Standing Up, Falling Down

I'm not one who usually goes for the comedy/drama type movies, but I am so glad I sat down and watched this. There cannot be a human being alive that is unable to relate to something in this movie, in a personal way.

The acting was spot on, not too much or too little of anything. All the actors, fit just right. There's no hurrying the storyline, it just flows. I found myself relating and reflecting to so much of the story and it was a good feeling.

In short, you need to see this. Don't be in a hurry to do anything while you watch it. Take the 90 minutes and let yourself be whoever it is you relate to in this film. The ending tied everything together in a nice comfortable way.

Buy it, rent it, download it, whatever. Just watch it.

Scott Rollins (Ben Schwartz) has returned to his Long Island family home after four years of failed standup attempts in L.A. He joins his younger sister Megan (Grace Gummer) as too old to still live with mom and dad. He finds dermatologist Marty (Billy Crystal) peeing in the sink and befriends the troubled elder. He reconnects with married ex Becky (Eloise Mumford).

Scott is a bit sad and not too funny. The same goes for this movie. It's a very familiar story. There isn't much plot. The best relationship is probably Schwartz and Gummer. Quite frankly, it may be interesting to try them in a traditional rom-com. They have a good banter together. As for Schwartz and Crystal, I expected more comedic power. Both are essentially playing sad characters and that drains some of the energy out of their partnership. It seems that everything is toned down a bit including Scott's standup comedy and that keeps the movie at a low simmer.

Billy Crystal's nuanced performance meets very good writing in a tale about uncommon friendships and uncommon redemption. Not a perfect film, but great performances and quick pacing enable the writing and plot to tell an efficient, funny, touching story well.

I saw this film at the Glasgow Film Festival. It starts off very well for the first 30 mins and I was very engaged. Thereafter the film gets bogged down and never moves out of second gear. A shame as a good and interesting film was struggling to get out.

This is not a fast-paced movie. Don't watch it after a Marvel movie.

What it is: It has heart, it feels real. The people are likeable. I am becoming a cynic, over the years, many movies fail to engage me like they should (looking at you, Dunkirk). But this one did not.

And yes, I checked my phone once or twice. Who cares.