Rating: 3/5
fear excuses surrender?
Two fitness people who can’t figure each other out meet a rich guy that they can’t quite get out of their life
Andrew Bujalski’s work tends to focus on putting real people onscreen, for better or worse, and letting the performers find the funny (and uncomfortableness) in the scene
With Colby smolders swallowed up by the Marvel machine, it’s so pleasant to see her in something where she gets to act — she is inconsistent, but it’s the writing more than her
Kevin Corrigan is such a specific and weird person in this, and he has most of the laughs because he finds the line between animated and caricature
Guy Pierce is good in this, but I think he’s the weakest part — he gets some good moments, but he doesn’t receive the direction needed to figure out his character beyond the surface, “He’s a fitness-obsessed guy who doesn’t know how to communicate what he means.”
The movie takes a different direction about 3/4 through that shifts everyone’s performances into romcom territory — not a bad thing, but it feels globbed on, if only because it suddenly becomes more structured and motivated until the end
I’m overrating this, but it’s charming and easy-going enough, even if it doesn’t have a clear understanding of what it wants to be
Stray Thoughts:
- Raymond is a great dog name
- This movie pulls off a character ogling another character’s ass without the camera joining in
- The ending dance sequence that films after the cut is cute