America’s small towns take another cinematic beating in Jay Alaimo’s film — the story of Roger (Vincent D’Onofrio), a low-level bank manager with a venal, coke-snorting young boss (Jordan Belfi). Roger is being pushed up the ladder, rung by rung, by his harridan wife Georgie (Kyra Sedgwick). Also milling around are Ryan Donowho as the couple’s sweet, Asperger-ish son, and Flora Cross as the sullen adolescent daughter.
Then there’s a tennis instructor, a corrupt homebuilder, the daughter’s conniving girlfriend — it may be a small town, but this is an overpopulated movie.
So it’s not a good movie, and yet there are persistent good bits. It’s shot in 16mm, which makes colors pop prettily, and occasionally there’s a snappy line, a look of genuine tragedy on Donowho’s face, or D’Onofrio’s lovely, sleepy voice. But it’s all servicing a plot about what matters in life, money or family, and it’s too much to hope the fadeout will be, “Oh, what the heck, it’s money.”
“Chlorine” isn’t pared-down enough for real ruthlessness, and it settles for sour instead.