PalCinema Review: Eric LaRue
A community deals with the aftermath of school shootings
April 4, 2025
FILM: ERIC LARUE
DIRECTED BY: MICHAEL SHANNON
STARRING: JUDY GREER, PAUL SPARKS, ALEXANDER SKARSGARD
RATING: 3 ½ out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
There’s an unfortunate reason why films like Eric LaRue need to exist: school shootings continue to effect multiple lives every year. Based on a play by Brett Neveu, the film takes it own unique angle on the aftermath of one of those tragic situations. The story is centered around Janice LaRue, played by Judy Greer, who appears to be alone in her suffering after her son Eric killed three of his classmates. When we first see her, she looks drawn and tired with little affect. As the film goes on, we see the small steps she takes to make sense of it all. She’s also dealing with her husband Ron, played by Alexander Skarsgard, religious leaders, employers, and the women who lost their sons due to Eric’s heinous crime. It’s an interesting, well-acted, and well-written film that doesn’t take sides but also doesn’t hold back in sharing various people’s perspectives on their paths to recovery.
Eric LaRue was directed by Oscar-nominated actor Michael Shannon and while at times the pacing is a bit slow, he manages to open what could have been a very stagey film adaptation to one which breathes with a diversity of visual and emotional shifts. While there are allusions made to the easy availability of guns and school bullying, the primary focus is on people finding their own needed paths to recover from what has happened. As such, the role of religion is the biggest target for scrutiny here.
Ron has been taken under the wing of a Church of Redeemers which promises that Jesus is everywhere and will heal all those that have suffered due to the murders. He’s a vulnerable character to begin with and is easily influenced by the leader of the church, played by Tracy Letts. However, Ron’s path isn’t in line with what Janice seems to need. She has been a member of a Presbyterian church that takes a much different approach. The pastor, played by Paul Sparks, is a bit off center as he encourages Janice to meet with the three mothers who lost their sons to Eric’s guns. He wants them to talk it out. The problem is that his counseling approach isn’t very well thought-out. He’s earnest and well-meaning but a bit scattered in his planning and technique.
Both Ron and Janice’s separate paths run counter to each other from a religious perspective. Neither is perfect. Ron and the other congregation members seem to be getting a lot out of it. One of the victim’s mother’s (played by a wonderful Jennifer Engstrom) has no interest in the sessions being run by Janice’s pastor. She’s completely at one with her Redeemers and looks forward to seeing her son in the next life. This approach also works for Ron who believes Jesus will take away all burdens. However, Janice exclaims, “But I want my burdens!” She wants to deal with her pain and rage while Ron and the others feel contented by the easy answers and immediate relief given to them by the church.
The main point here is that everyone must find their own paths towards dealing with the inner turmoil associated with the murders. Even Eric, who shows up later in an extended prison scene, has created his own rationale for what happened and is working with a therapist to accept what he has done. The problem is that the people on each of these sides don’t seem interested in hearing what the others are saying. Each is staying in their own lane. Can they or should they come together? The film doesn’t judge or try to answer that but rather recognizes that what works for one person may not work for another.
The cast is uniformly good from top to bottom. Judy Greer is always a delight to watch on screen. She’s been a relatable presence on screen since Spike Jonze’s Adaptation in the early 2000s. Here she works internally but when Janice reaches a boiling point, she lets out her anger and frustration in ways that are beautifully built and modulated.
Paul Sparks, who some might remember from a very different, Emmy-nominated role on the series House of Cards is wonderfully light as the Pastor. His nervousness and vulnerability are nicely contrasted with his good hearted and helpful nature. Alexander Skarsgard also commits to the character Ron who possesses an uncertain but determined soul trying to latch onto his new spiritual path.
All of this is to say that Michael Shannon, being the great actor that he is, has chosen a terrific cast and directed them to balance the varying needs of each character, letting them loose but always in line with what’s right for their complex characters.
Eric LaRue opens theatrically today.
What are your thoughts about seeing this film?
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Sounds interesting. I agree that with more school shootings it is important to highlight these issues. Jodi Piccoult wrote a great book called Nineteen minutes about a school shooting that I would recommend.
The parents of the victims tend to get the most media attention; those of the shooters are often ignored and dismissed. This is an objective correction to that.