Monday Morning is an intellectual exercise mixed in with an intriguing plot, in-your face imagery and a slight bit of something surreal, and it pays off big time.
In the beginning we follow a conservative Minnesota radio host Thomas who is approached to run for the the MN senate. He is also a diabetic. He needs to finalize some personal business in Los Angeles, and then is attacked and finds himself homeless and without his memory. Once in the land of the extremely unfortunates, Thomas (and so are we) is confronted with graphic images on what happens on the streets of Los Angeles. Mind you, some of the images may be offensive to some.
From a screenplay by Nat Christian, who also directed the movie, Monday Morning is very seductive, in that the harsh images come as a surprise to us, they kind of wake us up to the homeless situation. We follow Thomas like the rabbit to where he is attacked, and then we are in another world so to speak.
The director (Christian) very effectively sets us up, hits us hard and then asks us to look inside ourselves when our hero makes some surprising choices.
Thomas is played by Victor Browne who is in almost every scene. He goes from a "playboy" type to being a homeless beggar and to being a political candidate with a lot on his mind. And he gives a hell of a performance. Veteran actors Robert Axelrod, Michael Cohen, Rick Montoya and Bobby Jay Mills give delicious characterizations of homeless people. And Jessica Spotts shines in a very brave performance as "Beth" a homeless mother. Nat Christian is solidly real, implosive and sympathetic as a homeless war veteran. Molly Kidder is delightful as an idealistic aide to a liberal senator performed truthfully by Robert Pike Daniel. Ken Melchior is fun as a manipulative senator.
Monday Morning is the kind of movie that will get people talking maybe even arguing. People will grasp it wholeheartedly or they will turn away from the explicitness and some of the progressive thoughts when the homeless sit around a campfire. But, no mater what, Monday Morning has to be dealt with.
