Izzy Gets the Fuck Across Town (2017) User Reviews

Really random, and kind of pointless, until it's conclusion.

[Hellmant · 6/10 · 20 July 2018]

'IZZY GETS THE F*CK ACROSS TOWN': Three Stars (Out of Five)

An indie comedy-drama about a desperate woman trying to get across Los Angeles, to her ex-boyfriend's engagement party so that she can crash it. The movie was written and directed by first time feature filmmaker Christian Papierniak. It stars Mackenzie Davis, Alex Russell, Carrie Coon, Alia Shawkat, Haley Joel Osment, Lakeith Stanfield, Brandon T. Jackson and Rob Huebel. The film has received mixed reviews from critics, and it's now playing in indie theaters like Portland. I found it to be mostly a pointless bore, but it does have it's moments though.

The film tells the story of a woman named Izzy (Davis). Izzy wakes up one morning in bed with a guy she doesn't know (Stanfield), or remember how she met him. She then decides she needs to get across town, in Los Angeles, to her ex-boyfriend's engagement party, so that she can crash it. Along the way Izzy meets an assortment of characters.

The film is really random, and kind of pointless, until it's conclusion. I do appreciate it's climax though, and how it unfolds, but the rest of the film I could have mostly done without. Davis is good in the lead role though, and the supporting cast is all decent as well. I was mostly bored throughout it though.

A new clerks movie not by Kevin Smith

[just_in_case · 7/10 · 20 November 2018]

Thats essentially what this is. I say this. not to call the movie derivative, but to warn you that you should watch this with that expectation. I enjoyed it, because I liked clerks and thats the kind of film this ended up being. You follow izzy along with a cast of amusing but aimless trashy LA millennials on her journey to ruin a wedding. Its even told with a indie punk OST and in 10 or so chapters with breaks just like clerks. Nothing happens the way its supposed to as this is not a julia roberts movie and it just kind of ends. I liked Mackenzie Davis quite a bit. She played the part of a more realistic mess of a pixie dreamgirl well. I was charmed and disgusted, as you should be. The reason I give it something more like a 7 as apposed to a 10 because I feel like the scenes where izzy is having emotional introspective moments she did not emote well in so you're sort of left scrounging to figure out what shes supposed to be feeling and its awkward. That and I agree with others that the ending doesn't fit the film stylistically. The outcome is fine, but the way they get there doesn't fit with the dirty punk visuals and sound to the rest of the movie. That said I'd happily go watch MD in whatever she does next and I'll be open minded towards the writer/directors next project.

"Fate and will have to work together."

[classicsoncall · 5/10 · 9 January 2019]

Move over Deadpool, you've met your match, at least in terms of vulgar language and unsophisticated taste. I was drawn to this title in the most roundabout of ways I won't bore you with, but it's something I could have passed on. There's two ways you can look at the resolution of this story. In the first instance, Izzy (Mackenzie Davis) finally comes to the realization that her idealized fantasy of getting back together with Roger (Alex Russell) was simply not going to work, knowing her own personality and recalling all the things that went bad between them the first time around. Or, she wound up executing an elaborately orchestrated revenge plan on Roger and her former best friend Whitney (Sarah Goldberg), in which case she credibly succeeded. I tend to go with the latter based on that knowing smile she exhibited as she walked away from the scene of her crime. In any case, this film will appeal to those enrolled in the Amy Schumer school of poor taste and gutter level humor, the only redeeming quality being the acting skill of Ms. Davis, who put her character through a range of emotion that not everyone could have pulled off.

Oh yeah, that song Izzy sang with sister Virginia - nails on chalkboard.

So she has to get across town

[Gordon-11 · 16 November 2019]

Izzy has to get across town to tell her ex boyfriend something. And she makes an epic journey. The most engaging scene is the one when Virginia challenges Izzy to tell something to Virginia's husband. It's a pity that this subplot isn't followed up or expanded. Izzy's journey is certainly eventful, and makes an interesting watch.

Very nice and cozy

[housebeast · 7/10 · 7 March 2019]

This indie film is very relaxing and pleasing to watch. But be warned: It starts like that but slowly, but strongly, becomes somewhat of a regular romantic comedy. Could have been great if stayed on the level of the 1st half.

Worthy.

[thegermanhermit · 7/10 · 6 March 2021]

A rollicking, often fragmented, but purposeful tale of revenge.

