Pretty Problems

Had NO idea what to expect when I tuned into this movie. It didn't take long before I was finding myself impressed by this movie. A story about class distinctions, and about happiness,

I was intrigued right off the bat by the two main protagonists, Lindsey and Jack. A married couple seemingly washing up on the rocky shores of boredom and perhaps dissatisfaction with their relationship - and their lives.

When an unusual woman enters the store where Lindsey works, things take a turn. An unusual friendship is struck up, and Lindsey and Jack are unexpectedly invited to a weekend in the country, where they find themselves the guests of some very rich people.

The screenplay, written by Britt Rentschler and Michael Tennant, who star in the movie, is terrific. No wasted words. Everything helps to move and communicate the story. It's entertaining, and engrossing. The surreptitious looks between the protagonists also communicates to us, the viewers, their discomfiture and embarrassment. And their comfort with each other.

Things only get more complicated as the weekend away progresses, with situations that astound and fascinate Jack and Lindsey, but only serve to increase their own sense of inadequacy.

The predicaments are uncomfortable, but they're also funny. Some are VERY funny. The roles of Jumping Jack (Michael Tennant) and Lindsey (Britt Rentschler) are SO terrifically well played, pulling off just about every scene with understated finesse and terrific comedic timing.

The weekend just gets odder and stranger as these two string along in the swirl of a very monied milieu. And while the people seems impossibly strange, it's all somehow very plausible, and it works. As the film careens along, dormant fault lines crack open between Jack and Lindsey, and they seem to get further apart.

Too far apart to stay together? There's a lesson to take away from this weekend away. Very much worth the watch to find out!

Ripe with potential gushy gush, let's cut to the cheese: Pretty Problems seizes the class differentiation and marital sneeze smorgasbord with its clusters of dry jammy juicy and spicy.

Written, directed and acted with giggly panache, there was one ironic characteristic about Pretty Problems I'm not sure I could say about any other movie: Thank God I watched it streaming on a laptop, in bed next to my wife who had already seen it. Because I was laughing so hard and so often it would have ruined a theater screening unless it was a laughter yoga crowd.

The rewind 10 seconds button had a record setting number of punches, after the cheek wipes and OMG fits had subsided.

Just binged The White Lotus and it would make a fine pairing for this deliciously persnickety weekend of what happens when the posh pool and the couple poo collide in Sonoma's wine country.

Congrats - so bright and pink!

What a delight. Living in the Bay Area, about an hour from Sonoma, I recognized many of the characters in my day-to-day life in the movie. The out of touch tech millionaires, the miserable corporate grunts (that's me), the drunk sorority girls, check! Let's not forget the shaman. As far fetched as the plot is, the characters are weirdly relatable, even the ultra rich when they're being level and vulnerable (Matt in the pool). The dialogue is current, and some of the banter felt so real, like I'm listening to a conversation at a neighborhood bar.

The movie reminded me of Crazy Rich Asians, but for white people. Some of the critics pointed out the lack of diversity, but that's precisely what it's like in the rich circles of Marin/Sonoma counties.

I'm so glad I stumbled upon this movie buried deep in my Hulu recommendations. If you're looking for a witty escape comedy, this is your movie. I will definitely be re-watching it. Finished it an hour ago and still have a smile on my face. So much so, I'm compelled to write my first ever IMDB review!

I get that this movie won't necessarily resonate with everyone but it hit nearly every single button with me. Pretty Problems is about average, struggling student-debt-saddled Millennials growing older, and feeling lost this is about expecting romantic relationships or sex or money to make you happy, this is exactly what rich LA people are like - I mean the person who wrote this film clearly had some kind of experience (as I did) of being poor or middle class in LA but crossing over in worlds randomly with the ultra-wealthy.

I read some sociology thing one time about how this phenomenon is unique to Los Angeles as a city, compared to other US cities, maybe to all the cities in the world. There aren't any really tight or strong class barriers. It is possible to go away for a weekend at a wine tasting or yoga retreat and there will be celebrities or multi-millionaires mixed in the group. I feel like even some upper middle class people in Los Angeles act this way, though in Pretty Problems they are literally billionaires who can afford anything (including an entire brewery distributor).

I laughed out loud so, so many times during this movie and there are so many memorable one liners. There's even a reference to the Hotel (LA) season of American Horror Story "Bolivian marching powder" in the first 20-30 minutes. I'm still amused by the fact that Milton apparently does not actually exist.

Such a funny movie - walked into the theater grumpy AF and walked out smiling after belly laughing for almost two hours. The two female leads are the standouts - JJ Nolan is mesmerizing and a very hilarious/psycho and Britt Rentschler is like THE BEST wing woman and I want to hang with her in SIlverlake or a music festival immediately. Director Kestrin Pantera brings her indie film maven dominance to this film - with insane party scenes that create the perfect opportunity for these fab actors to really roll up their sleeves and get SUPER MESSY. Loved it. Great weekend hangover film FOR SURE. Highly Recommend!