Nights and Weekends

The film is shot like a home made video, characters very realistic . The lead characters maintain a long distance relationship or try to , the film does not try to spice up moments . But there is one thing I would like to know.Is Joe Swanberg made to act bad as the script or is he a bad actor?, have not seen any of his films. If the first is true, as in the script defines his acting , then the film is plot less because a girl like Greta would not be thinking twice about holding a relationship with that character, even from 10 miles apart.Greta is vulnerable, with mood swings portrayed brilliantly as she always does, wonder the intimate scenes cold have been more passionate as they meet only after a while each time.

Nights and Weekends - I was surprised by how much I liked this one. in fact it may be one of the better mumblecore movies I've seen. That doesn't mean it's anything 'great' but as far as slice of life films go it really makes a valiant and honest attempt to just show a couple as they are. The whole long-distance relationship angle makes the story kind of doomed from the get-go, or at least once one sees Mattie (Gerwig) get bitchy at James (Swanberg) over how much effort has to be put in to going from NY to Chicago and back again just to have a relationship. But what I liked this time, unlike, say, Swanberg's previous film Hannah Takes the Stairs is that there is also effort to tell a story, if only evidenced by the whole 'cutting ahead to one-year-later', and showing some set-up and payoff with a couple of things and items like a lion.

The two actors are natural, and why not? I have to think they were close enough to bare themselves to themselves (physically and mentally, mostly physically), and it works for the benefit of the naturalism. A few scenes get bogged down so much in minutae that you want things to move on, but what I liked here was that, for me at least, the stripping to the little moments made their relationship palpable, and cute, and kind of sad all at the same time. When we see Gerwig cry, we know the tears are genuine, as is Swanberg's awkwardness at keeping the relationship going, such as when he has a photo shoot and asks her to come.

Why to watch it? Simply put, it's a romantic dramedy for those looking for a solid alternative to pap and crap from Hollywood. It's so decidedly un-Hollywood it does come close to the other direction of being too precious. But only close, not all the way. It's got two actors completely at ease and open to taking their characters totally where they need to go without any BS, and as directors they keep things moving so it's never *too* boring. Some may disagree, and that's well and good, since it is still firmly in the 'mumblecore' vein. At the right moment in time, Nights and Weekends connected with me, and hopefully it may with a few others.

Mattie (Greta Gerwig) and James (Joe Swanberg) are a struggling loving couple in Chicago. They break up and a year later, he calls her out of the blue. He has attained some success and she lives in New York. He is the subject of a photo shoot and the photographer even brings her into the picture. They try to reignite their relationship.

This is a mumblecore indie. It's not that much written. The dialog is almost improvisational in its nature. The shooting style is strictly amateur indie. Swanberg plays it stiff initially as the foundational piece of the relationship. Gerwig brings an energy and charisma. Apparently, the film was shoot in two parts just like the on-screen relationship. There is a change in the characters especially Swanberg. He's more confident in the second part. This is a great introduction to two indie careers.

Some time ago I gave up on Swanberg. He can do a 20 minutes story well. When it comes to 90 minutes, it's the same 20 minutes and a lot of air.

Gerwig is nice. She acts well. But there is not much of a story she can work on. In fact, there is no story, only a chronological succession of snapshots that start nowhere and end up somewhere.

This mumblecore drama is shot in the style of a homemade movie and takes a close (at times too close) look at Mattie, who resides in The City That Never Sleeps, and James, who resides in The Windy City, a fun-loving, hot and heavy young couple and the severe strain they face while trying to hold onto their passionate but unsustainable long-distance relationship. Will they prevail, or is their steamy love affair already kaput? The low-budget filmmaking style does create a welcomed sense of spontaneity that makes the characters and dialogue feel authentic, plus it really allows the two central actors to embody most of the awkwardness and complexities between the two of them, but still it's not very deep or profound, nor does it have a true plot to propel the scenes forward, thus making it feel like a prolonged and gratuitous exercise despite the relatively short running time. **