Where’d You Go, Bernadette

There’s no question mark in the title of “Where’d You Go, Bernadette” (2019) and yet it’s asking us all something very important. What’s the difference between eccentric and crazy? The answer is a little too pat – the eccentric must be productively creative to keep from becoming menacingly crazy – and awkwardly told. We’re dealing with a rather serious issue and yet there’s a lot of uncomfortably wacky hijinks pitting protagonist Cate Blanchett against neighborhood ubermom Kristin Wiig. And some of the dialogue is a little over-the-top, even for a crazy person. And there’s an I-can’t-quite-place-it unlikability about Blanchett’s husband, Billy Crudup.

21

I’ve gambled and won regularly (basketball, football), broke even (scratch off tickets) and gone from way up to busted (casino). I’m no high roller, but I’ve learned that to win big, you have to wager an amount that is uncomfortable to most people. Interestingly, being uncomfortable gives you a rush when you win AND lose, and a strange, incomplete feeling when you stop. “21,” the 2008 story of MIT kids that break the Las Vegas blackjack tables, is quite a thrill ride. But even though the inventive plot ties up all the loose ends, it’s still strangely unsatisfying. Ironic, huh?