It's the late 70's Long Island. Lyme disease is a new discovery. Scott Bartlett (Rory Culkin) lives with his father Mickey (Alec Baldwin) and Brenda (Jill Hennessy). He longs for his best friend Adrianna Bragg (Emma Roberts). She lives with her parents Charlie (Timothy Hutton) and Melissa (Cynthia Nixon). Jobless Charlie suffers from Lyme disease and is hiding in the basement. Melissa and Mickey are struggling to sell his real estate project called Bartlettown. Scott is picked on by the school bully. Scott's volatile older brother Jimmy (Kieran Culkin) comes home from the Army and beats up the bully for him.It's a well-acted indie of familiar suburban family dysfunction. The Culkin brothers are terrific. Emma Roberts is compelling. The adults in the movie don't take a backseat to the kids. There isn't anything completely new but it is done confidently. This movie needs some explosiveness to get to the next level.

A movie that was well directed and really hits home for a lot of people. This movie was well thought out and researched. I was very pleased at the story line and the acting. I thought it was just going to be a story about Lyme disease, but instead it was a window into what happens when a father forgets what it really means to be a father. Alec Baldwin is perfect for the father character and so is Emma Roberts. She shows that she has only grown with her acting career. She is totally in character and quite believable. The setting for the movie makes even that much more believable as far as what can happen in any family. Thank you for putting together one of the better movies I have seen this year.

Scott is your average dork. He adores Star Wars. He also gets picked on a lot at school — something his older brother, Jimmy (played by Rory's real life older brother, Kieran) took care of before he went into the Army. His father, Mickey (Alec Baldwin, who co-produced), has big dreams of cashing in on the great American Suburbia boom — so much so, that he has all but alienated Scott's mother, Brenda (Jill Hennessey). This has taken Brenda's motherly paranoia up a notch, to the point where she seals Scott's pant legs and sleeves up with duct tape so he won't contract Lyme Disease. As if that wasn't bad enough, the Bragg's daughter, Adrianna (Emma Roberts), has found herself at that odd period in life where she is starting her transformation into womanhood — a transformation that has engulfed Scott's interest completely. Further complications arise as Charlie's illness worsens, and Mickey and Melissa's work relationship takes a downward spiral. Yes, it's a turbulent world — especially for poor Scott, who's having a hard enough time trying to find his place to begin with. In short, Lymelife delivers. The movie has a very honest and frank feel to it, taking you back to those awkward years of your own youth. The cast (even the younger ones) turn in some fine performances, and writer/director Martini assembles the whole piece magnificently.

This film is about a troubled suburban family. The couple's marriage is disintegrating, and the two sons use different ways to cope with what they experience."Lymelife" has interesting characters. I think Timothy Hutton gives the best performance in this film. Even though his role consists of only a few speaking parts, he is very memorable as a depressed man filled with anger and wrath. The interaction between Emma Roberts and Rory Culkin is also very good. The way their relationship blossom is satisfying and engaging. In addition, Kieran Culkin's speech to his brother outside the pub serves as an emotional high point in the film. The only slight complaint I have is the slow pacing, otherwise it is a moderately engaging look at a troubled suburban family.