooker, and she reminds Doug of Emily. He bonds with her (as far as that's possible) and takes care of her, while at the same time telling Lois that he's not coming home. Meanwhile, Lois finally decides she wants Doug back and travels to New Orleans. The three of them cautiously try to make this unusual relationship work.A big part of me looked at this with suspicious eyes - it's really not that believable. I'd love to believe that there are wonderful men out there just looking for an opportunity to help a teen prostitute without taking advantage of them. Unfortunately, the relationship between Mallory and Doug wasn't believable to me, and that was the biggest weakness of the movie. I understand that everyone in this is hurt and hurting, and maybe I can see hurting people latching on to each other, but I just didn't buy the relationship. I couldn't be Doug. I could see myself wanting to help a teen prostitute get her life together, but I couldn't see myself moving in with her and taking care of her, all the while watching her go off on her various "dates." That would drive me crazy. Doug's either a better man than I am or he's just an unrealistic character. I tend to think the latter.Having said that, I was able to get around my disbelief by simply watching the story and the characters. It's interesting; they're interesting. The performances from those three leads are very good, and you have an interesting mix of emotions as you watch this relationship evolve. You root for everyone. You want things to work out. In the back of your mind, you kind of hope that Mallory goes to Indianapolis with Doug and Lois, lives with them, becomes a second daughter to them and everyone lives happily ever after. On the other hand, you really don't want that because it would be too much of a fairy tale. The movie does well to avoid the fairy tale.Eventually, Mallory runs away, and as desperate as Doug is to save her, he's finally brought back to earth by Lois's gentle reminder: "Doug, she's not Emily." No. She's not. The movie ends on something of an ambiguous note. Doug and Lois go home, Mallory heads off to Vegas to continue her "career." They maintain contact, but how things will work out in the end for any of them is left very much as an open question. I liked that ambiguous ending. It was very much in keeping with a movie whose credibility stretched the limits a bit."Welcome To The Rileys" is a slow-paced movie; a very human drama. It doesn't unfold quickly. For all that (and for the overall air of unreality) I have to say (somewhat to my surprise) that I really enjoyed watching it. In its own way it's very moving to watch people who need help and people who want help trying to help each other, but not really being able to break through the barriers that a lifetime of troubles have erected. (8/10)

Mike B This movie has some fine performances and a worthwhile story. Its basically a collision of two worlds. A long-married couple (edging on 30 years) has been going through a crisis in their relationship, part of which was caused by the death of their daughter several years before. We find this out at the beginning of the movie, where we are somewhat mislead to believe that we are in for a long and troubled relationship type film - equating a morbid and depressing cinematic experience.After this "introduction" the husband leaves for a business conference in New Orleans and the story shifts gears. In New Orleans he encounters a street-wise prostitute and befriends her – all this as a substitute for his deceased daughter. The interactions between the two (and eventually, three people, when the wife shows up) are engaging and certainly do not gloss over the lifestyle of the young hooker. It's all quite credible and with good juxtaposition between a middle-class lifestyle and the life of an "exotic dancer".This is definitely no "Hollywood Pretty Woman". It would have been easy to have a Happy Ending scenario, but the conclusion avoids that.