FILM-FORWARD.COMReviews of Recent Independent, Foreign, & Documentary Films in Theaters and DVD/Home Video
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Adulthood has not been kind to Louise (Laura Linney).
Stuck as an admissions administrator at Columbia University, she
spends her nights alone except for a brief visit
from her sole friend, her philandering ex-husband (Gabriel Byrne). It’s no wonder she still
dreams of the past and the love of her life, her deceased high school
sweetheart.
When Louise happens upon an application
from someone with almost the same name as her beloved boyfriend, she arranges an interview
under false
pretenses and discovers that the applicant, F.
Scott (Topher Grace), bears a striking resemblance to
her dead lover.
Just moments after their introductions, Louise takes
F. Scott back to her apartment, which leads to a clumsy
session of impulsive sex. Here, director Dylan Kidd makes
clever use of uninterrupted takes and shots, which
capture each stirring breath and awkward
fumble, refreshingly free from a romanticized
ideal. Along with the possible reincarnation of Louise’s lost love
comes the return of Louise’s high school friend Missy
(Marcia Gay Harden), who originally stole away the
original Scott, and who makes a play for Louise’s new
beau.
The uninterrupted shots add a strong dose of realism
to a film based around a premise that may initially
seem far too implausible to be taken seriously. But the use of detailed conversations and the
small dramas of daily life build a trust with the
audience. While
Kidd returns to his theme of a younger
man and an older woman (Roger Dodger), this film has a more
flowing style. Gone are the jerky camera angles, and
this time, thankfully, the younger man is more than
legal age. Laura Linney and Topher Grace give off sparks, and Marcia Gay Harden shows a
knack as a vamp. However, the
film becomes lost in its conversations.
Instead of giving screen time to the drama and
tension unfolding, the film focuses so much on the
small details that we are only given a glimpse of the
relationships unfolding. Adrienne Urbanski
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