Since I don't feel especially qualified to actually write about these experiments, I thought I'd collect them into one, brief post of my random thoughts.
Dan in Real Life
Littered with every awkward, interpersonal interaction possible, yet somehow writer / director (Peter Hedges) felt it believable to end with a happy ending.Who the hell is he kidding? If you steal your brother's girlfriend (and marry her) you brother won't come to the wedding and be happy.
Absurd, annoying, and utterly ridiculous.
You can watch the trailer here:
Sideways
Oh god - this fucking movie. It's like a train wreck of male mid-life crisis bullshit. I hated every character in this movie.I'm sure some wise-ass, high-horse riding, hipster, film student douchebag is reading this and saying, "it's adapted from a novel, blah blah..." and you know what, I don't give a crap; that doesn't make the movie any less terrible.
You can watch the trailer here:
Everything Must Go
Perhaps I'm biased by loving Will Ferrell (or by having an appreciation for the source novel's author.) but I didn't hate this movie.There's also something lovely about the imagery of Will Ferrell, on the lawn, with all his stuff. I also love his stubborn refusal to accept his situation.
You can watch the trailer here:
The Curiosity of Chance
Standard, "gay teen discovers that it is okay for him to be gay" movie.Characters were fairly likable and the story wasn't too painful.
If you love high school stories, you'll likely enjoy this one, too.
You can watch the trailer here:
Butter
Oh good lord, this movie was hilarious. Oliva Wilde is such a hero; she's beautiful and has great comic timing and her character in this movie is amazing.I also appreciate how completely surreal and nonsensical the entire story is - it's charmingly absurdist and sort of Python-esque.
I could actually watch this one a second time.
...and marry Oliva Wilde.
You can watch the trailer here:
Young Adult
I hate to admit that I connected with this movie because I have moments where I feel so much like Charlize Theron's character; desperate, lonely, forgettable, and completely out of control.This was one of those rare indie flicks that really showcased the actor's ranges and acted as a reminder that some people really do go into acting out of a love for the craft.
I loved Patton Oswalt in this really understated, nerdy, socially awkward role. I also loved his chemistry with Charlize; they were this strangely perfect pair, totally playing off one another's snarky-ness. And probably best of all was that their characters hooked up and nothing came of it.
You can watch the trailer here:
Jesus Henry Christ
This movie had a bit of the same comic sensibilities as Strictly Ballroom, But I'm A Cheerleader, and Amelie. The characters were charming and the story amusing. I may go so far as to say that I liked this movie.I loved Samantha Weinstein's character - she's what you'd get if Lydia (from Beetlejuice) had a baby with Kat (from 10 Things I Hate About You.)
You can watch the trailer here:
Tiny Furniture
Generally, I dislike the manufactured honesty of indie movies however, in this case, I appreciated the "natural" interactions between the characters.The thing I disliked most about this movie was it's completely stereotypical indie ending, which is to say, "no ending at all." There was no real plot of direction to the movie, it was just a "slice of life". No story arch, no character growth, no wrap up or resolution at the end... just, "roll credits."
You can watch the trailer here:
Sassy Pants
The girl playing the lead was terrific: she was genuine, passionate, and adorable. Also. Bonus points to this movie for starring Haley Jole Osment as a fat, gay bar-tender with a good heart and a desire to shop for cute clothing. Hilarious.You can watch the trailer here:
And so, a wrap up?
If you're going to torture yourself with indie comedies - choose wisely! Hopefully, this post has been helpful in your mission.
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