I really liked this film...until the last 20 minutes

[kennetharthurfrench · 4/10 · 4 October 2018]

I really wanted to like this film, despite the mixed reviews. I enjoy a lot of the cast and was especially psyched to see the talented Mackenzie Davis given a project to carry. And for the first hour or so, I wasn't disappointed. But the last act (pretty much everything after the point where she confronts her former friend and leaves the party) is downright terrible. Neither what happens to her the next morning nor the very last scene makes any sense considering what comes before. It seems tacked on, like there was an original ending that didn't play well with preview audiences. This could have been so much better.

First Review in over a decade fitting for a movie that reminds me of a decade ago

[black_starr_ninja · 7/10 · 8 November 2019]

Besides the last act, this movie is like a slice of nostalgia pie from the mid to late 2ks. The golden era of everything 'indie'. From music to film and before social media ran the world. Before all the buzzwords especially'hipster', when 'hipster' was still attached to it's original meaning more than that of a certain look or type of smug person.

I was happy to be of that time. Now I am nearly 30 and life a whole ocean away in Japan where I live 'my dream'. A great little flick that took me back to the feeling of the hustle and bustle to living that dream.

As far as performances. I will stick to Mackenzie her being the only good part to me of the latest Terminator installment made me dig into her catalogue. I hope she continues to get more and more roles. She is badass, beautiful, and groovy.

Kanpai! -Malizilla

A meandering waste of the talent on hand.

[carlostighe · 3/10 · 29 September 2018]

A meandering pointless "love" story? I dont know. Maybe. Maybe Im just old and cynical but this felt like a 16 year olds attempts at depth. It started off interesting but just devolved into bleh and then meandered into a horrible mess. Mackenzie Davis carries it but even then its nihilistic.

Really random and interesting, until its conclusion.

[codexniagra · 7/10 · 27 September 2018]

The way this film's described makes it sound like some utter tosh such as Dude Where's My Car but it's actually nothing like that. It reminds me of The Odyssey in its pinball motion from character scene to character scene. I found it hard to get invested in the actual plot or the conclusion; they felt unconvincing and a little like they fizzled out but the characters and situations along the way made it easy and entertaining to watch.

Not terrible but

[heathfilmore · 4/10 · 11 October 2018]

The end? She did all of this for that schlubby scrub? Really? He can't even grow a beard. My God... I understand he doesn't have to be a GQ model but THAT guy? Wow, I question her sanity...

Savage, angry, true

[TheInbetweener · 8/10 · 3 November 2018]

I shouldn't be surprised by the reaction to this film, in a time when indie films have to be brutally realistic, or feature decayed characters, or have scenery gnashing performances to make a mark. There can't just be chaotic, sweet little movies made about someone's ordinary life, someone's annoying, trashed, tender youth - if they don't make a profound statement about life.

But these little movies always seem to have startlingly true moments, stunningly real feelings. They're not throbbingly stylish or cinematic, so they let their characters come through, sometimes with painful honesty - Izzy manages to be a crashing fail, and at the same time, her experience of the pain of first, and long-lasting love is like a honeycomb crushed in a fist.

She's dirty, wild, funny, lazy - but look at how she folds down onto the bathroom floor and doesn't cry, but lets out this half scream, half moan as the person she's built so much of herself in has just walked away. Watch how she looks at her embittered sister who she used to be so close to, while they sing a song they put so much of their youth and essence into. There's love, there's fear, shame, longing - but there's still that dazzle of hope in her eyes. She's still young, and she hasn't been crushed into uniformity yet.

How can you not feel the truth of this? The fine line between hope and fantasy is a tightrope she walks the entire time. Is what she wants beautiful from afar, but up close, when it opens its mouth, is it just ridiculous? What is the fate she's going to make, if she decides to let go of the one she's been hitching her heart to half of her life? I wish I could've stayed with her longer to find out.

Not everyones cup-o-tea

[nonnahs25 · 7/10 · 28 September 2018]

Granted it may not speak to every viewer but its worth catching just to see Mackenzie Davis and Carrie Coon sing that Heavens to Betsy song!!!

Yeah.. no

[daisukereds · 3/10 · 8 April 2020]

There are some good moments with dialogue and interactions. The scene with her sister was definitely a highlight. They don't really say anything to each other, but you can imagine what the conversation would be like. Sadly, the whole movie is like this. When it's not some dumb content made for drunken teenagers, there might be something deeper than the movie doesn't tell you.. It just doesn't seem to work.

