Review: ‘The Hollars’: Domestic Meltdowns in Middle America

Too much happens too quickly in “The Hollars” for the story to be credible, but the film has some likable qualities, among them the fun of seeing actors in unexpected roles.

The movie is directed by John Krasinskiof “The Office,” who also plays John Hollar, an unsuccessful illustrator in New York. John returns to his tiny Middle American hometown when his mother, Sally (Margo Martindale), falls ill.

The village is an epicenter of personal crises. John’s brother, Ron (Sharlto Copley), hasn’t gotten over his divorce and is essentially stalking his ex-wife and their two daughters. The family patriarch (Richard Jenkins), whose wife’s medical problems have made him an emotional wreck, is a financial wreck as well. Oh, and John’s girlfriend back in New York (Anna Kendrick) is exceedingly pregnant.

The swirl of anxiety plays out too patly in Jim Strouse’s script, but the performers, especially Ms. Martindale and the jittery Mr. Copley, keep it enjoyable, even touching at times. And who’s that playing the youth preacher who has become the new romantic interest of Ron’s ex-wife? Why it’s Josh Groban. Is that Charlie Day of “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” portraying the nurse assigned to Sally? It is. Mary Elizabeth Winstead of the nutty summer series “BrainDead” also turns up. The movie, Mr. Krasinski’s second