Last week I was able to watch an sneak preview of the movie Mighty Fine through Mom Central. Mighty Fine is an independent film directed and written by Debbie Goodstein. Debbie Goodstein uses memories of her childhood in the storyline, her father had anger issues and everyday was a rollercoaster. Mighty Fine portrays the life of the Fine family, Joe Fine, the father, who is played by Chazz Palminteri moves his family from New York to a huge house in New Orleans. He seems caring and loving but as the movie progresses his anger shows. Joe’s actions clearly show that abuse doesn’t need to be physical to cause harm, this movie portrays the harm that can from from emotional abuse.
Joe spoils his family to make up for his anger issues and depression but things keep getting worse and worse. Although he loves his family, he has underlying mental issues which causes rage. His oldest daughter Maddie (played by Rainey Qualley) starts to stand up for herself, she feels that it is her duty to protect her mom Stella (played by Andie MacDowell), and younger sister. Natalie (played by Jodelle Ferland) is the youngest daughter, she is more quiet and turns to poetry to help her express her feelings and emotions.
Throughout the movie I was on my toes wondering what would happen next, what Joe Fine would do the next time he got angry and if his wife would ever have the strength and courage to seek safety for herself and her daughters. The scenes from the movie can hit close to home especially if you have experienced anger or mental health issues, and left me emotional at times.
I highly recommend seeing Mighty Fine when it premiers in select theaters on May 25, Chazz Palminteri as well as Andie MacDowell, Jodelle Ferland and Rainey Qualley did a great job acting and portraying the characters, I would have never guessed that this was Rainey Qualley’s first film. Mighty Fine gives hope and shows that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and things can get better.
At the end of the sneak preview, I was able to chat with Chazz Palminteri and Rainey Qualley. Chazz and Rainey responded via webcam to questions that they were asked. It was interesting to see how Chazz prepared for the film and how he researched mental illness to better understand his character and to make sure he portrayed the character correctly. Through the chat I was surprised to learn that Andie MacDowell (Stella) is actually Rainey Qualley’s (Maddie) mother in real life.
You can view a list of select theaters on the Mighty Fine website and can also connect with Mighty Fine on Facebook.
Disclosure: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Mighty Fine and the distributor. I received access to an online showing of the film and a promotional item to thank me for participating.
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