The Little Hours

Loved it. We saw it at the Sydney Film Festival.

The film will struggle to find the audience it deserves because selling a medieval bawdy romp in today's market is difficult. I think back to the 70's and there were many more of these.

The cast is fun and the presence of quality actors such as Nick Offerman and John C Reily show it is not an ultra-low soft-porn production, though the titling could be referencing that at the start.

I saw this at the same weekend as the Beguiled, also about a group of women cloistered who encounter a single male. LH is far more fun and a better use of your time.

Set in Tuscany (no production notes on filming locations) it is prettily shot.

Nudity is not overused, there are a couple of breast shots and the full frontal stuff is in the distance by firelight so hardly tittilating. Nothing that was not done ad nauseum through the 70's

I think out of the gate this movie reminded me of a cruder version of something like Robin Hood: Men In Tights. Nuns swear like sailors and the director doesn't seem interested in the dialogue sounding like the period its set in. But everyone involved seems to be having a blast and it starts off quite fun. I'd say it loses some steam towards the end when it switches to a more serious tone. I wish they had just kept the stakes low and not tried so hard to have a heartfelt ending. A goofy movie like this didn't earn such a thing nor did it need it.

I still enjoyed a good chunk of it. Some standout performances from Aubrey Plaza, Alison Brie and Kate Micucci. Dave Franco is sadly underused here and has been funnier in other movies (Neighbours). There's some others that are fine but some of the roles are quite small and the characters are literally only in the first and last few minutes of the film. Overall it's worth watching if you like the cast. Otherwise there's nothing remarkable to recommend to someone who is unfamiliar with the bulk of the actors.

The Little Hours is an indie comedy with an appealing cast and premise that unfortunately is likely to offend more people than it amuses. Allison Brie, Aubrey Plaza and Kate Micucci star as three young novitiates in the Middle Ages. The first two would vastly prefer life away from the isolated convent, and are champing at the bit in various ways. The third is a goody-two-shoes who eagerly tails and snitches on the others for the slightest no- nos. In fairness, she's just as hard on herself, wearing out the confessional priest (John C, Reilly) who must endure her detailed recitations of trivial trespasses.

When a roguish servant (Dave Franco) is caught boinking the wife of a nearby lord (Nick Offerman), he flees in justifiable fear of his life, running into the drunken priest, who was in the midst of his own self-inflicted distress. After helping him recover, they devise a plan. Franco will return to the convent with him, pretending to be a deaf-mute laborer, allowing sanctuary for one, and a relief from the foul-mouthed invectives the young ladies had regularly screamed at the last poor sap who held the job.

That sets up the main theme - sexual curiosity and silly seduction attempts for everyone under 25, and perhaps beyond. When the befuddled bishop (Fred Armisen) arrives for an inspection, he's overwhelmed by the shocking closeted capers in the cloisters.

The film is loosely based on a social and religious satire of that era, Boccaccio's Decameron, which pointed its barbs at hypocrisy and other ills of The Church and The Gentry. Writer/director Jeff Baena seems to have grasped what he wanted to accomplish, but did far better at reeling in a talented cast and finding exceptional locations than in giving them a worthy script to cash in on those preparations. The farcical element of the nuns-to-be flailing about frenetically to lose their sexual naivete could have been far more amusing and/or titillating. The shock value of young nuns from long ago cursing like 21st Century punks isn't enough to carry an entire feature.

Baena's best previous script was the wryly comic I Heart Huckabees, which also tried to include intellect-oriented humor. Baena didn't direct that one. He also shared the writing with the more accomplished David Russell, whose credits include wearing both hats for American Hustle and Silver Linings Playbook. Baena still needs more time on the ascending side of the learning curve, but he's only 40, and seems to be heading in a worthy direction. After all, any guy with a relatively small list of credits who can sign so many gifted comic actors (Paul Reiser, Adam Pally and Molly Shannon, too) must have something on the ball to reward their faith, even if this wasn't necessarily it. Stay tuned...

This movie is just... Weird. I don't know how to explain it any more without giving stuff away. It's trippy. If you like the cast, I'd recommend you watch it, because you'll just enjoy their performances.

If you are someone who delights in a parody of religion and piety then this will tickle your pink bits. Laugh out loud moments. A delightful surprise.