My review (also on Letterboxd).

b!X | April 21, 22:09 CET

I watched it last night and LOVED IT! The script is BRILLIANT, but we pretty much have come to expect that from Joss. The performances from Zoe Kazan and Michael Stahl-David are terrific. It's such a cool, original concept and it's executed really well. The direction doesn't really stand out (I wish Joss could've directed) but it's perfectly fine. Overall, I just LOVED it! Can't wait to own it on Blu-Ray.

Xander | April 21, 22:09 CET

I actually thought the direction and the performances were the standouts, for me. Direction in terms of the look of it and feel, anyway. It's one fine looking movie, and there were certain parts I suspect weren't easy to pull off (that touchy-actual-feely scene, anyone?) but it came together well. Hey, pun!

[ edited by gossi on 2014-04-21 22:13 ]

gossi | April 21, 22:13 CET

Did anyone think the feet reference was Joss poking fun at himself?

Simon | April 21, 22:18 CET

What's the feet reference have to do with Joss?

Nebula1400 | April 21, 22:21 CET

How many people were deeply worried during the last 10 mins or so? Kept expecting something terrible to happen.

Anyway I liked it a lot, the more I think about it the more I appreciate it. Zoe and Michael were really great, they have more chemistry being apart for 98% of the movie than many onscreen couples have together.

banner | April 21, 22:27 CET

I was certainly worried, because it's, you know, Joss. But then he also does good surprise stuff, too.

Nebula1400 | April 21, 22:31 CET

I hate the Hollywood tendency for happy endings. So, when I started this movie, I was all 'one of them needs to die'. When they were running towards the sound of the train at the end, I was convinced one of them wasn't going to exist or they'd get run over, and was preparing to hate the movie as a result. I was that invested in those crazy kids. I like the happy ending, and I don't understand that feel.

gossi | April 21, 22:33 CET

gossi, you're totally right. The 'love' scene was incredible. I forgot about that. And banner, you're so right. Their chemistry was incredible and they barely shared the screen. Very well done.

Xander | April 21, 22:42 CET

I, too was ridiculously worried that something terrible would happen in the end.

- both of them being locked up with no way of convincing anybody of their connection.
- Dylan being imaginary after all. Him not being at the tracks immediately was evil!
- Rebecca not getting onto the train.

Thankfully, none of that happened. What happened was a wonderful movie starring two people with amazing chemistry. :)

Huschel | April 21, 22:58 CET

Sequel? Please?

feelinglistless | April 21, 23:11 CET

Nebula1400, I haven't seen this film, but I have a feeling it's with Joss and his tendency for a foot focus (to borrow from TV Tropes). Firefly has it a lot with the abundance of shots of River's feet. I don't know if that's what Simon is referring to or not though...

TenTonParasol | April 21, 23:20 CET

Oh, yeah! I forgot about that! Thanks for reminding me, TenTonParasol!

Nebula1400 | April 21, 23:22 CET

Anyone notice that Joss wrote a country song for this? It plays in the bar. It's when they are talking about the song. The one that Dylan tells to shut up.

Wesbi | April 21, 23:30 CET

Oh my word I am *so* relieved that had a happy ending. I was pretty much prepared for a tragic ending right from the very start and I was practically having heart palpitations in the last 10-15 minutes. I kept expecting one (or both) of them to die or for one of them to not exist. Is that the curse of being heartbroken by Joss so many times before? Or are we just so used to "twist" endings in so many movies that we've come to expect (and dread) them all the time now?

I totally agree with banner - I was thinking the whole way through the film that these two had such fantastic chemistry considering they were never on screen/in the same room together until the very end.

That love scene was so well done, I almost felt it myself. haha

I'm also really pleased that they didn't feel the need to explain the connection - it just was.

misswed | April 21, 23:39 CET

I'm watching it for the second time, and loving, loving it all over again.

Plus, the first time around I missed a lot of the dialogue. 'Benign cooties' is now on the list of my favourite Whedonisms.

