Delayed Reaction: Comet

The Pitch: (500) Days of Summer, but more fucked up.

There's no way for me to talk about this without mentioning two things: Sam Esmail and (500) Days of Summer. This is written and directed by Esmail, better known now for masterminding Mr. Robot. Knowing that is a great way to go into this, because his fingerprints are all over this. The narrative is confusing, which is the point. He plays tricks with the storytelling, such as when he reveals at the end that one of the stories is being told in an alternate dimention in which the Earth has two suns. The structure is undeniably similar to (500) Days of Summer too. I wouldn't even be surprised if Emmy Rossum or Justin Long were considered for the Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt roles a few years earlier. There's obvious differences and the thematic points of the two films are very different. I'd almost argue that Comet shares more DNA with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Either way, I'm talking about how it's similar two movies I love.

More importantly, I'll watch just about anything with Emmy Rossum (Starting with Genius all the way to Shameless) and Justin Long is just plain watchable. Long isn't the best at any one thing, but he's always right for the part he's cast in. That's a skill. Rossum gets the more interesting role in Comet. I'd say that her character has a real edge to her if I didn't have years of Fiona Gallagher to compare to. I'm not really sure why she hasn't had a bigger chance to be in a major film yet. It's pretty much The Phantom of the Opera and a few other supporting roles. She's way better than that.
Similar to Mr. Robot, I found myself more caught up in the puzzle than the story. And the movie isn't supposed to be about the puzzle. It's supposed to be about the relationship and what is learned with the different perspectives. It's missing that thing I can't shake. The thing about the movie that I feel compelled to revisit. Perhaps that will develop in time. As is, all the pieces are there for a movie that I would really love*, but it falls short.

*I'm a sucker for playing with story mechanics. I really like the leads. It's not trying to find easy answers.

Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend