Free Hugs (2011) Poster

(2011)

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6/10
Watch this space.
smokeysmokeysmokey20 October 2015
Solid directorial/writer debut from Wilde.

This was somewhat of a surprise, in the sense that directing is hard thing and so many people do it badly. For the most part you can change that 6/10 to a 7 given how critical I tend to slant my ratings.

Wilde proves here she can direct. And that she can write conversational dialogue. An exceedingly difficult discipline. Real dialogue from real people's lips, like in life. It's no secret that Wilde is a big fan of Joe Swanberg's work. He directed her in Drinking Buddies and hasn't stopped talking about this experience since. And rightly so, it's a superbly crafted film. Swanberg somehow manages to capture an energy in that movie like few films I've seen - an aliveness!

It's clear Swanberg has stumbled upon a manner of filmmaking that seems to create this great intangible, energy. Not all his films work, but when they do they work so damn well. And since he's stepped away from the role of cinematographer while directing that seems to have helped him greatly. The reason I mention Swanberg is this review is Wilde made it before she worked with him, but it looks like it was made after and influence by her experience on Drinking Buddies. I was sure until I checked. An impressive feat.

I don't know where Wilde got her writing/directing chops but she should nurture and explore them further.

Watch this space.
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4/10
Okay effort for a first work
Horst_In_Translation25 September 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Actress Olivia Wilde shot this 24-minute short film "Free Hugs" back in 2011, while her trademark show "House M.D." was slowly approaching its end. The lead actress is fairly-unknown Jaclyn Jonet, who nonetheless delivers a decent performance, but the supporting cast has a couple notable names such as Justin Long, who I liked, Aziz Ansari, whose scene could have been cut, from parks and Rec and finally Wilde herself. Mainly, it deals with a young woman and her struggles to keep going after breaking up with her boyfriend. We see her interaction with girlfriends, complete strangers at the supermarket and even things that remind her of the impact they had when the relationship was still going.

As a whole, I think Wilde did a solid job here, given she also wrote the film. There's certainly parts which could have been better and I believe seven to eight minutes could even have been cut without hurting the final result, as occasionally it began to drag a little bit. However, the ending at and outside the supermarket makes it almost worthy alone to sit through the whole thing. It's pretty memorable way Wilde managed to close it all. I've seen way worse first directorial efforts and if she manages to step things up a bit with her next projects, if she ever directs again that is, this could definitely be a second area of expertise for her in the coming decades.
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9/10
Short and Sweet
Support-World-Peace19 September 2013
Although (the stunning) Olivia Wilde's directorial debut is nothing groundbreaking or life changing, "Free Hugs" is a light-hearted and funny short that by the end will have you feeling warm inside with a smile on your face. If you were a fan of "Bridesmaids" then the humour in this film is perfect for you, as it's full of hilarious bleak moments and wonderfully awkward moments.

It's also only going to take up 20 minutes of your life and is available on youtube on Glamour Magazine's official channel, so it's perfect if you need something to make you laugh while you take a short break from work or study.
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