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Yes, the characters are oblivious, talking over each other until the script suddenly allows them to become human. Parchman dives into her role, playing August as a clumsy loser who tries too hard in every situation. Artist is a bit more grounded as Damien faces a series of interruptions that strain to paint him as a dork. So the characters who emerge as the most likeable, and least histrionic, are Braddy's smart Betsy and Rose-Garcia's soulful Caleb. It's their story that finally evokes sympathy and provides the smartest laughs.

The film is strikingly shot Linklater-style, with snaky camerawork that prowls around between the people. When the central storyline finally emerges, the whole film settles down into a carefully constructed romantic triangle that seems predictable because of the way the writer-director Bakke and cowriter Allen have been depicting the characters from the start. And there's a nice thematic touch in the idea that we need to stop pushing people to be who we want them to be, and accept who they are.

themes, language

2.May.21

Much of the film features Sean and Eric sitting on a sofa recounting their tale to-camera. The only contrast between them is stay-at-home dad Sean's faux prudery alongside Eric's potty-mouthed sex obsessions. Their interaction is funny and laddish, with the occasional serious moment, and both of them are easily distracted from getting down to work. The banter has a brisk and amusingly improvisational feel to it as they meander off-topic and shift locations, re-enacting various events while dropping a continual series of cinematic gags.

A slight thematic kick centres around how these guys got in trouble for sending emails back and forth talking about an attack on the president. And there are more resonant edges that flare up in their ongoing conversations, discussing issues about being fathers, struggles with marriage and work, and how writing is a lot more of a discipline than it seems like it should be. Their attempts to escape their captors are knowing metaphors for working out difficult plot points. So the script is both clever and very silly. And perhaps would have worked better as a short.

themes, language

29.Apr.21

Crawford is excellent as a scruffy guy who adores his wife and kids, but feels he has no choice but to accept his exile. His outward expression is friendly and optimistic, trying to do what's best. Then in private he takes his pistol out for shooting practice. Supporting performances are naturalistic, bursting with a range of pungent emotions. Pizzuto has the most complex side character, a young woman who won't pretend that everything's fine. Moafi reveals telling insight into Nikki's mindset, while Coy has one particularly devastating scene.

Machoian never digs into the themes that are swirling around within this story, from David's underlying feelings of damaged masculinity to Nikki's oblivious reactions to her daughter's surly rejection of the situation. Instead, the film straightforwardly depicts the various members of the family as they attempt to get on with an awkward new reality. There isn't much of a narrative, aside from the build-up in tension between David and Derek, which provides a gripping sense that something awful is coming.

themes, language, violence

3.May.21