"Lebanon, PA": A Tale of Male, Middle-Aged Self-Discovery and a Manipulative Take on the Culture Wars

Lebanon, PA begins as a tale about male, middle-aged self-discovery, but soon becomes something quite different: a clear-eyed if crassly manipulative take on the culture wars. Driving out to Rick Santorum country for his father's funeral, slightly douchy Philadelphia ad exec Will (Josh Hopkins) discovers the pleasures and uglier aspects...

By Andrew Schenker

June 16, 2011

[
        {
          "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
          "component": "16971022",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "15769925",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Rectangle 2x - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782206",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782207",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Lebanon, PA begins as a tale about male, middle-aged self-discovery, but soon becomes something quite different: a clear-eyed if crassly manipulative take on the culture wars. Driving out to Rick Santorum country for his father's funeral, slightly douchy Philadelphia ad exec Will (Josh Hopkins) discovers the pleasures and uglier aspects of rural life — until his story fades from the film's center. That place is taken up by his distant cousin, CJ (Rachel Kitson), a 17-year-old, Drexel University-bound high-schooler who happens to be pregnant. In a town militantly anti-choice, it's simply expected that the young woman will go through with the birth. Writer-director Ben Hickernell smartly avoids rural caricature as he ensures that even his most closed-minded characters have their reasons, no matter how dubious. It's refreshing, as well, to see a film in which a teenage character doesn't automatically toss away her future due to an unwanted pregnancy, but there's never any doubt about what CJ's choice will be. Hickernell stacks the rhetorical deck so heavily in favor of the young woman's abortion that her indecision seems less like the realistic uncertainty of a teen in a tough situation than waffling to ensure the emotive force of the final payoff. PG-13.

Become A Member

BEFORE YOU GO...
Can you help us continue to share our stories? Since the beginning, New Times Broward-Palm Beach has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida — and we'd like to keep it that way. Our members allow us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls.