7/10
Good emotional guilt ridden drama. A daddy complex and daddy issues.
24 February 2011
This independent film "Welcome to the Rileys" is one when you watch you will feel gritty and touched and see that life is full of heartache, pain and it's very complex for some and the cast is an all star lineup featuring James Gandolfini, Kristen Stewart, and Melissa Leo.

Gandolfini("The Sopranos")is Doug Riley a married man who's a humble guy yet inside he's a torched soul as he stills feels the pain and sorrow of losing his teenage daughter. And Doug decides to take a business trip from Indiana to New Orleans to get away for some pondering from his sweet yet neurotic and nervous ridden wife Lois(the great Melissa Leo). And upon arriving in the big easy he meets in a club a young exotic dancer named Mallory(Kristen Stewart). And Mallory has more problems than just being a stripper she's a messed up and foul mouthed little girl who needs direction.

And ironically Doug fills the void in his heart by feeling sorry for Mallory as he ventures to her rundown apartment and slowly yet surely he takes her under his wing. Doug even starts to fix things up and stay right with her this is love attachment not of the erotic kind. It's like this guy with daddy issues has solved his complex life and bleeding heart with a new love as this takes away the pain of his lost daughter. And finally when Lois journeys down to the big easy she sees that them being with Mallory was not meant.

Overall pretty good picture of emotional attachment and love still it proves that some connections were not meant to be still if you show a troubled heart love then hope and a new journey is possible.
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