Language Lessons

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Language Lessons

Released Sep 10, 2021

1h 31m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

96%

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97 Reviews

83%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

When Adam's (Mark Duplass) husband surprises him with weekly Spanish lessons, he's unsure about where or how this new element will fit into his already structured life. But when tragedy strikes, his Spanish teacher, Cariño (Natalie Morales), becomes a lifeline he didn't know he needed. Adam develops an unexpected and complicated emotional bond with Cariño--but do you really know someone just because you've experienced a traumatic moment with them? Bittersweet, honest, and at times darkly funny, LANGUAGE LESSONS is a disarmingly moving exploration of platonic love.

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Critics Consensus

Language Lessons extols the value of friendship with a simple story rendered all the more effective by its pure spirit and the chemistry between its leads.

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Callie Petch

Little White Lies

Morales' assured direction, and the Zoom meeting conceit, really enhances the material.

Oct 19, 2021

Full Review

Allison Shoemaker

Fox 10 Phoenix

The odd contrivance here and there can't diminish the potency of this deeply empathetic, entirely platonic rom-com.

Sep 16, 2021

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Roxana Hadadi

RogerEbert.com

Language Lessons is an alternately comforting and challenging watch ... making plain the winsome appeal of films about platonic love.

Rated: 3/4

Sep 11, 2021

Full Review

Calum Cooper

In Their Own League

In avoiding romance, Morales and her team explore the value of human life and connection in poignant, delightful detail.

Rated: 4/5

Jul 15, 2024

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Andrea Thompson

A Reel of One's Own

Morales has had a steadily successful career as an actress, and more recently has just as quietly built up her director bonafides, and hopefully “Language Lessons” is a sign of a promising new(ish) direction.

Rated: A-

Dec 19, 2022

Full Review

Zoë Rose Bryant

Loud and Clear Reviews

Language Lessons is a poignant “platonic romcom” powered by two persuasive performances from Mark Duplass and Natalie Morales and a soulful script.

Rated: 3.5/5

Sep 1, 2022

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Joan

Surprisingly complex & emotional. Not what you would think after the initial lighthearted beginning. Absolutely loved it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/18/21

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Noel

Really a quality film,well directed and acted

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/17/21

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Don A

This movie relies on the performance of two and only two actors. That could be an issue but the performances and writing carry this movie seemingly effortlessly. Rather than getting tired of the scenes between Morales and Duplass, I actually looked forward to the next exchange between them.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

02/25/24

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Dani C

The perfect movie. A whole story captures on Zoom calls - it's intimate, charming and fresh. A must see.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

05/21/23

Full Review

dave d

Mark Duplass and Natalie Morales collaborated on a charming film that is fairly predictable, but carried by the strength of the writing and performances of the duo. This is a covid-19 webcam film that isn't about covid. The concept and filming took place in lockdown/covid periods, but this film has no mention of either. Overall, it is an endearing movie that flies by and is well executed by Morales in her directorial debut. Final Score: 6.9/10

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

04/03/23

Full Review

Wayne M

Language Lessons is a perfectly formed small film. A film about human connections, beautifully acted and written. An absolute two hander, this film was created during the pandemic but doesn't suffer at all from its small nature. Mark Duplass and Natalie Morales wrote this film together and are the stars as well. Morales was also the director and has done a great job. Adam is surprised by his boyfriend when he is given Spanish lessons. Adam actually speaks quite good Spanish so it's more of a brush up. His teacher is Carina and she is based in Costa Rica so lessons are conducted via Zoom. But despite the distance they have an instant connection and form a bond. Slowly they learn more about each other and become even closer when tragedy occurs. The two leads have great chemistry and turns this small film into a beautifully observed film about human connections and vulnerability.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/03/23

Full Review

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Natalie Morales

Director

Mark Duplass

Adam

Natalie Morales

Cariño

Desean Terry

Will

Christine Quesada

Cariño's Cousin

Mark Duplass

Screenwriter

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Language Lessons: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

When Adam's (Mark Duplass) husband surprises him with weekly Spanish lessons, he's unsure about where or how this new element will fit into his already structured life. But when tragedy strikes, his Spanish teacher, Cariño (Natalie Morales), becomes a lifeline he didn't know he needed. Adam develops an unexpected and complicated emotional bond with Cariño--but do you really know someone just because you've experienced a traumatic moment with them? Bittersweet, honest, and at times darkly funny, LANGUAGE LESSONS is a disarmingly moving exploration of platonic love.

Director: Natalie Morales
Producer: Mel Eslyn
Screenwriter: Mark Duplass, Natalie Morales
Distributor: SHOUT! STUDIOS
Production Co: Duplass Brothers Productions
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 10, 2021, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 25, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $73.3K
Runtime: 1h 31m

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