Tribeca Film Festival 2023 Report 2: MAGGIE MOORE(S), STAN LEE & Q

This year is definitely the year of actors making their directorial debuts! I’ve got a few that I am covering this festival and here is my first! Accompanying the crime-comedy from Mad Men star John Slattery are two documentaries: one about an iconic figure in pop culture history, and the other a new force in the documentary film world who creates a beautiful debut about family and spiritual culture.

Maggie Moore(s) (John Slattery)

Maggie Moore is dead. And, another Maggie Moore is dead. Such is the comical hi-jinx in the tune of a Fargo-esque orchestral tale. John Slattery’s directorial debut is a dark comedy-crime foray that institutes a stellar cast but suffers from a lack of steam.

Police chief Jordan Sanders (Jon Hamm) has got quite a strange conundrum. He and his deputy (Nick Mohammed) are wondering why two women with the same name have been murdered in quick succession in their small town.

As the audience is privy, the first Maggie is killed when her husband, a business owner with much bigger ambitions than their britches, Jay Moore (Micah Stock), looks to just scare her after a misunderstanding. He hires Kosco (Happy Anderson) a deaf hitman, who accidentally kills her. When Jay begins to panic and finds out there is another woman with the same name, he believes it’s a smart idea to take her out too, to keep the police confused.   

Jay and Maggie’s neighbor Rita Grace (Tina Fey), witnesses them fighting and through her testimony begins a romance with Sheriff Sanders. Despite the plateau in energy and cohesive tone, Maggie Moore(s) presents a charming set of characters that interact with a level of ease that creates a comfortable rapport. The premise is clever, and weaves together crime, a detective story, and a rom-com, with dialogue that sometimes plays it a bit too run of the mill, but remains lively. 

Slattery shows a deftness for the playful, wry nature we grew accustomed to in Mad Men. Hamm and Fey are both up for the challenge and maintain a sweet and realistic connection. Some of the best parts rely on the strength of the performances and the banter that mixes dark comedy with unexpected twists.

There are some scenes where I hoped for more of the unity the cast provided. In others, the film eludes its own intent, with palpable missteps that threaten to disentangle the previously adhered direction. The script by Paul Bernbaum shows promise and instills a mystery that one wants to solve.

Hamm is by far the standout, exercising his comedic chops and his romantic sway. The best scenes of the film have him as their anchor. While it may rest on its novelty and the embedded cohesion of its cast, that doesn’t change the fact that Maggie Moore(s) has a spark, and Slattery has a hell of a directorial future. I can’t wait to see what else he does!

Stan Lee (David Gelb)

It’d be difficult to find anyone who didn’t know the name: Stan Lee, but knowing and reliving his incredible career trajectory and the impact it’s had is another experience. David Gelb’s documentary, which goes from Lee’s birth and through his massive impression on pop culture, is both insightful and wistful.

An homage that’s narrated by the monumental figure himself, it’s fairly straightforward. It doesn’t have much of a punch but the stories and experiences speak for themselves. It felt like a guided tour by Stan Lee himself, and for that, I felt both grateful and inspired. The documentary speaks to me as if it was made for me, and that’s extraordinary stuff. 

We watch through his first jobs, early challenges, and how Marvel came to be the juggernaut that it is. As a comic and movie fan, this spoke volumes. Lee’s humble start to his star-making eventual profession is one that many of us aspire to. As we learn how he managed to traverse this landscape of comic books as a serious writer, and how he was able to make not just a name for himself but for Marvel, gives us the kind of storytelling that seems almost fictionalized.

The film, with excellent direction by Gelb, leaned into the nostalgia and sweetness more than unraveling any controversial elements. As an ode to a legend, Stan Lee was a success. I think it could have benefited from a longer and deeper look, rather than a mostly surface-level glance. However, I was still glued to the screen.

As someone who thought of themselves as quite educated in his life, I learned a lot. Stan Lee is a monument to the man and the legacy left behind: full of sentiment and aspiring notes for future artists.

Q (Jude Chehab)

“Love is very very dangerous.”

A mother’s devotion, a daughter’s quest for understanding.

In Q, a documentary by Jude Chehab, a peer into a secretive life is displayed. One that is both pivotal and shrouded in questions, as Chehab takes a look inside her own family history and searches for understanding. As part of an Al-Qubaysiyat Sisterhood in Lebanon, Chehab seeks the answers to her mother’s experiences.

From the perspective of her mother Hiba or her husband Ziad, there’s little known in regard to Hiba’s faith. It’s distinguished early on that this spiritual connection that Ziad seeks and holds is one of intense devotion. Sometimes, even, above family. 

There is an ominous score that often tickles at something darker. There are a lot of discussions on the concepts of love and the notion that love can be consuming. It’s shown, sometimes in fleeting frames, or from the family’s internal discourse. It’s a story I haven’t heard before, and one adamant to get out and be seen. I was hooked. 

I can only imagine how difficult this subject was to cover. The earnest discovery of a daughter searching through the clues is an honest and intense journey that looks at human nature and familial understanding. As someone who wears many hats, Jude Chehab has a skill with the camera and an appreciation for the nuances of the moment.

It is a very intimate encapsulation of three generations of women. Her grandmother and her mother were both involved in this organization and their stories are each educational and mysterious. From poetry readings to tales of people being pushed away, there is a wide array of emotions and they all hit. While the fissures aren’t fully explored there is an innate sense of discovery as we take this plunge with her.

It’s an intriguing dive into spirituality and the effect it can have on those we love. Faith can oversee even family, and it’s a complex and individual journey that makes for a compelling story. That, with the imagery and excellent cinematography, makes for a uniquely personalized visage.

I found the film to be an emotional odyssey that was enhanced by an unrelenting score. It is filmed simplistically but effectively. Jude’s initiative and her mother’s openness deliver us entry into a private world with a sense of grace. Her deft hand guides the film with a sense of love and sorrow, and an exploration of dynamics that are hard to capture, let alone convey.

This was a film that stuck with me, that made me want more and made me feel like I was party to a private conversation, a whisper of truth. It was contemplative; an invitation. Q is a multilayered and intimate directorial debut that provides some intriguing insight and shows a skilled prowess.

All three films premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival.