Brian's review of the stage to screen adaptation is here.....
 |
| "Upon further inspection.... Yes, your breath does stink." |
Movies, in
general, provide a vicarious escape from our everyday lives. We sit for a few
hours and allow ourselves to get lost in a story, perhaps a bunch of things
will blow up, a few asses will be kicked along the way, and the hero of the
story will triumph and get the girl in the end.
Some Girl(s)
is not that movie.
Written by
Neil LeBute (In the Company of Men) and adapted from his 2005 stage play by the
same name. LeBute has made a career out of exposing male narcissism and showing
the harsh but honest way many men view women, sex and relationships. Some
Girl(s) is one man’s journey into his romantic past in what is meant to be his
attempt to cleanse his conscious of past misdoings so he can get married with a
clean slate.
The
protagonist, simply referred to as “Man” is played by Adam Brody while the women
of his past are expertly portrayed by an ensemble of Emily Watson, Kristen
Bell, Mia Mastero, Jennifer Morrison and Zoe Kazan. Each actress shines as they
have their turn with Brody but the standout is Kristen Bell.
I have a
feeling not too many guys will really enjoy this story as it casts a bright
light on the stark contrast between how men and women process emotions and the
damage many men leave behind when they decide to abandon ship on a relationship
and then move on like nothing ever happened.
In a lot of
ways this is a difficult movie to watch, it is entirely character based, dialog
driven with very minimal sets and basic cinematography. None of this came as a
surprise to me because I have seen the stage production (actually, I once helped
work on a stage production of this show, but that’s another story) and this is
a very literal translation from stage to screen by director Daisy von Scherler
Mayer (Party Girl). In my opinion the piece is better suited to the stage. Seeing this story unfold in a small intimate setting gave the performances much
more power, watching it as a movie was interesting but less satisfying.
If you’re
looking for a movie to make you introspective and maybe dredge up some
emotional baggage, this is the movie for you. Even better if you can catch it
on stage, where it truly belongs though.
-Review by Brian Rohe