Mark D
Just about everyone knows the most famous gem from Australia is the opal. Fewer people know what New Zealand's real gem is: It's the brilliant actor Jemaine Clement. Okay, that was a bit corny, but I'm serious. I first discovered him in the hilarious 2007 TV series "Flight of the Conchords." The show is an offbeat comedy about two Kiwi musicians and their quest to hit the big time. If you've never seen it, I highly recommend it. It had a cult following and is one of the funniest shows I've ever seen.
Clement has been in numerous films since then including the award-winning "What We Do in the Shadows." He almost always plays a lovable, intelligent nerd—he really has the role down pat. In "People Places Things," he takes his acting to the next level. Here he's not just a goofball delivering funny lines, but is far more multidimensional, and nuanced. It's nice to see him mature as an actor.
The film was written and directed by Jim Strouse who also brought us the powerful film "Grace is Gone." Here he presents us with a delightful rom-com that has a very realistic and natural feel to it. From the opening credits and interspersed throughout the movie, we're treated with light-hearted doodles and sketches, which add a bit of whimsy to the story.
We first encounter Will Henry (Clement) at his twin daughters' fifth birthday party. Everything is going smoothly until he catches his girlfriend and the girls' mother Charlie (Stephanie Allynne), in bed with their friend Gary (Michael Chemus). Needless to say, Will is absolutely devastated. Flash-forward a year and the couple is now separated. In the meantime, Will has morphed into the "fun" dad. He totally spoils his two girls and gives them everything they want. He flies kites with them. Takes them camping. He even fights with Charlie to spend more time with them. Naturally he isn't prepared to be a responsible parent. He never has food in the apartment. Relies on the pizza delivery guy for their meals. Misses their French lessons. And routinely delivers them late for school.
Will is a talented artist who dreams of publishing a graphic novel, which he labors over in his spare time. He teaches at a local college, directing his students to dig deeper into their storytelling, and encouraging them to create works that have real meaning to them and their audience. It's there that he interacts with one of his talented young pupils Kat (Jessica Williams). I immediately said to myself, please don't have an affair with her. Luckily, that's not what transpires. Kat is an observant kid and can sense his loneliness and decides to play matchmaker. She sets Will up with her divorced mother Diane (Regina Hall) who makes it clear right from the start that she's had a difficult time with relationships and she expects complete honesty from him.
There's an easy chemistry between them and they're both cautious about getting too serious. All the leads in the film worked together well. The storyline and dialogue felt totally natural, never forced. So many films of this ilk have a sitcom aura about them. "People Places Things" is definitely a cut above most of these movies. If you're looking for a refreshingly different take on the rom-com, don't miss this delightful film.
--MovieJunkieMark
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
08/11/23
Full Review
Richard L
A very human story with immensely human characters and its heart in the right place, though somehow still consistently underwhelming. Some of the dialogues are quite witty, and the script does a good job keeping things light, but there just isn't enough there to make a lasting impression.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
04/01/23
Full Review
Audience Member
Estratto ben eseguito di una comune famiglia che vive un divorzio senza grandi avvenimenti, fatto che rende più facile immedesimarsi nella veridicità della trama.
I caratteri sono costruiti in maniera credibile e ben riuscita; specialmente i due genitori sono ben delineati e coerenti per tutta la durata del film; questo permette di creare dei dialoghi onesti e reali che ricoprono un ruolo principale per tutta la durata dell'opera.
Per alcuni tratti la trama manca di un pizzico di originalità, la chiusura con il matrimonio poteva essere evitata cercando magari qualcosa di meno visto.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
02/12/23
Full Review
kate t
This is such a wonderfully funny and touching film. It's so good to see something with humor, often subtle, for the thinking class.
So many truisms on our often painful modern life depicted with love and laughs. The entire cast was great. Jemaine Clement is a stellar comic actor and the two young girls who play his daughters (Gia & Aundrea Gadsby) are both endearing and funny.
I'll watch this again sometime for sure.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
I've had the movie in my list for a while, didn't know a single soul in the cast apart from Clement (who acted briefly in the Legion). I have to say, I'm impressed with the film.
I've had my fair share of rom-com / dramedies and this one was able to avoid cheesiness, while being dry, maybe even cringe, thanks to the embarrassing dialogues that sprout here and there.
I personally liked all the characters and I didn't mind them being a bit over the lines, the writer makes it clear from the very beginning that this is something we must accept from them. If I have to pick a favorite I'd say that it would be either Will or the student that attends his classes, just because they carry most of the emotional burden of the movie.
The directing didn't shock me for its brilliance but the writing made up for that, it's allusive and provocative most of the time.
This is no Kubrick film but I'd say that it's good at being a dry romantic dramedy. It is not full of surprises, most of the scenes are easy to predict, hell, you'll be able to predict the general structure of the movie after the introduction; still, I think that this is easily one of my favorite movies in the genre, thanks to a good writing a better ending (thank god there is still someone out there who can do that) and, generally speaking, a good idea for the film as a whole.
Now I want to see more from this director.
Rated 3.5/5 Stars •
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars
01/29/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A very human story with immensely human characters and its heart in the right place, though somehow still consistently underwhelming. Some of the dialogues are quite witty, and the script does a good job keeping things light, but there just isn't enough there to make a lasting impression.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
02/07/23
Full Review
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