I think the happy ending worked in this movie because with Joss you know that a love story won't necessarily end well, so there's actually an element of suspense that more mainstream Hollywood movies don't offer with their happy endings.

[ edited by Effulgent on 2014-04-21 23:42 ]

Effulgent | April 21, 23:40 CET

@Wesbi Was that the song? I thought it was the one they were dancing to when she was looking for her old photographs.

I watched it last at the festival and the audience really seemed to enjoy it. Lots of laughter and all that good stuff. Though, the guy next to me clapped at the end of the "touchy feely" scene. Not sure if he was serious or being sarcastic.

Anyway I really enjoyed it except I was initially disappointed by the ending. I guess I was just left feeling like there was more to tell since I feel like the authorities eventually caught up to them. However, the more I thought about it, the more it's grown on me.

[ edited by Destructo Girl on 2014-04-21 23:49 ]

[ edited by Destructo Girl on 2014-04-21 23:50 ]

Destructo Girl | April 21, 23:42 CET

I'm glad I'm not the only one who expected something bad to happen.

Once I got involved with the characters and started rooting for them, that's when I remembered it was a Joss film. I got cautious.
I really needed to watch something with a happy ending today, and I was worried - I think it may have prevented me from actually enjoying the ending, but I was definitely relieved when the credits rolled. It's a bittersweet and open ending and I'm happy with it.

The acting was wonderful (I mean, as some of you said, they're talking to themselves the ENTIRE time) and I absolutely dig the concept. I'm a bit meh on the visuals (too dark at times, very orange colours for the LA scenes) and I thought the film was a tad too predictable at times but I definitely enjoyed it a lot. It's not the most Joss-y thing that's ever been done, but it's a lovely piece of cinema and I suspect I'll watch it again before my rent time expires.

And that love scene *was* amazing.

Roxanne_ | April 22, 00:11 CET

This movie made me sweet on microbudget microstudio rom coms.

Also loved:

1. At the end, they're both running toward each other, instead of one after the other.
2. Zoe Kazan's face.
3. The soundtrack.
4. Best. Masturbation. Scene. Ever.
5. The Trailer Home of Romantic Vision.
6. The metaphor.
7. It could have been called In Your Nose, but isn't.

[ edited by Pointy on 2014-04-22 00:29 ]

Pointy | April 22, 00:19 CET

@misswed: I do think we are very used to there having to be some sort of twist, yes. But then I wouldn't be surprised if Joss, and Brin Hill, weren't perfectly aware of that and used it to their tension advantage.

@Destructo Girl: I posited in my review that the ending is going to be the sticking point for some people. I think there's no "real" way to resolve this movie's premise, since it has to either put them together at the end or not, and each option would present it's own obstacles and baggage. Me, I think what's relevant about the ending isn't so much what, specifically and in a real-world sense, would happen to them next, and more the idea behind it: that, yes, people can find a real connection but the world pretty much is going to wreck you in the process. We get, technically, the happy ending, but does Joss really believe in the idea that as long as two people have each other, nothing else matters? I don't know. And I don't think the film answers that particular part of the question, but leaves it for each viewer to settle into it as they see fit.

b!X | April 22, 00:45 CET

Such an interesting concept. I'd love to know how it was filmed. Did they actually work with each other, reading the lines for each other or were they really just responding to someone off camera reading lines?
I do have problems with the end. The filming of the last 5 minutes is wonderful. You truly don't know what is going to happen, but it doesn't so much end as stop. And I can't see any real happy ending considering all that Dylan did to get there.

Lioness | April 22, 02:18 CET

This was fantastic. I'm a sucker for well written, acted movies where people are mostly just talking to each other (Sunset Limited, the Big Kahuna...hell, When Harry Met Sally), so when that first conversation started, I was hooked.

And yay for a rom-com that takes the time to show two people falling in love rather than just telling us they are because they're in a rom-com.

