Self Reliance (02.23.24)

 

There is a thin line between a mediocre movie that makes me sad and angry for having wasted my time on it and a mediocre movie that is harmless but that one can still appreciate for its intent and vibe. This distinction is in no small part thanks to the budget and personal touch that a picture enjoys. If it’s a big ol' wide release with a bajillion dollars behind it and it sucks I will judge it a lot harsher than I would if it were a not-very-good indie project. I like Jake Johnson and I wanted Self Reliance, which he directed, wrote, and starred in, to be good. It is, unfortunately, pretty middling, but that doesn’t mean I hate myself for watching it.  

The plot is patently absurd—Jake Johnson’s character, finding himself in a rut, agrees to participate in a dark web-hosted gameshow in which he could win a million dollars if he survives thirty days of being hunted by various professional assassins. He quickly finds a loophole, however: Participants can only be killed when they are alone. During his thirty days he forms an alliance with a fellow player played by Anna Kendrick, reconciles with his father, and learns to live every day to its fullest. To say that this set up requires a healthy dose of suspension of disbelief is putting it mildly, and the film makes the unfortunate choice of playing this silly premise more or less completely straight, stretching its acceptability to the breaking point. I would not have been nearly as bothered by the illogical nature of the game if the film were played as an absurdist comedy, yet the film never goes as far as it should, instead insisting that we take things at face value.  

Self Reliance has its amusing bits, yes, but it is not what I would call funny, which is a darn shame considering the talent behind it. And if you got the impression that it is an exciting film from my description you would also be mistaken, as the menace doesn’t ever feel too inescapable, nor is it the type of movie to have drawn-out fight scenes, gun fights, or explosions. It is much more character driven, and it’s not even really great at that, as the characters are fairly one-dimensional and bland. Anna Kendrick’s character in particular is completely devoid of anything even resembling an arc, her personality a mystery even at the end of the film.  

So why didn’t I dislike Self Reliance more? I guess it’s because the movie and the people who put the work into making it had their hearts in the right place, which goes pretty far for me when it comes to judging films. It’s short, has a few feel-good moments, and ultimately I didn’t hate that I spent a bit of my evening watching it. It could have been better and should have been better, but it could have also been much, much worse.    

Self Reliance is now available on Hulu.  

 

This review was first published in the Keizertimes on February 23^rd, 2024. Visit at www.keizertimes.com

Upgraded (02.16.24)

 

Much like action films, romantic comedies do not necessarily have to reinvent the wheel to be enjoyable. I would argue, in fact, that to be successful romcoms only have to do two things: Be funny, naturally, and also bring the warm fuzzies. Amazon Prime’s new Upgraded is predictable and boasts a hook that isn’t particularly interesting, but also left me with a smile on my face thanks to its strong performances, well-written jokes, and an unexpected deeper theme or two.

Upgraded has some romance in it, yes, but the centrality of this love affair waxes and wanes in concert with the focus on main character Ana’s up-and-coming art career. Like so many other romantic comedies of its ilk, the biggest conflict is set off by a simple white lie that spirals out of control, in this case the lie that Ana (who is played by Camila Mendes of Riverdale) is a fancy curator instead of an art house intern, a seemingly harmless fib that comes about when her flight ticket is upgraded from coach to first class. Sure, this set up results in her falling in love with a hottie named William (Archie Renaux of Shadow and Bone) in London, but it also sets the scene for an interesting (if mostly surface-level) look at the topic of women helping women in the professional world. Upgraded is about ambition as much as it is about love, a duality that is being seen more and more in our modern-day romcom films.

Romantic comedies are only as strong as the chemistry between the leads and the performances of each, and Mendes and Renaux both prove up to the task. Their supporting cast is equally as delightful, particularly Anthony Head of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame as the campy Julian and Marisa Tomei of every preteen’s sexual awakening as Claire, the actual fancy curator who could give Miranda Priestly of The Devil Wears Prada a run for her money in the mean boss department. They’re all character archetypes that have been done to death several times over, mind you—the quirky best friend who offers relationship advice, the hunky love interest who is rich but doesn’t care about riches, the sassy gay pal, the wicked stepsister-esque coworkers—but they are done so well here that you could forgive the film a bit for trafficking in cliche. 

And do you know what? Upgraded is actually pretty funny when it wants to be. It’s not super jokey, by any means, but when this romcom goes for the com it mostly succeeds (my favorite joke comes from when Claire asks one of the wicked stepsister-esque coworkers what’s wrong with her and she answers “so many things”-- just brilliant delivery by Rachel Matthews, whose character is mostly there just to be hated up until that point). When it wants to go for the aaaws it also mostly succeeds. When it comes to this particular genre I don’t think you need much else to walk away satisfied.

Upgraded is now available on Amazon Prime.

 

This review was first published in the KeizerTimes on February 16, 2024. Visit at www.keizertimes.com/