After The Reality - das echte Leben

Was so delighted to stumble upon this heartwarming, yet hilarious, independent film from first-time director David Anderson. I was frankly drawn in by names like Matthew Morrison and Jane Lynch, but left excited to see more from Anderson, who demonstrates an intriguing ability to defy genre.

I think 20 -30 minutes more would have really made this an even stronger movie, giving more background, character development and helping round out the end of the show with a little more clear resolution, as it felt like some pieces were missing. But if was still really good and got me in the gut with regard to grief, broken relationships, and how to move on from our past toward something better. I felt it was really authentic and honest. I really enjoyed it. Some of the scenes were really grounded and felt very real, leaving the viewer time to really feel the emotion of the characters as they tried to find a way forward.

The trailer cherry picks "deliciously pitch-perfect" when that quote applies only to the reenactments of YOUNG BUCKS, the Bachelorette-style reality TV show. Frankly, they were pushing the age of the male suitors. Top billed Matthew Morrison is 38 and his face looks every bit of it.

Less successful is the family drama that isn't very interesting and reeks of "prodigal son" shtick. Morrison isn't very spontaneous and doesn't really create and inhabit characters. He brings his set repertoire to the role and takes on the character's name. That's it.

The script suffers from absence of subtlety. EVERYTHING the characters are thinking comes out of their mouths. The expository dialogue reveals that the writer/director doesn't trust the audience to perceive anything. Thus we end up with emotions by braille.

This would do better on Lifetime TV than the big screen.

I was really excited to watch this as I liked some of the cast. So many things made it worth watching and it didn't disappoint. The story was real, awful, fun and poignant, with beautiful photography. I loved it and hated it as I watched brother and sister finally figure it out. I highly recommend it and will watch it again... and again.

I've lost some dear friends and family and have never seen a film about grief that captures the reality of it like AFTER THE REALITY... oh... And it's an uplifting film! I laughed and cried. The Young Bucks (the reality show contestants) are so spot on funny and real to those shows. Sarah Chalke delivers a performance of a lifetime and Matthew Morrison is right there with her. I just wish there was little more Jane Lynch. She and Matthew are such a fun on screen duo. Some people might not get the shifting realities but it's a complicated emotional film Definitely gong to watch again.