It was just...wow. And for as inventive as the premise was, I've never seen a more "normal" Joss film, and it really was sold by the performances. Makes me wish it was a TV show so I could watch the next episode and see more of Rebecca and Dylan.

I'll probably be watching this at least once a night for a week, now. Those last ten minutes WERE TORTURE (especially 'cause that's when Vimeo decided to pause every 5 seconds, ugh).

Thanks, Joss. Thanks Zoe, Michael, and Brin. That just made me happy. (I choose to believe Rebecca and Dylan escape to Canada and everything goes super fine.)

[ edited by pat32082 on 2014-04-22 03:09 ]

pat32082 | April 22, 02:28 CET

@DestructoGirl You are very right about the song. My bad.

Wesbi | April 22, 02:32 CET

pat32082, I'll buy that. We'd be glad to welcome them into Canada. Someone on the other thread said something about the jerky camera. I noticed that as well at the beginning and found it off-putting. Either they fixed that or I stopped noticing it.

Lioness | April 22, 02:52 CET

I think Joss began playing with our idea that something terrible will always happen in the end. The tension in the end would not register this strongly if this wasn't a Whedon script and if we didn't have all this baggage.

I love the love making/masturbation scene, it was very well shot and acted. Zoe Kazan and Michael Stahl-David are actors I really love, so I'm glad they both get to shine in this script. If you did not see Ruby Sparks yet, please do. Zoe has an amazing scene in it and just thinking about it takes my breath away.

As much as I loved our main characters and their interaction, their side stories (especially Rebecca's) could use some development. I hated Rebecca's husband but the script didn't help at all. He was too one dimensional, something I wouldn't expect from a Whedon script. I don't mind connecting the dots or not being explained the reason why these two have a supernatural connection. On the contrary, I like how the movie just said "Why not?" and moved on. It gives me hope to one day find that connection, because... why not?

I'll have to see the movie one more time before my 72 hours are up.

under rug swept | April 22, 06:37 CET

I think Joss' foot fetish is restricted to Summer's feet, but it still might have been him poking fun at himself.

And I totally thought the ending would include death or lobotomy or something. But, really, Joss pulled a Joss by having it all seem to work out okay, because none of his fans were expecting it. So it *was* a twist!

Of course, who knows what happens next!

Tee | April 22, 08:35 CET

"I hated Rebecca's husband but the script didn't help at all. He was too one dimensional, something I wouldn't expect from a Whedon script."

Yes, it's true, but you have to assume that was a decision Joss made in the scripting rather a deficiency in the writing. From what I could see the whole thing is essentially doing what Todd Haynes did in Far From Heaven - boldly recreate the mode of one type of drama - in this case the ABC/Hallmark television movie - but then do all kinds of things you'd never find in an ABC television movie like a masterbation scene, swearing, that sort of thing. As a function of that you do need to keep some elements like relative stock, generic secondary characters.

feelinglistless | April 22, 08:36 CET

I didn't think he was one-dimensional. He cried when Diane told about the "affair". He may have been control-freakery but I think he was genuinely in love with Rebecca and wanted to act in her best interests.

Simon | April 22, 08:47 CET

Gosh, I really disagree on Philip. I think Joss and Brin have erred on the side of caution writing / directing the character to avoid making him another Cal or something, but rewatch the movie and notice how time after time he is being patronising to Rebecca. Even the joke he makes about her needing 12 hours to dress is, however subtle, a sign of his attitude: he has to rely on a cliche about women to be funny.

Philip makes no attempt to connect with his wife and quite simply he is not interested in her as a human being. His every conversation with her or about her involves self-interest and propriety.

[Compare and contrast with Dylan who is happy to have conversations with Rebecca, one human being to another, without a care in the world how him talking to himself is perceived by people around him.]

And, when Philip is being selfish, insensitive or patronising, Rebecca either laughs it off or apologises. And the movie is very much not ok with this, however minor his each individual action (except the last one) may seem on its own. A bad marriage does not have to involve physical violence or abuse to not be ok. That's what I took from Philip's character and the way he was written.

