I have developed something which I have dubbed my "Sarah Polley Complex". Consider: As a pre-teen, she appeared in one of my all-time, top-10 movies ever, Terry Gilliam's THE ADVENTURES OF BARON MUNCHAUSEN; She featured in my two favorite Atom Egoyan movies, EXOTICA and THE SWEET HEREAFTER; One of the films which got me into Michael Winterbottom, THE CLAIM, also was graced by her; She directed Julie Christie in AWAY FROM HER; And she starred in series three of "Slings and Arrows", which, until I discovered "Deadwood", I might have considered as my favorite television series.
And yet...I'm not sure whether (SWEET HEREAFTER aside) I have ever thought of her as being able to act her way out of a paper bag, and after this film, I'm not sure how I feel about her as either a writer or a director.
I have to commend this movie for being honest enough to show its characters, all of whom are generally very likable people, as occasionally insufferable. It is a treat to watch Michelle Williams, and let me say that I am in no doubt of her abilities as an actor. It's nice that Seth Rogan has been given a chance to show off some chops in a more or less serious role, although it's a little disconcerting to discover that, slimmed down, he looks a bit too much like Ben Affleck for my comfort. And I have to say that Sarah Silverman gave a very plausible performance as an alcoholic. The problems for me are in some of the directorly touches; the pointless montage as our heroine and hero are deplaning, the nauseating use of steady-cam as they sit over their untouched martinis being the two glaring examples. I guess the message of this film is that some people need to fill the hole that appear in their lives whenever the momentum lessens; some choose alcohol, some new relationships, and some being spun around an amusement park to the tune of "Video Killed the Radio Star", which may be the most benign palliative. Also, it's probably not a good idea to allow your relationship to reach the stage of casual urination in front of your significant other.
When this comes out on DVD, it will lend itself to a neat drinking game: down a shot whenever you spot a cast member from "Slings and Arrows". I made it to a round half dozen, on first viewing in the theater.
And yet...I'm not sure whether (SWEET HEREAFTER aside) I have ever thought of her as being able to act her way out of a paper bag, and after this film, I'm not sure how I feel about her as either a writer or a director.
I have to commend this movie for being honest enough to show its characters, all of whom are generally very likable people, as occasionally insufferable. It is a treat to watch Michelle Williams, and let me say that I am in no doubt of her abilities as an actor. It's nice that Seth Rogan has been given a chance to show off some chops in a more or less serious role, although it's a little disconcerting to discover that, slimmed down, he looks a bit too much like Ben Affleck for my comfort. And I have to say that Sarah Silverman gave a very plausible performance as an alcoholic. The problems for me are in some of the directorly touches; the pointless montage as our heroine and hero are deplaning, the nauseating use of steady-cam as they sit over their untouched martinis being the two glaring examples. I guess the message of this film is that some people need to fill the hole that appear in their lives whenever the momentum lessens; some choose alcohol, some new relationships, and some being spun around an amusement park to the tune of "Video Killed the Radio Star", which may be the most benign palliative. Also, it's probably not a good idea to allow your relationship to reach the stage of casual urination in front of your significant other.
When this comes out on DVD, it will lend itself to a neat drinking game: down a shot whenever you spot a cast member from "Slings and Arrows". I made it to a round half dozen, on first viewing in the theater.