Screenshot from "Dear Zoe" as featured image. Reviewed by Jan Hardy, Library Specialist.
Dear Zoe (DVD-8472)
Sadie Sink, Theo Rossi, Jessica Capshaw (2022)
(Rated R) Adapted from Pittsburgh author Philip Beard’s novel, the movie “Dear Zoey” jumps in without much explanation, so I’ll help you out. Tess (Sadie Sink, of Netflix’s “Stranger Things”) lives in the suburbs with her mom Elly (Jessica Capshaw), her stepdad and her two younger stepsisters, Zoe and Emily. Tess’ biological father Nick (Theo Rossi) is a charming but financially challenged guy who Tess’ mom loved, but left for a better life with hardworking, more successful David (Justin Bartha).
On the morning of 9/11, Tess was playing outside with her baby sister Zoe when she was distracted by her mom’s cry of alarm from inside the house. Tess and Elly watched the news in horror, and we find out later that Zoe ran into the street and was hit by a car. This kind of unimaginable grief is hard to portray on screen, but the movie convincingly shows Tess’ overwhelming guilt and her family’s heartbreak. Working with a therapist, they all try to keep journals; Tess’ surviving little sister Emily (Vivien Lyra Blair) encourages her to write and draw, while Tess’ mom acts out a bit, weirdly flirting with the grocery boy. I guess we all have our own ways of grieving, but … Tess sees that and takes off to live with her dad in Braddock (cue shots of smoky factories).
Nick decorates his shabby little home with lots of Penguins, Steelers and Pirates paraphernalia. I’m waiting for a filmed-in-Pittsburgh movie to feature an actual Pittsburgh accent, which Nick does not have, but I was delighted to hear him say “red up your room” and “neb nose.” Kweku Collins plays Nick’s neighbor Jimmy, at first annoying Tess with his music but then mesmerizing her with his humor, his attentions and his weed. They become closer in a sweet friendship that grows into romance. Tess gets a job at Kennywood, and Jimmy shows her the best rides and quiet places. As a love interest with his own complications, Collins brings a natural ease to his role. Kennywood at night makes a spectacular, sparkling background. In fact, “Dear Zoe” shows Pittsburgh to its best advantage, including the rivers, bridges, and the Strip District, with a nod to our famous Primanti’s.
Nick is a protective father, warning Tess against Jimmy, but he has his own small-time weed dealing business that eventually gets him in trouble. All the drama leads to another crisis that brings the family together. Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Trib says “Dear Zoe” is a “pleasant, heart-warming movie that, while about grief, doesn’t succumb to it.” I’m usually allergic to teen angst and rebellion, but I was carried along by Sink’s portrayal of a teen who “needed a little distance to feel something that wasn’t sadness or anger.”
Tess’ illustrated notebook is shown at the very end, and I wished for more shots of her drawings and prose; possibly those are available in Beard’s novel. Also at the end, during the credits, we see the cast playing around in full Steeler regalia outside Heinz Field, Jessica Capshaw awkwardly twirling a Terrible Towel. Don’t worry, she’s more convincing as a mom than a Steelers fan. And after the tragedy in the movie, it’s a relief to see all the actors relaxing with each other.