The more I think about this movie the more I understand why I like it so much, and I think it will connect with a lot of women.

[ edited by Effulgent on 2014-04-22 09:48 ]

Effulgent | April 22, 09:47 CET

Did we miss the part where Philip put Rebecca in a mental institute because she had an affair?

gossi | April 22, 10:16 CET

I thought Diane bought the "I'm not having an affair, I'm just crazy", and told Philip that. Which makes his decision slightly less awful.

Ragondux | April 22, 10:25 CET

@gossi, that's what I meant by "his last action". But it wasn't ok even before then. And consider this: for weeks Rebecca goes around talking to herself, but what tips Philip over is that she may be having an affair, i.e. slipping from his control.

Effulgent | April 22, 10:29 CET

Effulgent, I'm in agreement. Philip was a controlling dick, and her and Rebecca had lost their connection.

gossi | April 22, 11:12 CET

If you watch closely when Philip hears the news about Rebecca from Diane you see a couple of shots of his wedding ring... Then, when he has his hands clasped on his head, there is no ring!

mythtake | April 22, 11:32 CET

What was up with the photos disappearing? That didn't come across well for me.

Simon | April 22, 11:53 CET

Simon, I think Philip threw them out because he believed the last time she had "problems", the pictures, or the memories from them, were what triggered her.

And from what Rebecca said about her father...

pat32082 | April 22, 12:02 CET

Just to clarify what I'm arguing, I don't think anyone disagrees about Philip being controlling. I'm just disagreeing that he is poorly written.

Effulgent | April 22, 13:08 CET

There's a lot to love about this movie, I'm still thinking about it a day later. Another thing I'm a fan of - the lack of explanation for the connection. I don't need no science speak bollocks to explain it. It just is.

gossi | April 22, 13:30 CET

Thank God I left the video to load for almost an hour before I started watching - the lag/freezes nearly had me quit. But it was good - even with me waiting for the moment Joss ruins their young love with sudden death. I was worried for a moment there we'd get the classic it was all a dream/insane mind reality. Pleasantly surprised.

Love finally conquers all.

Although, is love going to feed them at the end of the day? How they go on from there is left for our minds to figure out.

Love the direction (Hill pulled us into the story)- actors played the roles so good. Can actually hear Joss humor and hope for these two as the story goes on.

Who else saw the 'love making' a mile a way? *hands up from first 10 min*

I'm still giggling at the thought of Joss april fooling us with a movie no one dies in or breaks our hearts.

Can I just applaud Zoe and Michael - they clearly shot in two different sets – but they made it seem as if they weren't talking to themselves but to each other. Acting.

My one neg is the side characters. While it was clear from the setting of the movie is the Two get lost in each other, the people around them fade into the background, so no obvious focus will be given to them. But, I would’ve liked ‘something’ re: the side-char– his childhood friends. At least I would’ve expected something in his parole officer or the girl that still came back even though he talks to himself. I felt invested only in the Two. But as no real attention was given to anyone else I’m not that concerned about it. (I mean her husband was clearly a patronizing ass and deserved that punch).

A second watch is definitely called for.

Side note: I would REALLY love to see the in-between. BEFORE they talked to each other and figured out the connection. When she saw him in prison or he felt her depression etc. I mean, why now – why not then?

[ edited by Mirage on 2014-04-22 19:41 ]

Mirage | April 22, 14:10 CET

I liked the film, yet it felt like a real missed opportunity to actually explore the unique premise more. Besides the masturbation scene they really didn't do much else with it. The side characters were also very weak, but I guess they weren't that important.

I didn't like the end though. It didn't really feel natural to me. Becky gets thrown into an insane asylum and has to break out? And oh yeah, now there's a high speed chase? And a train to freedom? What? It was like a completely different film to the one I had been watching for the last 90 minutes.

