Suze

Greetings again from the darkness. Empty nest syndrome has always fascinated me. As parents, we strive to build independence in our kids so that they can go out in the world and fend for themselves (better described as not moving back home or remaining on the family 'payroll'). And then there are parents like Susan in this excellent and entertaining new film from co-writers and co-directors Dane Clark and Linsey Stewart (partners, spouses, and collaborators).

We first see Susan (Michaela Watkins) as she arrives home and finds her husband and a woman canoodling in the backyard swimming pool. The story then jumps ahead five years. Susan is divorced and her daughter Brooke (Sara Waisglass, TAINTED, 2020) is graduating from high school, with a plan to live at home and attend a local college. Susan is a hovering parent, seemingly involved in all aspects of Brooke's life - even questioning what her daughter sees in goofy and free-spirited Gage (Charlie Gillespie, TOTALLY KILLER, 2023), the boyfriend who couldn't manage to graduate on time.

Susan is exasperated ... or maybe just beaten down ... with her life. She works a dead-end job, is in perimenopause, has no love life of her own, can't believe her overachieving daughter is with this 'loser', and seems to have lost any portion of her own self while being a mother. Things go from bad to worse for her when her ex-husband and his new wife (Sandy Jobin-Bevans, Sorika Wolf) spill the beans on big news about Brooke. It's news that shocks Susan - mostly because she was the last to know. Now for all of this to work, the extraordinary talents of Michaela Watkins (YOU HURT MY FEELINGS, 2023; PAINT, 2023) carry these scenes. She flashes the greatest forlorn face in cinema. Is this kinda funny or is the pain too deep? Well, it's both.

The film really takes off from there. Circumstances are such that Susan and Gage are forced to spend significant time together, and what follows is an example of how humanity and emotions and personality can blend to form surprising bonds. The on-screen chemistry between Watkins and Gillespie is a thing of beauty. It's not romantic chemistry, but rather two lonely souls from different generations learning and evolving thanks to each other. Once we meet Gage's dad (Aaron Ashmore), much is understood as to why Gage thrives from Susan's caring approach.

This script is beautifully written, and the acting is superb. The cast excels in playing the scenarios as real people would. The dialogue is grounded, yet sometimes it stings, while at other times it evokes laughter. When Gage tells Susan, "We both got left by the same person", their bond is solidified - even moreso than after the 'cuddle party'. The cherry on top here is Gage performing Roxette's classic hit, "It Must Have Been Love". The film was well received at festivals last year, and I expect it will find an appreciative audience this year.

Opens in theaters on February 7, 2024.

Lots to like here. Suze deals with issues of divorce, mental health, female menopause, child seperation and mid life crises. That may seem like a lot to get through, but Suze tip toes through these minefields quite deftly with good writing and characterisation.

The production values are good enough, the acting is totally believable and the script, story and plot are very pleasing.

So why give it only 6? Well, whilst the movie was pleasant and whimsical, at times I wanted a little more comedy in the comedic moments. Maybe that was choice between script, director and actor. Also the 'make out' scene was a touch clumsy.

That being said, I would still recommend.

I was prepared not to like this movie, and almost didn't bother watching it at all. It kind of looked like it would be one of those throwaways, too dumb to take seriously, a waste of time.

Boy, was I was wrong. I absolutely loved it. The acting by the three leads was great, exceptional really, and everybody else was believable and seemed real. The story was very good - interesting, funny, and charming. Whoever put this together really has something going for them, I liked everything about it. I couldn't find a single thing wrong with it, and I usually find something. The most pleasant surprise I can remember watching a movie.

Suze is a successful professional woman, divorced, feeling possessive of their only child, daughter Brooke. She has been pressuring Brooke to drop her boyfriend, ne'er do well musician Gage, who is unable to finish high school. Suze is planning on Brooke to attend a local university while staying at home, and is shocked when Brooke heads off to McGill, a 6-hour drive away. Brooke proceeds to break up with Gage by text message, then ghosts both of them.

After a suicide attempt, Gage ends up under the care of Suze, whose dislike grows into a bonding experience, as both miss Brooke, and both turn out to be otherwise lonely people. That part of the plot has a parallel with the teacher-student duo in The Holdovers.

There is smart writing in the events and vignettes that flesh out the characters, with the theme that life happens, and you just have to deal with it.

What could be better than an indie flick? Why a Canadian indie flick, of course! I was a bit skeptical going into this one, but what a pleasant surprise. Just about everything about it was picture perfect. Great acting, excellent writing, interesting story, and ultimately, a warmhearted and unpredictable movie.

Susan (Michaela Watkins), is a divorced mom who's raised her daughter by herself. After graduation, Brooke (Sara Waisglass) announces she's not going to college locally, but to McGill University in Montreal, six hours away. Susan is devastated. As is Gage (Charlie Gillespie), Brooke's clingy boyfriend. He's a totally unmotivated high school dropout and Susan despises him. After he attempts to commit suicide, Susan reluctantly agrees to take him in and to keep an eye on him.

The two mismatched couple eventually grow closer together, while Susan tries to move on with her life. She's a very encouraging surrogate mom to Gage and the film takes numerous twists and turns, all adding up to a funny, amusing, and satisfying hour and a half of rewarding moviegoing. If you're in the mood for something a bit different, be sure to put this film in your queue!

--MovieJunkieMark.