Rating of
3/4
No laughing matter.
memento_mori - wrote on 12/25/13
Just when I thought a romantic comedy couldn't be philosophical.
The fact that Joseph Gordon-Levitt is a natural writing and directing talent is embodied in his debut film wholeheartedly. I say that because I don't think there is a single moment where his writing seems unnatural or where a character isn't reminiscent of a type of person you may encounter outside of a 90-minute film.
The film is very subjective. It is funny, but I bet if you went to see this film one evening while drunk, you would most likely leave the theater left cold. It's much more than a tale of a man addicted to pornography who tries to get over it with the help of two women.
It's writing that makes you think about behavior. It's a screenplay which does not reveal much, but it is excellent at pulling you into the situation.
It feels like something beyond a comedy or a romance or even a fun film for that fact. When you watch it, you slowly start to get what these characters are doing wrong or right.
It feels like a simple commentary on people's lives sometimes. The writing is so top-notch that you begin to ask yourself exactly why the film repeats itself at so many points. Why routine is barely altered; why a person tries to change, but never does completely.
So, to get to the point: It's an amazing debut. Great direction, great acting, outstanding writing.
I liked it because I felt it needed to leave you cold. It's a story that has been told a million times before and a story that has never been told before. Something that seems incredibly shallow on the outside, as prejudiced as a smile or a person's deceiving look on a romantic comedy movie poster.
When it comes down to it, the subjective layers of a relationship, that the handsome guy from Inception has chosen to show, really mean something.