FILMBRATS - REVIEWS

After college, Hannah takes a job at a small production company. She spends her days helping Matt and Paul write satirical sketches and chatting about myriad things. She spends her nights and off-days with her boyfriend Mike, who is a nice enough guy, but ever since he’s announced his plan to be unemployed and enjoy life for life’s sake, things haven’t been the same. Well, Hannah breaks up with Mike, leaving an opportunity open for either Matt or Paul. When one wins out over the other, what will that mean for the dynamic between the three and what will it mean for their careers?

For those that have seen director Joe Swanberg’s previous films (“Kissing on the Mouth,” “LOL”), you know that the plots are loose, but the content is heavy. It’s not so much about what happens to the characters, but rather how they react/interact based on what happens. This effort is no different in that regard. Shot with no script, the actors flow from scene to scene giving us new insights into their personalities, psyches and motivations. The off-the-cuff delivery promotes stuttering, awkward delivery as they sometimes search for the right introspective words or occasional philosophical references to drive home their points. And each conversation has a point. You’ll know that something that was said in the last scene will carry weight in the future in one way or another. Such is the natural progression of life. None of it ever feels forced or contrived thanks to the extremely realistic, conversational performances.

But in the case of Greta Gerwig (Hannah) it’s not just the spoken word that compels. This girl displays an impressive range of facial reactions and contortions that allow her to scream out her frustrations and growing resentments and repressed anger without employing her vocals. A simple arm flail, a scrunched face and a muted “Ennnhhh” are all you need and that’s all her passive aggressive character is willing to give anyway. Even without those quirkily exaggerated reactions, it’s still very easy to sense what each character is feeling at any given moment, whether it’s love, anger, bitterness, confusion, irrational jealousy, rational jealousy or fear. I loved the way the film was able to create extremely sympathetic characters while still giving almost all of them very noticeable flaws. The only drawback that comes from this style of presentation and dialogue is that I feel like it’s even more real than most actual conversations and friendships would be. The characters speak more truths than I feel would normally be readily admitted to others, then again you never know.

I do have some issues to take with the movie, however. Considering that every conversation seems to have a definitive purpose and helps the open-ended story progress, I’m struggling to figure out where the boss and his two assistants fit into everything. They show up a couple times for what I can only assume would be comic relief (and the purposeful end line), but they’re not really needed. The movie is able to provide enough comedic moments on its own. Actually, you’ll find it has the ability to change tones from comedic to dramatic (and vice-versa) on a dime without losing any of the impact. At times the music is mixed so high that it takes over and you can’t hear the dialogue properly. Also, fans of the 1812 Overture may want to stay away, because you’ll hear it being butchered a few times throughout the course of the picture (including an overly-long opening credits).

If you’ve seen anything by Joe Swanberg before, you’ve probably seen this movie already. We’re dealing with essentially the same subject matter of a post-collegiate person struggling to find happiness and identity and it’s presented in the same style. Although for me personally there wasn’t anything I could really relate to on a core level as there was in “Kissing on the Mouth.” By no means, is it a bad movie. Quite the contrary. It’s full of great little moments and fantastic acting that makes the characters fascinating and a lot of fun. Although I think the refreshing style of filmmaking that Joe brings to the table is important and still incredibly viable, I feel it is most effective on those that haven’t seen it yet. Uh oh…does this mean I’m growing up?

Note: I am friends with the filmmaker/star. In fact it was Joe who started this very site you’re reading and brought me in on the ground floor. I mention this in the interest of full disclosure, but I still stand by all the above comments. If his film sucked, I would have stated so, or probably just ignored reviewing it for the site. I don’t get paid for my work here, so I have nothing to really gain by inflating a score or his ego. The filmmaker’s best critics are his/her friends, so my judgments on the movie are sincere and meant with the best of intentions.

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