Kaan | April 22, 15:53 CET

Overall I really enjoyed the film. I was nice that my wife really got into it; she usually tolerates my Joss stuff and will even occasionally get into it (she watched Dollhouse live with me each week), but she doesn't understand my obsession. I thought the actors were really good; I don't know that I've seen them in anything else and this was a great introduction. Regarding Phillip, my wife and I actually talked about how his character was so unlikable but it would have been a very different movie if we loved him. Imagine if he was this great husband and great guy, would we still be rooting for them?

Unlike most, I found the love scene to be lacking, and in my opinion, a bit cheesy. I would have rather they implied it without actually showing it, and that's not because I'm a prude. I just think the execution is hard to pull off. Clearly it resonated with most, however, so I'm in the minority here.

Finally, I hated the distribution channel. Just an awful viewing experience, and I have great internet. I hope I get to see it again with out the stops and buffering. That being said, I look forward to future projects from the cast and crew.

Jelly | April 22, 16:27 CET

I'll give Joss my $5 but judging from the frustrated comments regarding the vimeo platform's reliability, I may need to resort to other means to watch it properly.

bivith | April 22, 18:19 CET

My second viewing was pain free thanks to getting out of HD mode. I already gave comments at the Vimeo site but nice to have this gentle romance from Joss. I don't have much in the way of gripes because the film is what it is, just opinions; I feel as others do that the supporting characters were very undeveloped, perhaps save for Dylan's grown-up childhood friends, the P.O. very nicely-played by Steve Harris, a film and TV mainstay, and Jennifer Grey as Diane, who brings subtle oomph to her catty, backstabbing friend role ("My lips are ziplocked" indeed). I know that Mark Feuerstein is a good actor but as written/directed he was between a rock and a hard place. In my rewatch I saw one good moment between Phillip and Becky, and that's when she says "You'd rather die than be late" ... "Thank you for knowing that about me". There was finally a little bit of warmth and spark between them, a familiarity, and while that may be the point, wish he'd been less stock villain/only concerned with appearances and more, just not right for her.

And though people are saying this film isn't typically Whedon, maybe Joss was going for an even deeper version of himself via Rebecca (and sometimes Dylan) as he did with Buffy, dealing with his fears and insecurities ("It does cover my unsightly skull"), and how when your love is right for you, it becomes your everything, your touch point, your grounding in this life. Who doesn't want that. He gets some good stuff off via the above quoted lines, including the great "benign cootie" which nice, but dull Donna doesn't get. Also, the "There's my mom. She has my eyes. A little grey with flecks of panic". Pure Joss. Thank you Joss for still believing in love, the good kind, where each person feels free to be themselves.

[ edited by Tonya J on 2014-04-22 21:03 ]

[ edited by Tonya J on 2014-04-22 21:06 ]

Tonya J | April 22, 21:02 CET

I really liked the movie. The performances were amazing and the chemistry was perfect, even without the other person in the room at the time. I could watch these actors do anything.
The dialogue was crisp and funny, the emotions were believable.
So what didn't work for me? Three things.
One: Who could not realize that people would notice them talking out loud to themselves in public? They're in love, yes, but neither of them is stupid and every time they'd start to do it again my wife and I were pulled out of the movie to talk about ways they could have made it work. Like wearing a bluetooth phone all the time. Or, I dunno, whispering.
Two: There wasn't a lot of conflict. He left before getting too far into a new crime. She got away from her husband without much trouble. I kept waiting for things to happen that never did, an ongoing feeling of anticlimax. The most conflict either of them will face is actually after the movie ends, when they try to make a new life without him going to jail for parole violation and car theft and her going back to the hospital. I'm not saying it needed to be there, only that I kept expecting it, so maybe the fault there is mine.
Three: I would have liked to have seen the ending be a bit more even-handed. While he's telling her step-by-step how to break out of the hospital, it would have been nice if she was telling him where to turn to get away from police in this town he's never been to. She didn't seem to have as much agency as he did, even to how she got on the train, and I tend to expect Whedon women to be stronger than that. Again, this may be me.

