Year: 2010
Rating: **
Well, this movie tries. It tries very hard. I was very conscious of it trying very hard. And I was simultaneously very conscious that I was trying very hard... to like it. I ultimately felt it was too contrived for my taste, too caught up in its own trying quest for purpose.
Roger Greenberg (Ben Stiller) has just moved back to L.A. after living in New York for a number of years and subsequently suffering a nervous breakdown. He has taken on an extended house-sitting gig for his brother, which includes taking care of the dog. This is almost too much for Roger, who finds himself relying a bit heavily on Florence (Greta Gerwig, indie actress -- so hot right now), the family's personal assistant. In agonized attempts at social interaction, Roger tries to reconnect with Ivan (Rhys Ifans -- you'll know him as Hugh Grant's flatmate in Notting Hill), an old friend and ex-band mate, apparently still harboring a bit of a grudge towards Roger for ruining their only record deal, and Beth (Jennifer Jason Leigh, recognizable for playing usually-despicable characters in always-unremarkable films), an ex-girlfriend. The dog gets sick, Roger and Florence flirt with the extent of their relationship, and an errant niece returns home to tempt him with the prospect of a spontaneous trip to Australia.
 |
| SO indie. |
There are a few laugh out loud moments in the film, including my personal favorite line: "That's like, the worst story ever. Bye!" uttered as dismissively as it reads. There are some poignant moments of connection and lines of introspection ("That's a huge step... finally embracing the life you never imagined") and supposedly heart breaking moments of missed connection, but I couldn't shake the idea that the directors/writers were hovering juuust behind the camera, drooling "Oh yeah, that'll get 'em. We're so deep -- high five!" Honestly, I'd skip this one, folks. I was disappointed.
