I got whiplash with this movie. Thanks to Netflix churn, I was randomly alerted of this movie shortly after it was released. I saw it had Jason Segel, Jesse Plemons, and Lily Collins. I knew nothing else but decided that was enough to watch it. With that cast, I assumed it would be something funny, perhaps even darkly comedic. It turns out it is much more dark than comedic. Even the funny parts are almost too dry to laugh at. And it definitely doesn’t end like a comedy. So, I go and do my quick Wikipedia check before writing this to see if there are any nuggets to explore first. That’s where I see this is from the director of The One I Love and so much clicked into place. Oh, and the director is Lily Collins’ husband. That leaves a lot to read into as well.
Watching The One I Love was a lot like watching Windfall. There’s a couple in the middle of nowhere working out some issues. Small cast. Small but luxurious single setting. And both films have something nefarious to say about relationships. The One I Love dabbles more in fantasy, but it’s very easy to see how they came from the same filmmaker. Windfall makes a lot more sense now, but I still didn’t really care for it. Most of that comes down to the lack of specificity. We never learn what Jason Segel was doing there in the first place. We don’t figure out whose camera that is. We don’t learn many details about Jesse Plemons’ reputation. Repeatedly, when a character asks for details, they are shot down. I get the intent. The mystery should build tension. Sort of like a non-horror The Strangers. The fact that we don’t know the specifics means that anything could motivate him and we have no idea what his triggers are. The problem is, it also prevents the movie from really having a perspective. Segel is the POV character for most of it. I assume a lot simply because it’s Jason Segel, but I never learn enough to stop seeing him as Jason Segel and start seeing him as this character. Plemons feels miscast. This is the kind of movie that leans heavily on first impressions, and Plemons can’t give the first impression of an asshole billionaire. That’s more of a Jesse Eisenberg or Armie Hammer thing. Or maybe a Justin Timberlake. Just, anyone from The Social Network, I guess. Finally, there’s Lily Collins. She’s also concealed too long in order to have the surprise of her actions toward the end. Three opaque characters in an isolated location makes for an opaque movie.
Also, it’s sort of weird that this is the first movie director Charlie McDowell makes after marrying his wife*. I’m sure it’s a coincidence. The One I Love dealt with many of the same questions about relationships and that was made well before they were together. With so little else to hold onto with this, I’m grasping for anything.
*Or maybe it was made between engagement and marriage. The general point stands.
Where I ultimately land with this movie is that I like the cast well enough that it held my attention. Some of the odd humor early sustained me. That’s enough even though I never bought into the movie as a whole and didn’t care for how the story developed.
Verdict: Weakly Don’t Recommend
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