In my opinion, Neil LaBute's latest film just ends up amounting to pretentious babble. He wrote the screenplay, based on his stage play, but the direction here is done by Daisy von Scherler Mayer.
Prior to his impending marriage, Adam Brody (he's given no name in the movie) is traveling around the country trying to find and meet with five women from his past that's he's selected. Apparently, he feels he's wronged them in some way and is trying to make sure all can be forgiven and forgotten. He's a teacher and writer, with his latest article, in The New Yorker magazine, on his relationships with women receiving lots of acclaim and even getting him a movie deal.
The five women he meets, in order of appearance are Jennifer Morrison, Mia Maestro, Emily Watson, Zoe Kazan, and Kristen Bell. All these actresses are very talented and perform well in their meeting with Brody, with Bell's performance a real stand-out, in my opinion.
However, we soon see that these attempted amends by Brody are half-hearted and insincere, not honest attempts like you might find in a 12-step program. The conversations end up being very awkward, talky, at times mean-spirited, and quite pretentious.
Very late in the film, we get a twist in the plot that makes the whole film just seem even more seamy and ugly.
I would say, although this may work better on stage, it doesn't have the sharp and cohesive dialog to work on screen, and never meshed for me as entertainment. A disappointment from Neil LaBute.
Prior to his impending marriage, Adam Brody (he's given no name in the movie) is traveling around the country trying to find and meet with five women from his past that's he's selected. Apparently, he feels he's wronged them in some way and is trying to make sure all can be forgiven and forgotten. He's a teacher and writer, with his latest article, in The New Yorker magazine, on his relationships with women receiving lots of acclaim and even getting him a movie deal.
The five women he meets, in order of appearance are Jennifer Morrison, Mia Maestro, Emily Watson, Zoe Kazan, and Kristen Bell. All these actresses are very talented and perform well in their meeting with Brody, with Bell's performance a real stand-out, in my opinion.
However, we soon see that these attempted amends by Brody are half-hearted and insincere, not honest attempts like you might find in a 12-step program. The conversations end up being very awkward, talky, at times mean-spirited, and quite pretentious.
Very late in the film, we get a twist in the plot that makes the whole film just seem even more seamy and ugly.
I would say, although this may work better on stage, it doesn't have the sharp and cohesive dialog to work on screen, and never meshed for me as entertainment. A disappointment from Neil LaBute.