I'll definitely be watching it again, and I'd love to see a making-of feature or read the script to see what I've missed.

C. A. Bridges | April 22, 21:04 CET

C.A. Bridges: She was telling him where to go. And I thought she was very strong.

And he might have helped direct her out of the hospital, but she was still the one who got herself out. She made that choice.

pat32082 | April 22, 21:46 CET

I just realized Brin Hill is a dude. The only Brin I know is a woman, so I just assumed.

Jelly | April 22, 22:17 CET

@C.A. Bridges, Rebecca has enough agency to knock her husband out. It was a very Whedon-y moment for me.

Effulgent | April 22, 22:28 CET

I'm not saying she had no agency. And it may have been that she had farther to struggle from, that to do what she did was as much a triumph as his more showy physical actions. Just saying this is how I experienced the movie when I watched it.

C. A. Bridges | April 22, 22:35 CET

Lovedddd it.

Jaymii | April 22, 23:50 CET

I fell in love with Dylan and Rebecca, because it's a fantasy romance about the characters and not about the element of fantasy itself. I loved that so much. A couple of charmers <3

[ edited by Out. For. A. Walk. Bitch. on 2014-04-23 02:15 ]

Out. For. A. Walk. Bitch. | April 23, 02:14 CET

I didn't like it. I actually got bored watching it. Ah well.

Sunfire | April 23, 15:43 CET

Just paused it after 20mins, I love most things Joss has penned but my partner suffers from schizophrenia and I'd kept the house spoiler free so had no idea how uncomfortable it would make both of us feel. It was a bit hard to watch, I might do a run through of it in the morning by myself but I'm not sure the first thing I'll take from it is a love story!

bubblecat | April 23, 23:47 CET

I watched the movie at the Tribeca film festival which was super fun - you kinda forget that movies are meant to be watched on a big screen, you know, but when you remember -- it's beautiful.

Anyway, I thought the movie was just lovely. Simple. I was enthralled and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Yay movies!

streetartist | April 25, 00:36 CET

@Mirage


The "connection" previously only happened asymmetrically. One of them was in a rough spot and the other could feel it. When the movie happens when BOTH of them are in a rough spot. Rebecca feeling that Phil just thinks she's crazy and does the weird stuff for attention, Dylan not knowing what to do with his life after prison, trying to connect to bar-girl but failing. They both had nobody left to talk to. So they finally were able to talk to each other.

@C. A. Bridges


She did give Dylan directions. Also, this wasn't Exeter (her hometown), I believe. It was an institution different from the one her husband works in so she might not know every little corner of the place. Plus she sort of had a thing going on herself where she had to be stealthy and not attract attention and constantly shouting "go left here!" while trying to sneak past orderlies in a mental institution might have been counter-productive. Once she was outside, they were both already on foot. I really wouldn't know what else she could've done. Not sure how this makes her come off as not strong enough for a woman in a Joss project.

edit: grammar is hard.

[ edited by D-e-f- on 2014-04-25 12:06 ]

D-e-f- | April 25, 12:05 CET

If anybody's still reading this, I tried to assemble the soundtrack, and I'm three songs short. Obviously Joss' "Crumblin" I can't get, and Tony Morales' (the composer) "Acoustic"...but "Trouble I'm In" by twinbed (love scene song) does not exist on the Internet apparently, or CD.

Does anyone possibly have this somehow?

pat32082 | April 25, 12:18 CET

So I just read on IMDB that Joss wrote the script for this in the 90's and that in Graduation Day part 1, you can see on the marquee sign when Buffy and Angel walk out of the theater, "In Your Eyes" was currently playing.

eddy | April 25, 15:28 CET

http://www.craveonline.com/film/interviews/678895-tribeca-2014-zoe-kazan-and-michael-stahl-david-on-in-your-eyes

This is probably where the bit about it having been written in the 90s is from.

