‘Eric LaRue’: Judy Greer Is a Grieving Mother in Michael Shannon’s Searing Drama

Sandra Miska

For his directorial debut, Michael Shannon examines the aftermath of a tragic school shooting. The title character in “Eric LaRue,” played by newcomer Nation Sage Henrikson, killed three of his classmates, but the focus of this film is not on the imprisoned young man, but on his mother, Janice (Judy Greer playing against type), who finds herself in a different kind of prison. Greer gives an understated but remarkable performance as Janice not only comes to terms with her son’s crimes, but also finds herself becoming increasingly isolated as she attempts to reclaim some semblance of normalcy. 

When we first meet Janice, it has been one year since the shooting, and she has yet to visit Eric in prison. She tries to avoid leaving home when possible, although she attempts to return to her job as a sales associate at a big box store, with disastrous results. She otherwise tries to lay low in her smallish town, but cannot avoid attracting pity, curiosity, or even worse. Not surprisingly, her husband, Ron (Alexander Skarsgård), does not receive the same treatment from locals. While the couple have always been church-goers, Ron has dove deeper into religion as a means to cope, and has even started attending a more fanatical church with his co-worker, Lisa (Alison Pill). There is an obvious attraction between the pair, which Lisa tries to mask with her zeal for Jesus, which brings a bit of humor into an otherwise serious film.

One person who tries to reach Janice is Steve Calhan (Paul Sparks), a pastor at her church. He wants to set up a meeting with her and the mothers of the three boys Eric killed, two who are members at the same church (Annie Parisse, Kate Arrington). Ron, meanwhile, wants her to schedule a meeting with Bill Verne (Tracy Letts), his new pastor. Bill, who is more charismatic than Steve, pushes Ron to do more to “lead” (control) his wife, guidance that only serves to further rupture an already fragile marriage, and we see here how religion, which brings solace to some, can be weaponized. Janice may be unable to just pray away her pain like her husband, but she does agree to a meeting with two of the mothers facilitated by Steve, who is well-meaning but in over his head. A recurring theme here is Janice being failed by the men around her who think they know best, including Jack (Lawrence Grimm), her jackass boss at the store who rebuffs her attempts to advocate for herself.

Shannon, who comes from a theater background, has stacked his cast with gifted actors, most of whom he has had long working relationships with, including his own wife (Arrington). But it is Greer, who is best known for comedic supporting roles, who brilliantly carries the film, which could not have been easy, as so much of what Janice goes through is internal. We see her slowly come to finally understand her son, a victim of bullying, as she herself becomes more and more of an outcast. 

“Eric LaRue” is based on the play of the same name by Brett Neveu. It is hard to believe that it debuted in 2002, because the story feels so timely. Neveu no doubt had Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, the perpetrators of the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, and their mothers in mind when he wrote the play, but Eric LaRue could easily be a stand-in for the countless disturbed young men who came after Harris and Klebold. Shannon avoids being preachy and does not offer any clear solutions to this devastating problem in our society, but certainly gives the viewer much to ponder. 

“Eric LaRue” releases April 4 in select theaters.