Apple TV+’s Justin Timberlake-starring film Palmer works off a tried-and-true formula: an individual badly in need of meaning and purpose finds it by caring for a child in need of a guardian. What sets this version of the story apart is that the child in question is a boy named Sam (Ryder Allen) who doesn’t conform to traditional gender norms. Yet that doesn’t stop macho ex-con Eddie Palmer (Timberlake), who is emotionally cut off after being paroled and returning home to his small Southern town, from learning to love and accept Sam exactly as he is. Yet while the characters have some interesting elements, the movie doesn’t delve too deeply into either one, skipping along the surface just enough to establish both characters’ challenges. As a result, Palmer keeps things square and expected, even though the relationship established between Palmer and Sam still manages to tug at the heartstrings.
The film starts with the taciturn Palmer arriving at his grandmother Vivian’s (June Squibb) house after a 12-year stint in prison. While he attempts to reacquaint himself with the friends he left behind, their lives have moved on with marriages and kids while his has stood still. Plus, he has trouble finding a job due to his felon status until he finally manages to talk his way into a janitor position at the local elementary school.
Meanwhile, 8-year-old Sam lives with his mother Shelly (Juno Temple), in the trailer next door to Palmer's grandmother’s house, but it seems Vivian spends more time caring for the boy than drug-addled Shelly, who has a habit of taking off for weeks at a time. When Shelly abandons Sam again and he moves into Vivian's house, the boy takes a liking to Palmer even though Palmer is clearly skeptical of Sam’s embrace of all things pink and princessy. Still, Sam is unphased by Palmer's detached demeanor, and when Palmer points out that boys don’t like dolls, he innocently responds that he’s a boy and he does. Palmer starts to feel a kinship with Sam due to the skepticism with which the town views both of them, so when Palmer sees Sam being bullied, he rushes to his defense.
It’s clear where all of this is headed and soon Palmer has become Sam’s father figure. Yet, what’s perhaps most disappointing about the film is that it never digs into the reasons Palmer learns to accept Sam, especially given Palmer’s hyper-masculine ways and tendency to solve problems with his fists. Sam is endearing and sweet, but Palmer’s evolution seems abrupt, glossing over what could have been the most interesting part of this story. The movie similarly glosses over many of Palmer’s struggles as an ex-con. Potential problems are brought up, such as the principal at the school where Palmer works becoming suspicious of Palmer’s interest in Sam, and then dropped without further mention.
Still, the film is saved from becoming excessively sentimental by its strong performances. Timberlake is an outstanding actor but he’s never played a character quite like this. He gives Palmer a frayed emotional containment that shows its cracks in short bursts of anger, sadness or desperation. And Allen, in his first movie role, is excellent as a boy who is willing to go against the grain but can still be hurt by others’ cruel reactions. He turns in a winning performance that never becomes cloying. In addition, both June Squibb’s Vivian and Alisha Wainwright’s Maggie, Sam’s teacher who becomes involved with Palmer, are forces of love and acceptance that both the boy and the man desperately need.
Director Fisher Stevens (yes, that one) presents the story with a frankness that seems fitting for the material, even if the material plays it a little too safe to transcend its formulaic premise. Ultimately, Palmer is a movie that will only challenge those who are bound by the most rigid gender norms. For everyone else, this is predictable comfort food that at least lacks an excessive amount of schmaltz; A touching story without any real surprises.
Palmer directed by Fisher Stevens and starring Justin Timberlake, Juno Temple, Alisha Wainwright, June Squibb and Ryder Allen, premieres on Apple TV+ on Friday, Jan. 29.