Eric LaRue 2025 Movie Review
It is not surprising that we have experienced more than a few movies about school shootings and school shooters. In our country, this is a true epidemic. After all, every day 12 children die from gun violence in the United States, and 32 more are injured. Hollywood has certainly picked up on this trend, as seen in films like Elephant, We Need To Talk About Kevin, Mass, and Vox Lux; just to name a few. Given that this topic has been covered, and covered well by many of these films, it is important for movies tackling this now to have a fresh perspective. In many cases, it helps to have an experienced director at the helm. Unfortunately, Eric LaRue has neither of these in its favor.
Eric LaRue, based on a play written by screenwriter Brett Neveu, never shows us the bloodshed. Instead, it focuses on the aftermath of three students dying at the hands of a school shooter, mostly as experienced by family members. Janice LaRue (Judy Greer), the titular shooter’s mother is, understandably, having an extremely difficult time functioning in the world after the horrific events. Her relationship with her husband, Ron (Alexander Skarsgård), her work, and even her faith are all impacted negatively. For most of the film, she appears to be sleepwalking through her days, merely putting one foot in front of another to avoid truly engaging.
The film has a secret weapon that makes it just watchable enough. The secret weapon has been available to so many filmmakers and they have never taken advantage. Judy Greer is a powerhouse of an actor and has really not been given enough real opportunities to showcase that talent. Greer’s silence speaks volumes and, as her character slowly unravels, she lets the audience in, and the results of this are fascinating. Unfortunately, Shannon and Neveu do not seem comfortable with setting a serious tone for the film to follow. The script quickly loses its way as it leans in on Ron and his burgeoning flirtation with a parishioner at his new church, Lisa (Alison Pill). Skarsgård’s unassuming, bordering on goofy, performance is deeply out of place. While it does serve the purpose of separating Janice and Ron emotionally, it all feels just a bit silly. Skarsgård’s height and presence do not help matters as he comes off as more imbecilic, rather than pained and lost.
The drastic shifts in tone, especially the comedic moments, are more uncomfortable than clever. There is a rather large subplot featuring faith and this could be a promising addition, had it been explored in interesting ways. Instead, it features Janice being convinced to meet with her pastor, Steve Calhan (Paul Sparks), who, in turn, wants her to meet with the three mothers of the children that her own child shot and killed. Sparks seems out of his depth when faced with Greer. This is especially true when the meeting with three of the four mothers does take place. The script feels like it is constantly searching for a way out and, just as this scene picks up steam, it abruptly ends. On the other side of the faith aisle, Ron’s move to another church does offer us a few scenes with his engaging preacher, Bill Verne (a perfect Tracy Letts). But again, these moments are too brief and serve very little purpose.
The whole film builds to a very particular climax and it mostly works. Unfortunately, the journey is arduous and slow. Shannon’s inexperience behind the camera shows in both the slipping tone and pace of Eric LaRue. There are a handful of powerful, impactful moments, but it is simply never enough. If a viewer has a great deal of patience, Judy Greer will reward that restraint with a character arc worth watching. It is just a shame that she is not surrounded by a better film that would lift her up even higher.