D-e-f- | April 25, 16:06 CET

What eddy referenced.

b!X | April 25, 21:46 CET

Hopefully not too late to the party on this, but only just watched the film.

Really enjoyed it and definitely worth the watch. I did find it a bit lacking in a few places though. Most of the things have already been mentioned, such as the horrid husband and the rather obvious talking in public that they both seemed to make little effort to disguise (the above explanation makes a lot of sense as to why they didn't just have a phone glued to their faces for the entire time.) At least the later was played for laughs in a few occasions and the former gave us that satisfyingly "thumping" good moment towards the end.

I also felt that a couple of the side stories were a little undeveloped. Dylan's attempt at a relationship with Donna was funny, but didn't seem to lead anywhere or have any fallout. More seriously, the pressure he was under from his old friends petered out too, after being built up for so long. On Rebecca's side, her husband committing her as he thought she was having an affair pushed him a little too much over from just being a dick to being a pantomime villain. I think an additional scene in which he confronts her and perhaps her trying to explain what was actually happening might have helped here or at least him having a little more evidence that something was happening to her.

Not to continue being negative (I honestly did like the film,) I wasn't too keen on the reaction from Dylan and Rebecca to what they were experiencing either. Although the film is 100% right to avoid giving any kind of explanation to what was actually happening, you would have thought that at least one of the characters would question it and want to find the cause. This is made even more problematic by one of them having a history of mental illness. Rebecca not giving any thought beyond that initial moment that Dylan might be all in her head just doesn't ring true. I also think that they would have made some sort of effort to actually meet each other before the finale. They obviously both had obstacles preventing either of them from actually traveling the great distance, but you would have thought they might have at least mentioned the possibility of actually meeting this person that they inexplicably have this incredible connection with.

As I say, I really did enjoy watching the film though. The performances from both the leads was fantastic, even more so given that they had to act to nothing for the majority of the time. The scenes in which they just talked together were really a joy to watch, particularly the playful moments, such as them dancing and the first time they saw each other in the mirror. I was moved by the story and was so relieved by the end that we actually had a happy ending. I didn't need anything beyond what we saw either; they were together now and that was all that mattered for this story.

Vandelay | April 25, 22:33 CET

I finally watched the movie tonight, and I really enjoyed it. It was funny reading some of the earlier comments, because I was also watching the end waiting for something terrible to happen. Like maybe they don't meet each other, or Dylan gets shot by some cops just as they meet each other. Especially since Rebecca and Dylan were so adorable together, it just seemed like that would get taken away from them at the last/worst possible moment. So I was very pleasantly surprised to get a happy ending out of this from Joss.

Some of the writing/characterization wasn't that great, I can agree with that. But the main scenes with Rebecca and Dylan were golden, and that's what sticks around the most (for me). I plan to watch it at least once more during my rental period, but I'm really looking forward to the day this is available for purchase on Blu-ray. My Vimeo stream wasn't choppy, but I'd love to see it in a much higher quality/color-accurate format.

skizzoid | April 26, 03:57 CET

A few years ago, Joss Whedon said (maybe at Comic Con?) that he had been going through his old unproduced scripts and read one that he said he still thought was a strong script but which read as though it was written by someone very young. I have a hunch that this was that script. We know this script was written some time ago, and the movie was charming and lovely but, for want of a better word, somewhat immature. That's not really a criticism - it's just to say that this is a script that it's hard to imagine Joss Whedon writing today.

Let Down | April 26, 04:04 CET

I was pretty disappointed by it--I had fun watching it with my girlfriend for romancey reasons, but the script and direction both were really lacking to me. I thought the dialogue sounded really strange coming out of Michael Stahl-David's character's mouth (though the actor was as game as you could hope for) and I'm not as impressed by Kazan as others seem to be--I'd say she was the weaker of the two leads, anyway. Also disappointed by how one-dimensional her husband was, indeed. Made it feel like a Lifetime movie rather than, well, a Whedon joint. The stuff with him getting pulled back into his old life went pretty much nowhere, except that it gave the movie a reason to put him in danger earlier and gave him a car to use to get to the airport.

