Welcome back for another edition of A Second Look with Jeff Stockton! In this segment I will take a "second look" at a past LRF release with a fresh set of eyes.
With director Jason Reitman's latest directorial effort for the studio, Punch Buggy, due out this round, I decided to take a look at his first film for LRF.... Maple Leaf. When Maple Leaf first hit theaters 26 seasons ago, I came away feeling mostly impressed. The offbeat blend of crime and comedy felt fresh enough, and the central trio of Billy Bob Thornton, William Fichtner, and Steve Buscemi brought tons of shaggy charm and lived-in chemistry to their roles. My biggest gripe then was with Jason Reitman’s direction, which I felt lacked the precision and tonal command needed to elevate the film from “very good” to “great.” Reitman, riding the legacy of Juno and Up in the Air, seemed hesitant to push the story’s darker or more ridiculous edges. I remember thinking it was a well-acted film with a solid script that deserved a more dynamic eye behind the camera.
Revisiting Maple Leaf now, I find it hasn’t aged quite as well as I’d hoped. The trio at the center still works - Thornton’s weariness, Fichtner’s edge, and Buscemi’s manic energy remain the film’s lifeblood - but the supporting cast doesn’t hold up nearly as well. Sienna Miller and the then Ellen Page are fine in isolation but never quite click with the story’s tonal shifts. And that’s the bigger issue: the tone. What once struck me as an ambitious genre-meld now plays as a jittery, unfocused juggling act. One moment the film wants to be a sentimental father-daughter drama, the next it’s a Coen-lite caper, and somewhere in the shuffle, it loses emotional momentum. Reitman’s direction still feels like the limiting factor here - polished, yes, but tentative and unsure. I still admire Maple Leaf for trying something offbeat, but what once felt clever now feels inconsistent.
Original Grade: B+
New Grade: B-
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