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6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Expert remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like movies that feel like a dusty afternoon in a front parlor, sure. You’ll probably enjoy this if you have a soft spot for sentimental, old-school dramas that don't mind moving at a glacial pace. If you need a plot that moves or characters who aren't constantly sighing at each other, you’ll hate it. It’s definitely not for the impatient crowd.
The whole thing feels like one of those plays you’d see at a community center, just captured on film. Chic Sale plays the grandfather with this specific kind of weary, hang-dog expression that makes you want to give him a sandwich and tell him it’s going to be okay.
The city scenes have this weird, empty feeling to them. Like everyone was told to stop moving the second the camera started rolling. It’s distracting, but in a way that actually adds to the loneliness of the main character.
There’s this moment where he’s just sitting on a park bench, and the silence goes on for about ten seconds too long. It feels awkward, like the director forgot to yell 'cut' or the film reel got stuck. I actually kind of liked that bit of clumsiness.
I wasn't sure about the orphan angle at first. It felt a bit like a The Fox and the Crow setup where everything is a little too clean. But Dickie Moore is surprisingly sharp here.
His scenes with the grandfather are the only parts where the movie actually breathes. When the step-father shows up, though, the whole thing tilts into melodrama. It’s like the movie suddenly remembered it needed a villain to keep the plot from dissolving into thin air.
The ending isn't as tidy as you’d expect from this kind of story. It just sort of stops, which I appreciated. It didn't try to wrap everything up with a bow, unlike some other stuff I've seen lately like The Half-Naked Truth. It’s flawed, it’s sleepy, and it’s honestly a bit of a relic. But there's something honest about how much it highlights the annoyance of being old in a house that doesn't want you there. 👴🏠
