adrian-43767 This is a simple film, constructed gradually, and one guided by a great sense of humanity. You do not know why Gandolfini goes into a strip joint, but he does, and there the stripper offers him sex. He pays like a customer but declines sex and you subsequently find out that his daughter, of about the same age as Stewart, had died in a car accident a few years earlier. His relationship with his wife, excellently portrayed by Melissa Leo, is very touching, and one based on mutual respect and trust, and both come to see Stewart as someone who could have been their deceased daughter.There is nothing soppy or sentimentalistic abut this movie. Stewart is a foul-mouthed and unkempt prostitute and drug addict, but the love shown by Gandolfini and Leo gives her a new outlook on life and she seems ready to change by movie's end.I found WELCOME an uplifting and humane film, and recommend it.

Ed-Shullivan The story line has been done many times before but James Gandolfini always brings more to the table than most other actors can and this is no exception. It does not take the audience long to realize that Doug Riley (played by James Gandolfini) and his wife Lois Riley (played by Melissa Leo) have been grieving for a few years over the loss of their daughters life.Doug seems to be a lost soul and a shell of the man he once was before his daughter died. Lois is struggling with her depression and coping with pills and hiding in her home 24 hours a day. Doug is on his way to New Orleans for a business convention when he innocently runs in to a teenage stripper/prostitute named Molly/Allison (played by Kristen Stewart).Doug takes it upon himself to stick around New Orleans after the convention comes to a close and see if he can help Molly realize that her way of life can be changed. Doug is not looking for anything in return, only redemption for losing his daughter. Once Doug's wife gets the phone call from Doug that he is staying in New Orleans for awhile she is determined to break her self imposed entrapment and so Lois begins her long journey from her confined home in Indianapolis to New Orleans to meet Doug and the person who appears to be keeping Doug in New Orleans.The three main characters do meet and there is no end of drama with young Molly still trying to make a living as a stripper/prostitute and living in a run down row house owned by a perverted landlord. Eventually Doug and Lois realize that they are at a crossroad with Molly and that they have to let go of their own ideals for Molly and accept the fact that Molly/Allison needs to come to her own life decisions.Doug eventually gets that dreaded phone call from Molly a few weeks later and as I don't like to give away the ending I can say that Doug did have some level of influence on Molly and she thanks Doug for his and Lois's love and support. If there were more men and women like the Rileys, the world would in fact be a much more caring and loving place to live and grow.Gandolfini's screen appearances are limited due to his untimely and premature death in 2013 by a heart attack. He commands the big screen and so this is a picture worth seeing if for nothing other than to see a man in turmoil cope with his grief for his daughter by how he goes about helping others. I rate the film a strong 6 out of 10.

bowmanblue Poor Kristen Stewart hasn't had an easy ride in the popular press. First she's constantly linked with - the pretty one-dimensional - Bella Swann from the Twilight franchise and then she gets her love-life in a tangle and everyone takes R-Patz' side.Somewhere, amid the mess of her personal life, she got round to making 'Welcome to the Riley's,' with Sopranos star James Gandolfini. Sadly, not enough people seemed to notice. It was an 'indie' film that never really got much of a mainstream release, therefore she remained 'Bella' in the press' eyes all the way through this.However, if you can give her a chance, you may get more than an hour and a half of her holding her mouth open and refusing to smile. James Gandolfini gives a - naturally - great performance as a man who had lost his teenage daughter in a car accident. On a work trip he gives his colleagues the slip and takes refuge in a strip club where he meets Kristen Stewart, who he beings a - plutonic - relationship with, treating her like a surrogate daughter.That's about it as far as the plot goes. At first (the beginning twenty minutes) I was pretty disinterested and was wondering what I got into. However, I was very pleased with how it transpired. It's actually quite a tender story of emotionally damaged people coming together.It's certainly not a laugh a minute and is the sort of film that you have to be in quite a deep, reflective, thoughtful mood to really appreciate (or just want to see Kristen Stewart not surrounded by computer generated monsters).Nice film. Give it a try.

jotix100 The death of a child is at the center of this drama. The parents, Doug and Lois, are grieving is different ways. Doug, tries to keep on going with his business and his friends, spending Thursdays playing poker and having sex with the waitress from a diner where he stops after the card game. Lois has become a recluse who does not venture out of the house.Traveling to a trade convention in New Orleans, Doug runs into a stripper, Mallory, who offers him sex for a price. Doug is taken aback because he realizes she is only a girl acting up at being a grown-up. It is clear Mallory has been wounded and has turned to dancing as a way to make an easy living. Prostitution is something that goes with the territory she has chosen.Doug feels bad for the girl, looking for ways to help her. He finds her ultimately living among the squalor of a destroyed city after Katrina. Doug offers her to pay for his stay, trying to engage her into making something out of her life. Lois, in the meantime, taking courage, takes the car and drives to New Orleans to be with Doug. She has bad feelings about his staying away. "Welcome to the Rileys" is an interesting feature from Jake Scott, working with the screenplay written by Ken Hixon. Mr. Scott comes from a family heavily involved in the movie industry. He is the son of Ridley Scott and the nephew of Tony Scott. It took him a while to get to this stage, apparently, after being involved in videos and another film which we never saw. This drama feels real because the viewer feels the pain of the Rileys. They have been carrying their grief for a long time and it has gotten between them in ways they never expected. The trip to New Orleans act as a catalyst in the Riley's marriage. Lois is an intelligent woman who realizes she is about to lose her man. She must overcome her fear of being out and living a normal life.Doug sees in Mallory the daughter that fate robbed him. In spite of her bravado, he finds the girl is an insecure young woman asking for help. After Lois arrive, there is no question of anything incorrect in Doug's relationship with the young stripper. Unfortunately, Mallory is not ready for a normal life. In the end, Doug and Lois find a way to stay together because of the love they feel for one another.Mr. Scott gets outstanding performances from the three principals in the film. James Gandolfini makes a convincing Doug in one of the best things he has made in his career. Melissa Leo is wonderful as Lois. Her fear of losing Doug is all she needed to come back to the world she abandoned with the tragedy in her life. Kristen Stewart shows a mature side in her Mallory. The best thing in the film is the ensemble acting the director achieves with his sure handling of the amazing cast.