Written and directed by Cooper Raiff
Stars: Cooper Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Evan Assante, Vanessa Burghardt, Leslie Mann, Brad Garrett, Raúl Castillo, Colton Osorio, Odeya Rush, and Amara Pedroso
There was a lot of buzz surrounding this movie for a couple of months. I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. I don’t understand why people love this movie.
Andrew (Raiff) is a manchild. He lives with his mother’s house. Shares a bedroom with his little brother. He works at a food court restaurant. He has no prospects. He pines away for his college girlfriend, Maya (Pedroso). While Andrew’s family is attending a bar mitzvah, he befriends Domino (Johnson) and her teenage autistic daughter, Lola (Burghardt).
I had this question when I was watching the movie. Is this supposed to be a comedy? Apparently so. Having children cussing is not funny. When Andrew becomes a “party orchestrator,” he plays WAP at a bar mitzvah. Was I supposed to be laughing at the ridiculousness? Not really.
My biggest problem with the movie is Andrew. Is this audience supposed to be rooting for him? I wasn’t. He was an asshole to everybody. He was a dick. I did not give a fuck if anything good happened to him. I didn’t care. I was not on his side.
The only saving grace of the movie is Dakota Johnson. She was the only person that made me stay and watch the entire movie. She was poignant, heartbreaking and commanded the screen whenever she was on it.
The movie tries to have heartfelt moments. It works sometimes, but other times it does not feel earned. It felt cheap, like Raiff wanted to get a pat on the back for that stroke of genius. No.
I have this feeling. I feel like Raiff is trying to do the Garden State route. The film might get some buzz, some awards and then people are going to think why I liked that movie a couple of years down the road. Something doesn’t feel right when a person writes, directs, and stars in a movie.
Rating: 6/10
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