Nights and Weekends (2008)

A man and woman must face the tension that builds between them during a long-distance relationship.

Directors:

Greta Gerwig, Joe Swanberg

Writers:

Greta Gerwig (screenplay), Joe Swanberg (screenplay)

Stars:

Greta Gerwig, Joe Swanberg, Jay Duplass

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Joe Swanberg	...	James / Mattie's boyfriend
Jay Duplass	...	James' brother
Elizabeth Donius	...	James' brother's wife
Greta Gerwig	...	Mattie
Kent Osborne	...	Mattie's sister's boyfriend
Lynn Shelton	...	Mattie's sister
Ellen Stagg	...	Photographer
Alison Bagnall	...	Reporter

Storyline

The film recounts a long-distance relationship between two people, Mattie and James who are in love -one of whom lives in Chicago, the other in New York City. But too many mornings and too many miles apart have taken a toll on them. As they struggle with the distance, their visits become reminders of the difficulties, not the pleasures, of their relationship.

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Plot Keywords:

male nudity | male frontal nudity | long distance relationship | hotel room | mumblecore | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Unrated

User Reviews

Infantilism Takes Over

Though Swanberg's previous film "LOL", was not the most visually stunning, it was creative, and I found it quite interesting simply because it had something to say about how we relate to one another in this day and age. This film seems to want to say something as well, but the immature, whiny, uninteresting way the characters say it, has started to become a staple of the Mumblecore movement (to see the most blatant example of this, see "The Puffy Chair"...actually, don't).

The majority of these films been festival darlings and been fairly well-received by critics. This is mostly due to the fact that many of the films have been able to strip away the traditional Hollywood artifice from their characters and allow them to exhibit some honest behavior, no matter how awkward. However, you get the sense that these middle-class, white, 20-somethings need something to fill their time besides thoughts of their own neuroses and navel-gazing.

The allure of these films for many viewers is that the people on screen are "just like me", and the situations are "just like what happened to me yesterday". This could be interesting if only there were actually something at stake.

The NY Times review summed it up better than I can, when it stated, "The problem with the movie is that James and Mattie exhibit little but shallow, infantile neurosis, with next to no hint of a complex — or even legible — inner life."

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Nights and Weekends

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,902, 12 October 2008

Gross USA:

$5,430

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,430

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Science

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1