While I can concoct some imaginary reasons or feelings for it all, I'd rather have the writer / director tell me (in some way) what they think, or the meaning of this little photoplay they have created. At least try to hide it in some visible way that we can find in a first viewing (because I doubt people would ever rewatch this) for those paying attention. What was it that made them make it? It's almost like I wanted more.. but that would be a compliment, and it isn't.

The camera work is awful, even for a cheap-looking movie like this one. It moves too much, and I started thinking I needed to distance myself from it because it zoomed-in too much on the characters. I feel empty and bored. It's like I wasted my time.

Despite its (awesome) title, don't expect a mindless romp. Below the surface hides a masterpiece.

[rooprect · 9/10 · 1 May 2019]

Ya gotta love movies whose entire plots are summed up in the title. And as far as that goes, "Izzy Gets the Fk Across Town" ranks up there with the Coscarelli masterpiece "John Dies At The End".

As far as the story of "Izzy Gets the Fk Across Town" goes, that's all you really need to know. But just for the sake of discussion I'll describe it a bit more. "Izzy" is the quintessential "hot mess". She barely survives life crashing on someone's couch because her bank account is perpetually $35 overdrawn. Throughout the entire film she's wearing a white tuxedo jacket with wine (or is it blood?) stains all over it which is never really explained until the final act. She is an angsty musician who hasn't taken her guitar out of the box for 2 years. And yet, as all hot messes go, she deludes herself into thinking that she's in total control of her life. If you know the type, or if you ARE the type, you will love her to death from the opening scene where she's trying to sneak out of a guy's bedroom but desperately has to pee.

The plot reveals itself quickly. Izzy's lost love is about to get engaged, and in order to stop it Izzy must... you guessed it... get the f across town. But this is no easy task for a hot mess.

What unfolds is a quirky, at times random, at times deeply poetic, adventure across LA where she meets bizarre characters, sort of like Alice in Wonderland meets Planes Trains and Automobiles. Episodes are arranged in short little vignettes and introduced with teasing titles such as "2. Give me my [f**] car, dick" and this presentation works wonderfully.

Side note: I can think of 2 other films that used this episodic approach masterfully: the Japanese masterpiece "Summer of Kikujiro" and the 90s classic "Singles", both of which fit right in the groove with audiences who would enjoy "Izzy".

Lead actress Mackenzie Davis knocks it out of the park with a really endearing portrayal of a tough protagonist who's perpetually 1 cup of coffee away from a nervous breakdown. All the supporting roles are fantastic as well, each character being extremely memorable even though they float in & out of her life like existential scenery. They do leave their mark.

The dialogue is witty, fast paced and subtle. In other words, don't expect any slapstick pratfalls or fart jokes. The humor is situational, quirky and often unspoken, perhaps like "The Office" only more subtle. If you get it, you'll be entertained from start to finish.

Cinematography and editing is fantastic, artistic without hitting you over the head with artsiness. Some scenes are deliberately hyper and disorienting (split screen), while the powerful scenes are carefully shot with no interruptions.

Big bonus points for an awesome indie punk, riot grrrl soundtrack and a powerful scene in the middle where Mackenzie and Carrie Coon sing a duet of "Axemen", a classic Heavens to Betsy song.

And ok, here is the "masterpiece" part I promised in my title. Despite its breezy approach and almost self-mocking presentation, this film has some profound, poetic moments that make you stop and realize that there is a deeper message here. And if you're paying attention, even the somewhat cryptic ending (which appears to have enraged at least 1 fellow reviewer) makes complete sense and caps the film perfectly. This is one of those films which make me long for the old imdb days of discussion boards, because the right audience could really dissect this.

I won't spoil it, but the theme revolves around Izzy's seemingly conflicted attitude that Fate controls everything--but at the same she is in control of everything. Yes, that's the "hot mess" attitude I mentioned earlier, where it may seem like she has no clue what she's doing with her life, and yet... maybe she knows something we don't. It also focuses on the way we romanticize things that we don't have, or lost, in a really poetic way. Watch the flick and digest the ending, and you won't be disappointed.

I can't think of many mainstream movies to compare this to, other than the 2 aforementioned, because "Izzy" has such an original flavor. But if you liked "(500) Days of Summer" or maybe even "Juno" I think you'll love this flick.

Indie is where the heart is. Soundtrack is perfect!

[eddief24 · 8/10 · 30 September 2018]

As a Mackenzie Davis fan from (Halt & Catch Fire) it was great to see her in the lead role for this indie film, Izzy Gets the Fuck Across Town. Although it's not laugh out loud funny all the way through, i did find myself laughing at some of the situations she got herself into while trying to get to an engagement party at the other side of town, which just so happened to be her ex's.

