Monday, June 27, 2011

HappyThankYouMorePlease (2011)

Remember Garden State? Well, Josh Radnor does. He managed to write, direct and act in a movie that has the same vibe.

Seven people whose lives intersect in New York City try to make their way through life. Each of them isn't succeeding as they'd hoped. Sam (Radnor) is a struggling writer who had his latest attempt rejected by a publisher. His best friend Annie (Malin Akerman) has Alopecia and both is and isn't afraid for it to be seen. Sam is also caring for a young boy who became separated from his foster family on the subway. Meanwhile, his cousin Mary Catherine (Zoe Kazan) and her boyfriend Charlie (Pablo Schreiber) are stuck in a New York/Los Angeles debate that could have negative ramifications on their relationship. These five individuals are the core of a group that wants to stay as close as possible without totally interfering in each others' lives. But every time something good happens for one of them, multiple seemingly bad things follow. Maybe they're just kidding themselves.

This movie was good, but could have been a lot better. Each actor had great moments that were counteracted by some bad ones. The dialogue seemed very stilted and often lazy at times. The best character, hands down, was Sam #2 played by Tony Hale. He had equal parts strength and depth that made him very enjoyable to watch. I liked this probably more than most, but this won't make any top ten lists. Grade: B-

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