‘3 Generations’: a lukewarm drama about a transgender teen – SFGate

Ray (Elle Fanning, left) with his mother, Maggie (Naomi Watts, center), and grandmother, Dolly (Susan Sarandon).

Ray (Elle Fanning, left) with his mother, Maggie (Naomi Watts, center), and grandmother, Dolly (Susan Sarandon).

Dolly (Susan Sarandon, right) struggles to accept her transgender grandson, Ray (Elle Fanning), in 3 Generations.

Dolly (Susan Sarandon, right) struggles to accept her transgender grandson, Ray (Elle Fanning), in 3 Generations.

3 Generations: a lukewarm drama about a transgender teen

3 Generations, about a transgender teenager who faces family hurdles in trying to undergo hormone replacement therapy, is a lukewarm drama that gets lost in transition. It seems dated and oddly out of touch from the first frame.

Elle Fanning plays Ray, a 16-year-old who needs written permission from his parents to get the medical treatment he needs. His mostly supportive mother, Maggie (Naomi Watts), thinks its too soon, and his lesbian grandmother, Dolly (Susan Sarandon), suggests that he should just be a lesbian, because he likes girls.

None of these characters is particularly well drawn, and Sarandon veers dangerously close to parody, coming off more like a Dubuque ditz than a Brooklyn bohemian. Fanning gives it her best, but she isnt ultimately convincing, perhaps done in by a script that doesnt allow her to sufficiently explore Rays inner turmoil.

Watts concerned, overwhelmed Maggie comes closer to a real performance, but director Gaby Dellals flirtation with slapstick and later, melodrama undercuts Watts and the film. Indeed, in the final act, 3 Generations devolves into a glorified soap opera, and Rays struggles become incidental to the shenanigans of the adults.

This is a movie that derives most of its suspense from whether a piece of paper will be signed, not a strong basis for dramatic tension. Here and there, we see moments of genuine emotion, but even then, it feels like weve been there, done that.

David Lewis is a Bay Area freelance writer.

3 Generations

Drama. Starring Elle Fanning, Naomi Watts, Susan Sarandon. Directed by Gaby Dellal. (PG-13. 92 minutes.)

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'3 Generations': a lukewarm drama about a transgender teen - SFGate