Along the way she meets several different characters that you may have seen before either on tv or other films. Each time she moves onto another location there is a musical interlude which takes us into the start of each new scenario. The soundtrack works really well with this, and for me eventually takes us to the best scene in the show where we find that Izzy's sister is Virginia (Carrie Coon). They used to play in a band together, and we can see there is a strong hatred towards each other, however they are almost blackmailed into playing a song together by (Rob Huebel) Bennett, who is Virginia's husband. They play a 4 minute cover of Heaven to Betsy's - Axemen. While they have the guitars in hand, its not clear if they actually play as the camera is focused on both of them singing, which both of them make a fantastic job on. If you gave up on the film before this then you really missed out on a great scene.

Moving on to the rest of the film, Izzy finally ends up at the party and we finally find out why she is covered in blood. As the engagement party unfolds and we hear the cheers in the background Izzy wonders what she has done with her life and leaves the party, but not after having a go at the new fiance of course.

I shall leave my review here as there is around 15 minutes of the story still to go. I will let you figure out if you want to continue with watching the outcome.

Overall i liked this film, perhaps people shouldn't have expected too much from the plot outline, but if you want a quick hour and a half film to escape to with quirks, great soundtrack and a brilliant singing scene then this is the one for you.

It's going to be divisive.

[talismanthirteen · 8/10 · 2 October 2018]

Watching this movie was like being transported back in time to 1996 when the Indie Wave finally hit after Pulp Fiction. This film really feels like it was made in that time and released now. It is not going to be for everyone, that is certain, which was one of the best things about those other bare bones low budget slacker films of the 90's. I happen to have loved it.

There is a lot of playful anarchy going on, mostly when Izzy is getting mixed up with side characters. It is well acted, has a superb soundtrack and a manic energy you don't see in a lot of films. Loved the simple ending. If you go into it with an open mind knowing what kind of movie you're going to see, I can't see how anyone would say it doesn't deliver. I'll be picking it up on bluray.

Not really a 10/10, I liked it though

[alexfarah-53933 · 10/10 · 20 October 2018]

I don't know why people are so mad at movies these days. "Wasted talent"? No! Everyone did well, some characters only have one scene because they can't afford to have big people on set more than one day. "Pointless"? What does that even mean? Respect artists, there is no such thing as a pointless movie. At parts it was funny, at parts it was sad, corny and quasi intellectual. An actual 7 out of 10 but the reviews I'm seeing are just unfair!

The Mackenzie Show

[Shanghai_Samurai · 8/10 · 8 March 2019]

With a strong supporting cast (who gets tired of Carrie Coon? If so, you are fired as an audience member), this is truly the Mackenzie show - an often funny, sometimes frustrating, ultimately cathartic - for some, confusing - end song. Think train-wreck, one-hit-wonder, musician trying to stop her ex from getting engaged, but somehow has to get across town while her car is in the shop in her vomit-covered catering uniform from a black-out night before.

Great quirky film

[darlalatour-58455 · 8/10 · 28 September 2018]

For once, knowing what was coming didn't make the journey any less entertaining. Better acting and characters than most big studio films lately - most of them very relatable, even if over-the-top. Delightful cameos / side characters. So delightful, in fact, that I kept hoping she'd abandon her quest in favor of staying with them! Good sound track. Life is messy, at times, and this is an engaging microcosm.

nearly gave it 7, slept on it, gave it an 8

[johnpmoseley · 8/10 · 2 March 2022]

It was always a strong 8 really, at least, but the end, as others have noted, is really weak, and actually, as others have not, so is the arty, dream-sequence opening, which nearly made me switch off.

I'm very glad I stuck with it because ultimately what stuck with me were the good parts, so good they might be 9s or even 10s. And they define the whole, a frantic, hilarious odyssey through a city, in the small but honourable tradition of Ulysses, After Hours, Slacker and The Swimme, full of brilliant little vignettes and characters, sly twists and ironies, and a carefully paid out understanding of the life we're looking at. For the first half or so especially, those vignettes are something remarkable, each one almost a little movie in itself. It's simply superb writing, perfectly executed by all concerned.

MILD SPOILERS:

The third act, as others have noted, is a major bummer of a misfire, but things weaken even before that. For me, it started losing momentum at the sister's house, with the singing, which, in my view, should have been a bit of raucous, haywire acoustic punk that left everyone speechless.

