Paddleton

I had the privilege of watching the world premiere at Sundance. It's a poignant story of friendship between two men who have chosen to live a simple, uncomplicated life. At first I felt sad for these characters, who seemed to be just existing. But as the story moved along, what at first seemed mundane became a sense of comfortable routine. When faced with a terminal diagnosis for Michael, the pair embarks on a stoic journey through his final chapter. Along the way they reveal parts of themselves that were previously muted. Watching them maneuver the stages of grief, while knowing what the final outcome will be is heart wrenching. By the final scenes I was openly sobbing. The performances by Mark Duplass and Ray Romano pulled out a whole gamut of emotions. I found myself at various times laughing out loud, occasionally slightly uncomfortable, unendingly empathetic, and often sad. This is why I love movies, especially ones as beautifully made as this.

Probably one of the best depictions of male friendship on film, albeit a brutal assault on the emotions. But really, what do you expect from a cancer flick?

'Paddleton' felt incredibly realistic and authentic, perhaps in part to no dialogue being in the script. It really helped Duplass and Romano share an excellent onscreen chemistry - the latter who delivers what I consider the best performance of his career.

It made me laugh and its ability to find humour in the darkest of human experiences is something special. The film meanders along at its own pace, with occasional simple moments feeling devastatingly powerful at times - an untouched piece of pizza, a wristwatch alarm clock.

Despite all the great things about 'Paddleton', I just felt super depressed afterwards and that it perhaps didn't quite hit the mark for being something truly amazing.

"Fly to.. where guys don't hover, because that's where I live"

Paddleton is a simple movie. The story is contained, the cinematography plain, and the premise unoriginal. This is all clearly by design. The two main characters, played by Mark Duplass and Ray Romano, are weird, awkward people and they are always presented as they are, ordinary. They live in small apartments one on top of the other. They are single and work simple jobs. They have terrible diets and watch terrible movies. And one of them happens to be very ill.

While it may seem like a criticism for me to call this movie plain and unoriginal, it really is not. Paddleton is not a canvas for some artsy filmmaker to paint with. It is not excessively dramatized or colorful or whimsical. It is what it is, an honest character study of two people. Often the silver screen is reserved for the interesting and the bold, the odd and sometimes depraved, people that seem to merit attention. These two characters are not like that. They are tiny, seemingly insignificant, and each actor melts into their respective personalities. The relationship between the two feels honest and they come across as true friends on the screen. Not to take anything away from Mark Duplass, but Ray Romano really steals most of the scenes they have together. He plays an aging, banal, and single man scarily well.

There are some things I did not like, the music was a bit twee and contained mostly ethereal melodies and simple keys that did not always fit the tone of the accompanying scene. Some of the dialogue felt stilted. But really everything besides the two performances is just window dressing. This is a film about their relationship and the circumstance they must face together. The low budget feel works to focus the viewers attention on these two people, it makes it feel real. We all have to face death in our lives, but we have each other to depend on.

Friendship is such a precious commodity that we often take for granted. It's the little things, like seeing each other on a commute to work, that become noticeable once gone. Paddleton pays homage to the beauty of ordinary life, and reminds us that this finite bit of time we have been given will eventually come to an end. It does not try to prescribe meaning it cannot possible know, it does not romanticize the process, it just is what it is, and in that way it becomes a worthwhile experience.

A fragment of life. No past or future, just a fragment. Almost like a documentary. Predictable? Yes, but it still made me cry. The movie is not about what happens in the end , it is about a journey and that person who walks that last path with you with you. "Why did we have to buy this? Any 100 pills would give you the same result".

Both these actors have been phenomenal in comedy, especially Mark, who I have now watched in multiple roles, so to see them in such a brave act of spectrum revealing performance is ironically refreshing, considering the tone of the movie. Watch this movie for powerful performances by both these brilliant actors and a story that makes you think about some serious issues related to your own loved ones.