Sunday, April 10, 2011

HappyThankYouMorePlease: Movie Review

 

Happiness, gratitude and wit all in good measure.

Based on the plot line, six New Yorkers juggle love and friendship, and the fact that it is written and directed by and starring Josh Radnor of "How I Met Your Mother" fame, one could easily assume that "HappyThankYouMorePlease" is a 3-part episode of "Friends" on the big screen. Surprisingly, that's not it at all. The humour is in the dialogue, not the situations.
2010

Directed by: Josh Radnor

Screenplay by: Josh Radnor

Starring: Josh Radnor, Malin Akerman and Kate Mara

Yes, it is about New Yorkers juggling love and friendship as they struggle with maturity and who they are as people, but on top of all of that, there's a story. There's actually a pretty good reason why this is the week that we look in on their lives. Sam (Josh Radnor) is on the verge of actually becoming a published writer, but then he meets a kid, and then a girl. The girl is Mississippi (Kate Mara) and she's the type of girl that makes you want to drop everything in your life and become the man that she would want you to be. The number of things that are wrong with that statement is exactly what makes the brilliant subtle thoughtfulness in this film so great.

I'm usually not one for trendy, snappy, unnatural dialogue, especially if it's unrealistic like "Juno" or "Easy A", but here, it's just so much more reasonable for the characters, and way funnier. There are a lot of elements that aren't particularly original, but it's also good-humoured, playful and clever enough that it all works. And, yes, I was happy at the end. Thank you, Mr. Radnor. More, please?




Recommended:

The Waterhole (2009) - Hilarious dialogue as twenty-somethings find their way through life in a bar.