And then, just finding out who the ex is, about whom all this mad dash has been about, is a huge letdown because he seems such a dullard, but also there's a terrible lack of clarity that is near the line demarcating interesting ambiguity, but neither on nor over it in my view.

The, I think, intended reading - Izzy breaks up her ex's engagement and then dumps him as revenge - doesn't seem to fit anything about her character. Much more interesting would have been if she'd been entirely sincere about wanting him back, then just helplessly shut down and ran out on it, like the true avoidant personality she probably is, putting the cap on her trail of destruction. Either way, a little rewriting and probably some recasting - of the boyfriend - would have been required.

It's really too bad it didn't quite get there. But I'm still going to watch it again for the good bits because I love them.

Lively and fantastic

[I_Ailurophile · 9/10 · 5 August 2021]

The title catches our eyes immediately, followed in short order by the rather impressive cast. Before we even begin watching we get a fair sense of what the story is going to be like, and once the movie begins, it's sharply funny and engrossing - yet also surprisingly poignant. 'Izzy gets the F across town' is an absolute delight.

Mackenzie Davis has an astounding willfulness and frenzied energy as protagonist Izzy, a hot mess with a strong force of personality and lack of direction. It's a joy to watch her in this; Davis' dry tone of voice and natural, unpretentious posture blends perfectly with the role's gracelessness and heightened emotions. Beyond even that, Davis is great at capturing the nuances of a character, and is able to express so much with even just the look in her eyes. She's a swell young actress, and I've yet to watch anything in which she stars that I haven't liked.

The camera is highly attentive to Davis as Izzy stumbles, desperate and haphazard, through a few hectic hours of single-minded intent. Along the way she crosses paths with characters who only add to her misadventure, with Alia Shawkat, Haley Joel Osment, and Annie Potts - among others - embodying these characters with every ounce of the skill and range we know they possess. Though it doesn't come to subtle fruition until the very end, there's a lesson in these travails for Izzy, a spark of meaning beyond the preposterousness and humor that her incidental acquaintances readily bring to the picture.

In later moments when the dust is allowed to settle, Davis is allowed to open up as an actress and fully realize Izzy beyond the stubborn go-getter we first meet. It's no less entrancing to watch Davis take a more dramatic turn than what we often see from her, and it makes the film more rounded, too.

Beyond just the characters and story, there's further intelligence behind the movie in those details that make it a complete experience. Izzy's day is nominally divided into segments, and title cards precede each with stylized text and imagery imping homemade posters for DIY punk shows. This merrily mirrors the soundtrack, filled with raucous music befitting the protagonist's somewhat wild and bullheaded temperament. As if the feature weren't lively enough on its own, the rock greeting our ears maintains the tone and energy as the narrative unfolds. It's a great treat that we're also gifted with a scene of Davis singing; I'd happily watch this moment over and over, not even taking into account that it also includes a key interaction between characters that is a keystone for the story, and for Davis' performance.

Filming locations and set decoration are swell, and the attention to details for the cast - hair, makeup, wardrobe - are more substantial still. These aspects lend to the madcap abandon and vigor of the characters, and of the movie generally. Everyone involved is to be commended for their contributions to a title that's simply fun and engaging from start to finish.

I'm already well enamored of Davis and am always glad to see her in a film. I'm much less familiar with writer-director Christian Papierniak, but they have concocted a wonderful comedy - with a small measure of drama - that is a bright spot on any day. 'Izzy gets the F across town' is marvelously entertaining in every regard, and it's super to see the cast in these roles. I have a hard time not recommending this to just about anyone, and it's well worth seeking out.

What you do for love

[michaelRokeefe · 8/10 · 30 January 2019]

Izzy (Mackenzie Davis) is a young woman that wakes in a fog hung over, a hot mess in a hot mess, distraught finding out from social media that her ex-boyfriend is planning to marry her former best of friends. Izzy is headstrong and determined to bust up the engagement party; a major problem is she has about five hours or so to make it across Los Angles and she is transportation challenged.

This indie-comedy is painfully honest; chaotic, manic and somewhat lewd and crude. Izzy is tattered and torn, her feelings and self-confidence are scrapping rock bottom, but the desire and determination in her heart is not going to let her mission fail. Miss Davis is fantastic and she had me hook, line and sinker. Also in the cast are: Alex Russell, Carrie Coon, Alia Shawkat, Brandon T. Jackson, Haley Joel Osment, Lakeith Stanfield and Rob Huebel.