Greetings again from the darkness. You might be familiar with the disease "narcolepsy", but unless you or someone close to you suffers from it, you're likely unfamiliar with "cataplexy" - a symptom of narcolepsy that causes sudden and extreme muscle weakness typically brought on by severe emotions such as sadness, anger or excitement. For Charlie (played by Martin Freeman, THE HOBBIT), the trigger is happiness, so he has learned to (mostly) cope by avoiding his triggers: puppies, weddings, random acts of kindness, kids playing, and relationships. What he couldn't avoid was being a groomsman in his sister's wedding, which is how director Jason Winer and co-writers Max Werner and Chris Higgins choose to begin the film. We see the full effects and fallout (no pun intended) of Charlie's disease.
Charlie listens to Wagner's "Funeral March" on his commute to a calm job (out of necessity) at the public library, and his co-workers have mastered the art of assisting in keeping Charlie thinking non-happy thoughts. As tends to happen in life, love finds a way. Charlie crosses paths with Francesca (Morena Baccarin), a spirited woman who appears to be Charlie's opposite in most every way ... making the attraction even stronger. At a first date to a community theatre where a one-man show titled "Great Depression" is playing, we get the full effect of the challenges Charlie faces.
Cooper (Jake Lacy), Charlie's younger brother, has been his main support system for most of his life - which is even more remarkable when we get the story of how Cooper got his name. When things fizzle between Francesca and Charlie, Cooper swoops in to date her and they set up Charlie with Bethany (a brilliantly funny Melissa Rauch). Bethany's own quirks seem to be a good fit, even if Charlie's torch for Francesca still flickers. Surely you've never seen an oboe sing-a-long to the Cranberries "Zombie", and if somehow you have, it likely pales in comparison to the one Ms. Rauch performs.
The laughs are many, yet the script and Freeman's performance remain respectful to the disease and those who suffer from it. Jane Curtin appears as Francesca's Aunt who is cancer-stricken, and no, the purpose wasn't to show a disease worse than cataplexy, but rather to show we all have challenges in life - and how we deal determines the type of person we are. The story was inspired by a segment on Chicago TV's "This American Life". It's a delightful (if you can get over the use of a genetic disease as comedy fodder) little gem that I caught at the 2019 Dallas International Film Festival, and hopefully it will find an audience.
Charlie listens to Wagner's "Funeral March" on his commute to a calm job (out of necessity) at the public library, and his co-workers have mastered the art of assisting in keeping Charlie thinking non-happy thoughts. As tends to happen in life, love finds a way. Charlie crosses paths with Francesca (Morena Baccarin), a spirited woman who appears to be Charlie's opposite in most every way ... making the attraction even stronger. At a first date to a community theatre where a one-man show titled "Great Depression" is playing, we get the full effect of the challenges Charlie faces.
Cooper (Jake Lacy), Charlie's younger brother, has been his main support system for most of his life - which is even more remarkable when we get the story of how Cooper got his name. When things fizzle between Francesca and Charlie, Cooper swoops in to date her and they set up Charlie with Bethany (a brilliantly funny Melissa Rauch). Bethany's own quirks seem to be a good fit, even if Charlie's torch for Francesca still flickers. Surely you've never seen an oboe sing-a-long to the Cranberries "Zombie", and if somehow you have, it likely pales in comparison to the one Ms. Rauch performs.
The laughs are many, yet the script and Freeman's performance remain respectful to the disease and those who suffer from it. Jane Curtin appears as Francesca's Aunt who is cancer-stricken, and no, the purpose wasn't to show a disease worse than cataplexy, but rather to show we all have challenges in life - and how we deal determines the type of person we are. The story was inspired by a segment on Chicago TV's "This American Life". It's a delightful (if you can get over the use of a genetic disease as comedy fodder) little gem that I caught at the 2019 Dallas International Film Festival, and hopefully it will find an audience.