Starring: Cooper Raiff, Dakota Johnson, Vanessa Burghardt, Leslie Mann, and Brad Garrett
Directed and Written by: Cooper Raiff
I am a fan of most of the movies and T.V. shows that have been produced for AppleTV+. I liked Palmer, Dickinson, and, of course, Ted Lasso. So before my mom’s free trial for AppleTV+ ended, it only made sense that I tried to watch as much content as possible.
In this movie, I was surprised to see so many well-known faces because I originally thought of this as an indie film. However, I was pleasantly surprised to see that even with those big names, the special qualities of a smaller budget film were still in tact.
The film takes place in New Jersey (even though it was filmed in Pennsylvania) and as a New Jerseyan, I appreciate that. They didn’t make rude, over-used Jersey jokes and I appreciate that, too. Thanks for being better than that, Cooper.
Overall…
The dialogue was, is there even a word for it? It was so unique and did not feel regurgitated at all. Sometimes conversations in movies feel so unreal and 2D, but the conversations in this movie felt like ones I have had before. It felt like watching a distant memory come back to life. In addition, the directing is well done, the situations presented are honest and humble, and the actors really work with the story.
One major thing that stuck out to me is how “too perfect” Andrew (Cooper Raiff) is. I mean, he is nice and goofy and gentle, where are his flaws? In a story that felt real, his character is the one thing that made me step back and pulled me out of the story. I have never met anyone who acted like he does. I know he doesn’t have a great job and doesn’t have a lot of friends, but he was a truly good person and I think those type of people are just really hard to find in real life. But, maybe that is part of what the story is about anyway.
Should you watch it?
Yes, I think this movie is worth the watch. Sometimes it can get cheesy because, like I said, Andrew is just too nice. (I think he needs a fight scene earlier in the movie.) The story beautifully showcases how people of different ages can interpret situations very differently due to their different life experiences and the different lessons they have learned, or have not yet learned, along the way.
My Rating: 6.75/10
Maybe you’re not as cynical as I am, and will be ok with the character of Andrew being so nice. He does make mistakes, I am not saying that he doesn’t, but he is just a gentle soul and I don’t tend to meet many of those. My loss really.
Favorite Quotes
“Well, if you ever want anyone to talk to, I have massive ears.” – Andrew
“Being depressed is like not knowing what better feels like… and the things that will help me are the things that scare me the most and I just can’t do them.” – Domino
Sentence Summary
When Andrew is at a tipping point in his life, the right people enter the party and lead him in the direction he needs to go to better his life and his future.
Aloha Arianna 