Writer and Debut Director Amy Landecker draws off her own experience playing a woman trying to reinvent herself after divorce. The film is a little slow getting started until her best friend (Missi Pyle) suggests that this great looking, but depressed, now single real estate agent, return to her passion for acting by taking a class. Here, Landecker gets to use her own history for comedy drawn from hearing stories of LA acting coaches. Liz (Gaby Hoffman) coldly teaches a class of enthusiastic Gen Z hopefuls and the way she treats them is so deadpan, it’s funny.
Watch our interview with Amy Landecker talked about her vision doing this low budget film, broke down scenes and talked about directing her real life husband, Bradley Whitford. Q & A with Amy, her father famed DJ John “Records” Landecker, and Bradley Whitford at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre, soon.
When Lauren is put on the spot to to do a dramatic scene with cute young Sean (Nico Hiraga), she delivers a serious monologue that impresses her classmates, but, as expected, not so much Liz. Lauren is assigned to rehearse with the young actor wannabe which leads to a sexy, flirtatious relationship.
This is where the film takes a turn as Lauren, still awkward but gaining self-confidence, starts to be more animated and open to meeting new people. She even bonds with some of the other kids in class. It’s only when picking up and dropping off their daughter, that she has to deal with her ex (Paul Edelstein) and his hot young social influence maven (Angelique Cabral), that she is uncomfortable again.
When fellow acting classmate, Maria (Kiersey Clemons) invites the whole class to her gay wedding to Justine (Briana Venskus), Sean wants to go with Lauren, until they get to the wedding. There’s a scene in the kitchen where Lauren compliments the father of the bride, Dave (Bradley Whitford) on his beautiful home, but he lets her know his ex, whose standing there with her new mate, got it in the divorce. During that scene, Whitford (real life husband of Amy Landecker) flashes what we noticed was a little flirtacious glance her way. (find out more about how it was directed in our interview.)
Lauren proceeds to the ceremony and the beautiful nuptials but Sean is having a good time with a hot blond guest. Lauren is now on her own and after a run in with a slimy character we didn’t think was necessary, she and Dave bump into each other. It’s clear there is an attraction which takes Lauren on a much more satisfying journey.
As in just about every rom com where there’s a wedding, as in Bridemaids, there’s an incident with the wedding cake that creates a calamity during the festivities to break up the action with comedy. And this one’s a doozy we actually witnessed at a friend’s wedding a few years ago, right onto the dance floor. Who will save the day?
It takes awhile for this to get rolling with Landecker sometimes taking situations to extreme for emotion or laughs. But she develops her character better in situations she has obviously experienced herself, with a chance For Better in the end.
Brainstorm Media 1 hour 30 minutes Not Yet rated
