Ordinary World

Ordinary World is a not very original story about a father who has a sort of a mid-life crisis over things that may have been. It is very watchable and quite touching in parts and probably garnering attention because it stars Billie Joe Armstrong from punk mega band Green Day, in his first starring role. He’s also working with some very good and experienced actors which turns out to be a mixed blessing.

Perry (Armstrong) after brushing with fame in his early years in punk band is now a loving husband and father of two children. He still plays guitar but his main income is through his wife Karen (Selma Blair) and a job in the family hardware store run by his brother Jake (Chris Messina). It’s a spiky relationship with Perry not really interested in nuts and bolts or the business. Also he thinks its his 40th birthday and everyone has forgotten it. So Jake gives him $1000 and tells him to take the day off. He’s also tasked with picking up a guitar for his daughter’s recital that evening at school. He ends up at very plush hotel, where he bumps into old flame Christy (Judy Greer) from his music days. He hires out the presidential suite for the day and decides to relive his band days, by inviting the band for a reunion, and a bit of a party. That predictably starts to get out of hand, and taken with the daughter’s recital and the in-laws left locked out of his house, because he forgot about them, the film goes off in several directions some of which aren’t fully realised.

Writer and director Lee Kirk knows his rock ‘n’ roll and there are some very knowing moments. When asked how the band are Perry replies with the old chestnut, they are on ‘hiatus’. There’s also a great cameo from Joan Jett, meeting a tongue-tied and awestruck Perry. Armstrong is not bad in the role of a man who hasn’t quite left the music and high-jinks behind. He knows he has something far more fulfilling now, but is not ready to join the neighbourhood ‘dads’ club.

However, Armstrong is found a little wanting when he’s with Blair, John Dorman as his father in law and Greer, and the other more seasoned actors. He's not overwhelmed it's just that they appear a little bit more natural in their roles.

In the end this is a film about a man having a mid-life crisis regretting some of his past decisions but eventually deciding his life is not that bad after all. It’s gently amusing with a feel good ambience throughout.

It’s not clear how autobiographical this story is but one might wonder about the scene in the hotel when a condescending concierge played by Brian Baumgartner takes a very scruffy Perry to the presidential suite, clearly thinking he can’t afford it, only for Perry to pull out the $1000 cash out of his pocket!