Mixed Signals

I wonder if in this day and age people will always assume the cinematic equivalent of twenty-somethings as being individuals who are confused, stagnant, and searching. By the work of the trio of writers (yes I said trio) and pair of directors (if it didn't work for Casino Royale, why would you need more than one director) the answer is yes, twenty-something's lack of motivation and focus should be considered a national crisis and the CDC should intervene. Why would anyone want to spend time with a triumvirate of hedonistic, arrogant, narcissistic whiners is beyond me. No discernible plot is seen here and the mood among our leads keeps shifting as much as the locations we see them travail through. Maybe if the director(s) and writer(s) remembered a masterpiece like Sex, Lies, & Videotape they would learn the concept of subtlety, nuance, meaning, and true pathos. The fluff they concocted is insulting to a former twenty-something like myself. If they couldn't do something remotely original on the eternal theme of 'individuals lost in a mass of individuals' why not make a film where everyone knows what they want and know where they're going. It may not be a good film but infinitely more promising then the one on view.

Alex, Nick, and Judy are friends in Los Angeles. Alex is the one with the hotshot job and the lethal spending habits. By his own confession, he has 40 plus pairs of shoes. On the other hand, Nick is relatively poor, as he slaves away in a coffee shop while writing, hopefully, the great American novel at night. And, Judy has a routine career in the cosmetics department of an upscale shop; she also has a suitor named Bob who, though never seen, appears to be an upwardly mobile, straight-arrow, true gentleman. They need each other desperately, these three friends, for each is trying to muster the support to avoid their approaching futures. Alex knows he cannot continue his feeding-frenzy purchases, his unethical job habits, and his unrealistic love interests, yet the other shoe has not fallen yet. Making it big as an author, Nick admits, is achieved by so few and, still, he can't fathom a life without writing. Judy, meanwhile, doesn't know whether she wants to accept Bob's marriage proposal. Should she play it safe or wait for adventure? And, how many people get their engagement rings sent by UPS anyways? This movie is an understated and not quite successful look at life's difficult choices and consequences. Everyone is always asking themselves, aren't they, if outward appearance matters more than inner goodness, if dreamy possibilities are better than semi-satisfying realities and so on. The script has a mix of great and more mundane qualities and the pace is slower, so the movie will only appeal to those who like their films on the subtle side. Langton is very lovely and acts well, and the male friends are also quite appealing, however, so these factors add to the movie's enjoyment. Try this one if you like to ponder life's unanswerable questions and want to watch beautiful young people grapple with the same.

If you are a older than a "Gen X-er," this film probably won't have you saying, "Oh, to be young again!" You also might ask, "Was I this self-absorbed and obnoxious when I was their age?" Brook Langton is a twenty-something with thoughts of striking out on her own career when her boyfriend calls from out of town to propose marriage. She then spends the first half of the film hanging out with two male friends (Jason London and Peter Johansson) trying to decide what to do. They are so self-consciously cute and (un)funny that you may give up on the film before the end. I almost did.

In the second half, however, things pick up somewhat and your interest may grow as the relationships change and get more serious. Even so, this is a marginal movie; someone who watches a lot of films about relationships might go for it in a small way, but more casual viewers may not want to invest the time.

O.k., so Reality Bites did much the same thing several years before this movie came out, certainly there's plenty of angst to go around.

This movie isn't perfect, as there are several places along the way where the acting / writing / directing does misfire, but this is a good movie that resonates true as three college friends try to figure out what life after college holds for them.

All three leads are eminently watchable on screen, as all are sympathetic characters despite their flaws. Jason London's self-absorbed credit-card spender shows us why we keep people like him as friends.

If anything, these characters, while still recognizable as X-er archetypes (the shallow biz dude, the waffling woman who can't decide to commit, and the tortured artist in unrequited love) are more real than many other attempts to put them on screen.

A solid piece of work from young writers, directors and actors. Definitely worth a rainy-day rental.