Review: Timberlake seeks redemption in formulaic ‘Palmer’

There’s a kitchen-sink full of Serious Drama Cliches in the new Justin Timberlake film “Palmer,” about a high school football star turned convict who must help the young gender fluid boy with the addict mom next door while also trying to regain his footing in his small Louisiana hometown. It’d be an insult to real Oscar-bait to even call this Oscar-bait. And yet, compelling performances make “Palmer” watchable and fairly affecting despite the fact that we’ve seen this kind of thing so many times before.

Timberlake plays Eddie Palmer, who has just been released from prison after 12 years and is going to live with his grandmother Vivian (June Squibb) in his old hometown. He’s got the ex-con beard and hoodie and thousand-yard squint and is a bit of a mystery, although that might be giving him a little too much credit. The script takes its time teasing out what exactly landed him behind bars.

But he’s essentially keeping his head down and trying to reenter society when he gets an added complication: The heroin addict living in the trailer next door (played by Juno Temple, who somewhere along the way started getting typecast in “white trash” roles) takes off with her abusive boyfriend and leaves her 7-year-old son Sam (Ryder Allen) without any care.

This image released by Apple shows Ryder Allen, left, and Juno Temple in a scene from “Palmer.” (Apple via AP)

Sam is used to the unconventional routine and packs up to stay with Vivian, who is happy to care for him for however long his mom stays away. But Vivian is not long for this movie and pretty soon it’s just Palmer who is left and he isn’t exactly looking to be a surrogate parent to anyone. Sam is also a bit of a target in this small Southern town. He is essentially gender non-conforming. He likes makeup and tea parties and animated fairy princess shows and gets picked on by the boys at school for it.

Palmer’s transition from subtle intolerance to full acceptance of Sam’s person is very quick, which is a little convenient for the story and doesn’t do anything to reveal who Palmer is, was or is becoming. The script even has the audacity to pretend like Palmer is actually going to turn Sam over to the system at one point. Not only would the movie have no where to go, but it would also take some kind of monster to abandon Sam, who is an angel of a child, polite, funny, curious, self-sufficient and undisturbed by any judgments. When Palmer tries to point out that there aren’t any boys in the fairy princess show, Sam comes back with something like “I’ll be the first.” Does it sound more like an adult screenwriter (Cheryl Guerriero wrote the script) than an innocent child? Yes. But Allen sells it. And he and Timberlake are pretty darn cute together, which goes a long way. There’s also a romance side plot between Palmer and Sam’s teacher Maggie (Alisha Wainwright).

“Palmer” is directed straightforwardly by Fisher Stevens, who in addition to his acting career has had successes directing documentaries over the years. It’s hard to say why something like this, invented whole cloth and out of a bundle of familiar tropes, is more effective than something like “Hillbilly Elegy,” which was an actual true story, but here we are. And even so, you never forget that you’re watching a movie.

This image released by Apple shows Juno Temple in a scene from “Palmer.” (Apple via AP)

Still it’s nice to be reminded that Timberlake has some acting chops, although it’s a far cry from his “Social Network” breakthrough.

“Palmer,” an Apple TV+ release available Friday, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America for “language, some sexual content/nudity and brief violence.” Running time: 110 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.

MPAA Definition of R: Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.

This image released by Apple shows, front row from left, Justin Timberlake, Ryder Allen and June Squibb in a scene from “Palmer.” (Apple via AP)

Follow AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ldbahr

This image released by Apple shows Ryder Allen, left, and June Squibb in a scene from “Palmer.” (Apple via AP)

HONG KONG (AP) — Former executives of a now-defunct, pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong who were convicted under a national security law pleaded for lighter sentences Tuesday in a landmark case widely seen as a barometer of media freedom in a city once hailed as a bastion of free press in Asia.

The former journalists pleaded guilty in 2022 to conspiracy to collude with foreign forces to endanger national security. They admitted to the prosecution's charge that said they conspired with their ex-boss and onetime media mogul Jimmy Lai to request foreign sanctions, blockades or engage in other hostile activities against Hong Kong or China.

Lai, the Apple Daily founder who pleaded not guilty in the case, was convicted in December. The verdict raised concerns about the city's declining press freedom and drew criticism from foreign governments.

But the government insists the case has nothing to do with media freedom, saying the defendants used news reporting as a pretext for years to commit acts that harmed China and Hong Kong.

Their sentences are expected to be handed down at a later date.

Six Apple Daily executives were convicted in Lai's case: publisher Cheung Kim-hung; associate publisher Chan Pui-man; editor-in-chief Ryan Law; executive editor-in-chief Lam Man-chung; executive editor-in-chief responsible for English news Fung Wai-kong; and editorial writer Yeung Ching-kee. Some of them served as prosecution witnesses during the 156-day trial.

A conviction on the collusion charge carries a sentence ranging from three years to life in prison. But a guilty plea can result in a sentence reduction. Under the security law, a reduced penalty may be granted to those who report on offenses committed by others.

Chan's lawyer, Marco Li, said if the judges decided to place his client in the upper sentencing band, he suggested the starting point should be 10 years, given her limited role. Citing factors including her timely plea and assistance to the prosecution, he asked for her sentence to be halved.

Li said Chan, who started working at Apple Daily in 1996, regretted not resisting even more firmly when matters arose that made her uncomfortable. But according to her mitigation letter, Chan couldn't leave her beloved job casually at that time because she was suffering serious health issues and was under financial burden.

Chung Pui-kuen, Chan's husband and a former top editor of the now-shuttered Stand News, was among those in the public gallery. He was sentenced to 21 months in jail in a separate sedition case.

Lai founded Apple Daily in 1995, two years before Hong Kong, a former British colony, returned to Chinese rule. It attracted a strong following with its sometimes sensational reports, investigative scoops and eventual short animated video reports. Being openly critical of the Hong Kong and Chinese governments, the newspaper was well-received among pro-democracy readers.

During Hong Kong's massive anti-government protests in 2019, Apple Daily ran articles sympathetic to protesters and supportive of the pro-democracy movement that saw hundreds of thousands of people take to the streets.

After Beijing imposed the security law to quell the protests, Lai was one of the first prominent figures to be arrested. Within a year, Apple Daily's former executives also were arrested. The prosecutions, asset freeze and police raids forced the newspaper's closure in June 2021. Its final edition sold a million copies.

In their December verdict, the three government-appointed judges said Lai had used Apple Daily as a platform for spreading his political ideas and implementing his political agenda before and after the introduction of the security law.

The judges on Monday heard arguments about the sentencing of Lai, Cheung and two other non-Apple Daily activists involved in the former publisher’s case.

When Lai entered the courtroom Tuesday, he smiled at people sitting in the public gallery as a supporter formed a heart shape with her hands.

FILE - In this June 23, 2021, file photo, Lam Man-chung, left, executive editor-in-Chief of Apple Daily and Chan Pui-man, center, associate publisher of Apple Daily gesture at the headquarters before the newspaper stop publishing in Hong Kong. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)

FILE - Chan Pui-man, associate publisher of Apple Daily newspaper walks out from a court in Hong Kong, June 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung), File)