Flannel Pajamas (2006)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Jeff Lipsky

Writer:

Jeff Lipsky (writer)

Genre:

Romance

Plot:

A story of one couple falling in and out of love.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Friend | Best Friend | Bare Butt | Drug Use

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Justin Kirk	...	Stuart Sawyer
Julianne Nicholson	...	Nicole Reilly
Rebecca Schull	...	Elizabeth
Jamie Harrold	...	Jordan
Chelsea Altman	...	Tess
Michelle Federer	...	Tara
Tom Bower	...	Bill
Stephanie Roth Haberle	...	Megan
George Riddle	...	Calvin
Lauren Bittner	...	Amanda
Stephanie March	...	Cathy
Kirby Mitchell	...	Winston
Tracy Sallows	...	Barbara
Richard Robichaux	...	Marc
Geoffrey Nauffts	...	Peter

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexuality, graphic nudity and language.

Runtime:

USA:124 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, USA

Company:

Gigantic Pictures

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Nicole and Stuart go to Missoula, Montana for Christmas (the middle of winter) and yet all of the shrubbery and potted plants (none are evergreens) at the family's house are still green. Montana winters are not known to be overly mild and kind to plants.

Movie Connections:

References "Pokémon" (1998)

Too much, too long

Flannel Pajamas is the new independent film about the relationship of two individuals who go through the step-by-step analysis from first-time meetings, to eventual physical affection and then emotional exchanges. Unknown writer/director Jeff Lipsky deconstructs the abnormal psyche of two people, Stuart (Justin Kirk) and Nicole (Julianne Nicholson) and shows the viewer intangible sphere of their association.

Admiring the courage of two leading performances would be an understatement. Kirk and Nicholson completely engage themselves in their respective roles. The story begins with Stuart and Nicole meeting on a double date. Flirting, paranoia, dilemma, and heated discussion both fuel each other to more intrigue in the other. After their meeting we begin on their relationship road, and a very bumpy road at that. At first, the two seem like such a perfect match despite their differences. Stuart is a confident, money making man, who gives off the sense of inner-conflict but exceptional at hiding it from the viewer as well as Nicole. Nicole on the other hand, has a cute as a button persona who just happens to be living in an apartment with a communal bathroom. Her yearn for a man with financial and emotional stability is evident and Stuart seems to be the answer for her.

Unfortunately the film's emotional centers aren't really there. Even though you can find a bit of every love/relationship film ever made in this film, some real life issues need not to be shared. Lipsky's heart was in the right place when writing the film but his choices of leading the viewer through the tale were falsified by the fact that this is a love/relationship film. Justin Kirk, best known for his bravura performance in Angels in America, completely wears his role with such confidence and inevitable downfall of Stuart is shown remarkably by Kirk. The meeting with Nicole's Anti-Semitic mother gives Stuart the freedom to stretch out his legs and walk through a film which many will/have not enjoyed and give it a more even potent center.

Julianne Nicholson gives that brave and tortured performance that every actor dreams of. Despite spending half the film in the nude that is not the reason why it is "brave" as some critics like to throw in when someone does spend screen time like that. It's what she does when she's clothed and unclothed and her expression of words, her facial transformations in an instance, and even more, giving Nicole a sensitivity and humanity of sheer velocity. In the coming years, I have a feeling we could be hearing Nicholson's name at some award ceremonies.

Although I'm afraid the performances aren't enough to carry a film like this through to the end. Hallow centers and underdeveloped characters are just too much of an imperfection in portrait already pre-painted a little fuzzy. Engagement is vague but emotion is manifested wonderfully.

Grade: **1/2/****