Premise: A homesick college freshman tries to put himself out there one night.
I’ve gotta get better at shutting my brain off and just enjoying things. I loved this movie, but I’m already frustrated by how Cooper Raiff’s career arc will go. Right now, he’s a film festival wunderkind. He’s maybe 26. He just won the Audience Award at Sundance for the also excellent Cha Cha Real Smooth. This after earning raves for his debut feature Shithouse. There’s definitely a pattern to these movies already and there is a backlash coming; the same way there was with “mumblecore”. He’s going to be too earnest or too focused on a privileged perspective. Much like with the Joe Swanberg movies, I’ll agree with all the critiques while ultimately landing on “But I like the movie and look at all the actors I like who he got in it.” And I don’t know what I’m rooting for with his career at this point. Do I want him to attempt to bring his charms to a diverse group of genres or should he just make a movie every couple years about the phase of life he was just in (Next is his marriage movie, followed by his pregnancy movie, then his parenthood movie, and his career vs. family movie)? And it’s all annoying, because I’d like to just stop and focus on the movie I just watched and really loved.
I came in ready to love Shithouse and I did. I am so impressed with this as a debut film. He tries to take on too much and it actually works. I would’ve been happy with a Before Sunrise movie of Cooper Raiff and Dylan Gelula having one magical college night together. I loved all that, and it’s only the first half of the movie. Then it becomes a cringe comedy about all the things you shouldn’t do when you like someone. He goes from 0 to stalker at a rate I found acutely familiar. He lets that go to a really ugly place. Eventually, time softens everything and he gives that really satisfying time jump. That’s my favorite choice in the movie. The film could’ve ended with Gelula’s character liking Raiff’s Instagram posts. It’s an optimistic note that lets you know he’s going to be alright and maybe there’s some hope with him and Gelula. That’s sufficient for any movie. The 2.5-year time jump is a lovely litter coda. Sometimes I appreciate a preponderance of finality. I get to see Raiff’s friend group settled in. Gelula is acting. Raiff’s still seeing his roommate on occasion. There’s an implication of so much history between Gelula and Raiff in that time, where their decision to finally date feels earned. It was all so satisfying.
Side Rant: This movie reminded me a lot of this MC Lars song “Summer Camp Love (Is So Intense)”. The song is about a boy and girl who meet in summer camp as kids and keep reconnecting over the years until they live happily ever after. It’s a 100% happy story, and it ends with MC Lars basically saying “I made this really happy story because sometimes it’s nice to just hear a happy story”. Not everything has to be like that, but it’s nice when some things get to be.
The movie isn’t perfect. There are some small things that bother me. It weaponizes my college nostalgia in a way that’s almost unfair. Also, Raiff is so charming that it’s easy to overlook how much the movie is a fantasy. Think about it. That opening night when he’s homesick and afraid he’s never going to fit in, he goes to a party where a drunk girl throws herself at him and he turns her down for sex. Then he goes back to the dorm and talks to Gelula for only a couple minutes before she then invites him for sex. Would Raiff have written it that way if he wasn’t going to be the star of the movie? It’s hard to say. Most people wouldn’t make the sad loner that approachable. Stuff like this bothers me way too much, and yes, the reason is jealousy.
There are other things to pick at this movie too, but I ultimately don’t want to. This movie made me feel good then awkward then great. I’m a sucker for a coming-of-age story and this is a wonderful one.
Verdict: Strongly Recommend
No comments:
Post a Comment