Puzzle Review : Kelly Macdonald and Marc Turtletaub put all the right pieces together

Agnes (Kelly Macdonald) browsing for puzzles.

Puzzle (R)

Directed by Marc Turtletaub

Starring Kelly Macdonald, Irrfan Khan, David Denman, Bubba Weiler and Austin Abrams

Caution: Some spoilers ahead!

Standing on a lakeside cabin porch on a piece of land they are planning to sell Agnes discusses with her son, Ziggy, the moment her husband announced his purchase. Ziggy remembers his dad saying it will make choosing vacation destinations easier. To that Agnes replies "It's ironic, we had a place to go so we never went anywhere."

Weiler, Denman and Abrams as Agnes' family.

This line is at the true heart of Puzzle and of the character of Agnes (Macdonald). The film begins in a suburban house in which a party is being held. Agnes bustles around tidying things and cleaning things up including a plate her husband broke. Then we see her removing a homemade (safe to assume she made it) chocolate frosted cake from the fridge and places candles on it and lights them. She then enters into a dark dining room in which a group of people are singing Happy Birthday.... to her. This is the perfect way to introduce us into Agnes' world. She not only hosts her own birthday party but also makes the cake and cleans up after everyone has left. In a way, Agnes has perfected the tasks and routines of the housewife, to husband Louie (Denman) and mother to teenage sons Ziggy and Gabe (Weiler and Abrams). She shares that same perfection with a completed puzzle.
Puzzle takes place in modern day, but Agnes seemingly fits better in the 50s. You could use the word sheltered to describe her. Gabe does just that in a college application essay that she wasn't meant to read. She receives two notable presents for her birthday; an Iphone and a puzzle from a 1,000 piece puzzle. The Iphone perfectly symbolizes Agnes' sheltered life as she has no interest in using a smart phone and doesn't know anything about apps when Gabe asks her what he should download for her. The puzzle, however, seemingly awakens a sleeping giant inside Agnes. She is extremely good at them and knocks the puzzle out in one sitting. This, of course, throws off the schedule of house cleaning, laundry, groceries and the like. But Agnes soldiers along and begins to incorporate puzzles into her daily routine.
"When you complete a puzzle, you know that you have made all the right choices." So says Robert (Khan), the wise puzzle master. Robert has been looking for a puzzle partner and Agnes finds his number on a bulletin board ad at the puzzle store her birthday present came from. She bravely decides to text Robert and meet with him to prove she is a worthy partner. Once Robert is convinced she is a virtuoso he signs them up to compete in a puzzle competition which is so off the beaten path for Agnes that she at first keeps it a secret from her family. And she keeps Robert a secret even longer.

Agnes and Robert (Macdonald and Khan).

I first though this would be a Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993) type story with Khan playing the role of teacher that Ben Kingsley played. This is more complex than because Agnes is dealing with adult issues in a world that she has been kept from for many years. There's a moment when she attempts to feed Gabe's vegan girlfriend chicken to be informed that vegan's don't eat chicken. She then wonders aloud if she should have made fish instead.
There is still a lot of tangible warmth in the family especially with her oldest son, Ziggy. There's a moment when she visits the mechanic shop, where Ziggy works with his Dad, and Ziggy opens up to his mother that he's miserable and would rather learn to cook. This is something he would likely never tell his father. There's also the moment when Agnes asks for a cigarette to join Ziggy in smoking. After a pathetic drag followed by coughing, Ziggy asks her when she last had a cigarette to which Agnes replied that this was her first. He then takes the cigarette from her and puts it out. And when she does tell them about the puzzle competition, both Ziggy and Gabe are extremely supportive and believes she will win.
There is also still warmth between Agnes and Louie which is best displayed in the scene in which they cuddle on a sleeping bag near the lake on their land. Though Agnes' new interest in puzzles eventually begin to slow down her housewife routine which frustrates Louie who thinks puzzles are for kids. And Agnes's new interest in Robert could drive an even bigger wedge. Plus Louie continues to make huge family decisions without fully discussing it with Agnes.
Director Marc Turtletaub wrote an article about his mother who at the age of 80 confided in him that she was considering leaving her husband of 50 years and moving away and start "doing what I want every day." That is the world Agnes lives in and she's trying desperately to get out.
I've always been a fan of Macdonald's and she is especially impressive in this subtle, but fierce role. And Irrfan Khan continues to have a great film presence and it's his character that helps her realize, not that she needs to leave her husband or anything like that, but simply that she needs to take care of herself and find her passions in life.
It's an eternally relate-able story that, in ways, has been told before but never with as much honesty and realism.

Agnes and Robert (Macdonald and Khan) puzzling away.