Also, can someone explain to me why he stole the second car? He apparently had money to rent a car--he was just missing ID--but he couldn't pay for a cab? I'm a little baffled by this decision. Was it just a timing thing? He didn't want to spend time catching a cab... at the airport?

Anyway, normally I'd probably let something like that go, but as they say, if I'm noticing it then it's probably a sign about the movie as a whole. Very glad others are enjoying it, though. The world lacks for great contemporary romance films, and I'm happy that Joss & co. went for it, even if the results didn't suit me in particular.

sumogrip | April 26, 15:51 CET

The junk in Dylan's front yard is all bumper covers. How bad must the car wash be that he's coming home with so many bumper covers...

Also I really like color palette differences between New Mexico and New Hampshire and how the snow is almost a character. But seriously what's the deal with all of the bumper covers?

garyyager | April 28, 02:17 CET

Surprisingly, I thought the script was the weakest part.

It was very cliched. The husband is poorly written and a one-note villain. That and the crooks' stuff was just so predictable. I mean, I get that they wanted obstacles, but I'd just rather watch them explore their connection. Or they had to come up with better obstacles.

Also, the horrible husband character damaged the Becka storyline. I just didn't really get their relationship. It was heavy-handed without being clear. Is she depressed? Is she unhappy? What's her deal? I don't need her to be strong. You know, woman are allowed not to be strong. But they could've done better. Dylan was fantastic though.

Having said that... I loved the concept and how they didn't try to explain it. I loved the look and feel of it. And despite the things I didn't like, I was really invested in the movie and the characters. The tension at the end was palpable. I liked that there was no twist.

Ricardo L. | April 28, 11:49 CET

I liked it. My wife didn't like that the protagonists were attractive people. Same reason she stopped watching Agents of Shield. She feels like Joss should have enough power to give a female lead role to an ordinary looking woman. I made reference to the FBI neighbor in Dollhouse and she responded, "But she was crazy."

Butler | May 01, 00:14 CET

Posting before I read: finally watched it just now. Adore. I adored it completely. And I'm sure like a lot of people I just kept waiting for something horrible to happen, like the cops would catch up to them or her icky gross evil husband would show up or she would fall under the train or a thousand other things would happen before the end credits rolled but instead he grabbed her hand and they finally got to actually see and touch each other and then he credits started and I pumped both hands in the air and said, "YES!" because they won. Nya nya.

Then I saw a few bad reviews. Which I get that not everyone has to like everything that I do (*coughcrazypeoplecough*) (I'm kidding) but one person said that the duo sank into their fantasy world and let their real life slip which is only sort of true. Because once they both realized that they weren't crazy they finally for the first time were able to actually assess their lives for what they were! Because for the first time neither of them felt like they were insane! To know that fact, even a crazy one like they can hear and see someone else, had to be a giant relief and of course they were going to wallow in it! Who the heck wouldn't? And once that obstacle was removed, that constant fear they were crazy, I think they were finally confronting their lives for the first time... just, you know, slowly.

NYPinTA | May 01, 04:42 CET

I had similar thoughts, NYPinTA. I think they settled for less, because people thinking they were crazy undermined their self-confidence and self-esteem. Hence, he followed his dumb childhood buddies, despite being far smarter than they were, and she married an older control-freak (who, like most abusers, seek out easy to control partners with low self-esteem). When it became clear that they were not crazy, they began to see the people around them who preyed on their vulnerabilities, for what they truly were.

There is nothing wrong with abandoning a partner or friends who seek to control and/or exploit you.

Nebula1400 | May 02, 04:49 CET

I finally watched the movie yesterday and loved it so much. I thought it was beautiful, charming and amazing.
I'm so relieved to read that I was not the only one anxiously fearing that something bad would happen ;)
There simply are on words to describe the genius that is Joss in my opinion.

snj | May 22, 09:01 CET