Directed by: Craig Zisk
Starring: Julianne Moore, Michael Angarano, and Greg Kinnear
Plot: An English teacher has an affair with a former student turned failed playwright
Review:
This movie is kind of all over the place.
For the most part, the second act is basically about Julianne Moore’s usually careful/neurotic/geeky English teacher breaking out of her shell when a spontaneous sexual encounter with a former student (played by Michael Angarano) presents itself. They had reconnected because he failed as a playwright and returned home. She enjoyed his play so much, she pushed for the school to perform it. This put them in close quarters leading up to the tryst, and then in awkward situations afterward when the playwright started catching the eyes of the female performers and changes were being made to the script. It’s all pretty by-the-book and fairly pleasant lighthearted comedy, I suppose. At the very least, Moore gives a good comic performance trying to elevate the material with her introverted English teacher character.
The first and third acts were just weird though. There was a strange female narrator who reminded me of Emma Thompson in Stranger Than Fiction. Also every time Moore would go on a date, you would see these notes in red cursive about their faults and a circled letter grade, as if she was grading essays, pop up like she was imagining it. These 2 things would pop up sporadically in the 2nd Act but were mostly confined to the 1st and 3rd. It was almost like they were introducing and resolving a different movie: one where Moore went on a series of hopeless dates until she found the right guy under her nose. I think its a pretty good hook for a rom-com to stand out from the other uninspired crap, but the 2nd act just doesn’t line up.
High school leading lady, Lynn Collins, get close to failed playwright, Michael Angarano
Instead they take this detour about rewriting endings. They line up Moore breaking out of her shell with having to rewrite a graphic, morbid ending to the high school play. It is more than heavy-handed and definitely a stretch. I think I would rather watch the rom-com about an over critical bibliophile. At least the movie wouldn’t feel like 2 different movies spliced together.
Rating: 4/10
What Else to Watch: I already mentioned Stranger Than Fiction, which is a really great dramedy with a surprising performance from Will Ferrell, about an introverted boring man who suddenly hears a voice narrating his life and making mention of his on-coming demise. It is a much better lighthearted comedy about trying to change our ending or accepting our fate.
