Film ReviewsThe Overnight: a hipster slumber party
Aug 27, 2015 Anchorage Press
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What happens when aging hipsters move from Seattle to Los Angeles and meet another pair of aging hipsters with too much money? They have one long sleepover, of course, in which they strive to be more interesting and complex than they really are. Oh Hipsters! The toddlers, the goatees, the yoga pants and the funny hats all become suspended in a molasses of pretension in The Overnight, written and directed by Patrick Brice.
The Overnight has a good cast and an interesting premise and therefore an expectation that it will be a compelling movie. Potentially the film could have straddled multiple genres-from romantic comedy, to drama to social commentary, and it even could have tackled philosophical exploration, a la Marquis de Sade-but it's too flawed to fulfill the prerequisites of any one genre well enough. However, if viewers can endure how boring and sheltered the overly privileged characters are, then there are three compelling reasons to see The Overnight on the big screen.
Reason number one: The cast. Adam Scott and Taylor Schilling play Alex and Emily, the hipsters who move from Seattle to L.A. Alex sports a goatee and is Emily's stay-at-home-husband, a fish-out-of-water in their new life in the city of Angels. Viewers will recognize Scott from Parks and Recreation in which he plays Ben Wyatt, Amy Poehler's love interest and comedic straight man. Schilling, the star of Orange is the New Black, hits a homerun with her portrayal of Emily. Her acting is charismatic and fluid; not only is her performance central and intelligent, it carries The Overnight. Alex and Emily have a pleasant relationship, they are clearly good friends and partners, but their lackluster sexual interaction will make viewers feel like a visit to the dentist is a more intimate and exciting option.
When Alex and Emily meet Kurt and Charlotte, played by Jason Schwartzman and Judith Godrèche respectively, the nature of desire in their relationship comes into question. The two couples arrange a play date between their two kids, the kids eventually go to sleep, and the getting-to-know-you portion of the evening starts. While Emily can clearly see the writing on the wall inviting them to swim and swing, Alex is lost in his insecurities. Kurt is as pretentious as they come, and Schwartzman plays him so well that he instantly solicits an "egad!" reaction from viewers, only for this initial impression to give way to sympathy because his delusion of greatness is just that, a delusion. Charlotte is by far the least developed of the characters. Brice relies heavily on the Charlotte's foreignness-she's French, and this becomes a crutch for better character development, which is unfortunate because Godrèche is as talented as she is beautiful. The heart of the matter comes about an hour into the film when Alex and Emily can see each other clearly, and, for what could be the first time, have an honest conversation about desire and their relationship think of it as lessons learned.
Reason number two: Size matters. Misogyny in films is alive and well, so it's great to see a film that turns the tables just a bit. Viewers are likely familiar with frontal female nudity, it's all over the place, but male frontal nudity has been a "no, no" for along time. Why?
Brice tackles the taboo of not only showing male frontal nudity in all its variety and splendor, but of giving viewers insight about the issues and myths that society propagates when it comes to the size of the male genitalia. The Overnight falls short of the impact and greatness of the 1997 film, Boogie Nights, starring Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman, but to its credit, The Overnight brings taboo subjects into a contemporary light; after all, hipsters were just being born when Boogie Nights played on the big screen. The Overnight also bring front and center ideas about vulnerability that in previous generations have been over-simplified by being assigned to gender characteristics. Perhaps one of the most important contributions of The Overnight to the greater human consciousness is that gender and sex are irrelevant to the human experience.
Reason number three Well, maybe there are only two compelling reasons to watch The Overnight.
The Overnight opens Friday, July 3 at Regal Tikahtnu Stadium 16.
The Overnight has a good cast and an interesting premise and therefore an expectation that it will be a compelling movie. Potentially the film could have straddled multiple genres-from romantic comedy, to drama to social commentary, and it even could have tackled philosophical exploration, a la Marquis de Sade-but it's too flawed to fulfill the prerequisites of any one genre well enough. However, if viewers can endure how boring and sheltered the overly privileged characters are, then there are three compelling reasons to see The Overnight on the big screen.
Reason number one: The cast. Adam Scott and Taylor Schilling play Alex and Emily, the hipsters who move from Seattle to L.A. Alex sports a goatee and is Emily's stay-at-home-husband, a fish-out-of-water in their new life in the city of Angels. Viewers will recognize Scott from Parks and Recreation in which he plays Ben Wyatt, Amy Poehler's love interest and comedic straight man. Schilling, the star of Orange is the New Black, hits a homerun with her portrayal of Emily. Her acting is charismatic and fluid; not only is her performance central and intelligent, it carries The Overnight. Alex and Emily have a pleasant relationship, they are clearly good friends and partners, but their lackluster sexual interaction will make viewers feel like a visit to the dentist is a more intimate and exciting option.
When Alex and Emily meet Kurt and Charlotte, played by Jason Schwartzman and Judith Godrèche respectively, the nature of desire in their relationship comes into question. The two couples arrange a play date between their two kids, the kids eventually go to sleep, and the getting-to-know-you portion of the evening starts. While Emily can clearly see the writing on the wall inviting them to swim and swing, Alex is lost in his insecurities. Kurt is as pretentious as they come, and Schwartzman plays him so well that he instantly solicits an "egad!" reaction from viewers, only for this initial impression to give way to sympathy because his delusion of greatness is just that, a delusion. Charlotte is by far the least developed of the characters. Brice relies heavily on the Charlotte's foreignness-she's French, and this becomes a crutch for better character development, which is unfortunate because Godrèche is as talented as she is beautiful. The heart of the matter comes about an hour into the film when Alex and Emily can see each other clearly, and, for what could be the first time, have an honest conversation about desire and their relationship think of it as lessons learned.
Reason number two: Size matters. Misogyny in films is alive and well, so it's great to see a film that turns the tables just a bit. Viewers are likely familiar with frontal female nudity, it's all over the place, but male frontal nudity has been a "no, no" for along time. Why?
Brice tackles the taboo of not only showing male frontal nudity in all its variety and splendor, but of giving viewers insight about the issues and myths that society propagates when it comes to the size of the male genitalia. The Overnight falls short of the impact and greatness of the 1997 film, Boogie Nights, starring Mark Wahlberg, Julianne Moore and Philip Seymour Hoffman, but to its credit, The Overnight brings taboo subjects into a contemporary light; after all, hipsters were just being born when Boogie Nights played on the big screen. The Overnight also bring front and center ideas about vulnerability that in previous generations have been over-simplified by being assigned to gender characteristics. Perhaps one of the most important contributions of The Overnight to the greater human consciousness is that gender and sex are irrelevant to the human experience.
Reason number three Well, maybe there are only two compelling reasons to watch The Overnight.
The Overnight opens Friday, July 3 at Regal Tikahtnu Stadium 16.