The Overnight

This is one of those films where the less you know, the better. As an overall film it is incredibly difficult to judge in terms of its merits. The film is really its own creation and it beats to its own rhythm. The cast is very strong, and the film is surely entertaining throughout. Because it's so unpredictable, there's a certain joy to get from just wondering where it'll all go. For that reason, it's more of a film that will be a lot stronger on first viewing. I don't know how it'll really hold up on rewatches, but I suspect it'll lose a lot. I had a great time watching it, but I also don't know if to recommend it because I feel like many people (and I say that with emphasis on many) will hate the film and what it eventually becomes.

This movie is horrendous. Just 90 minutes of unfunny, uncomfortably lame little d*** jokes. None of the characters are particularly likeable and the whole plot will make you want to jam an ice pick into your eyes. Actually, that sounds way more enjoyable than rewatching this movie.

Really good watch, could watch again, and can recommend (at least for the sexually open minded.)

This movie focuses less on young rampant sex and more of the decline that people sometimes get as they get older and want to be more adventurous without destroying their relationships. It also doesn't treat it as ridiculous a thing, while still openly admitting that it is something foreign and strange.

The movie does a great job of leading the audience (alongside the main character couple) into this strange new world, not of debauchery, but love and connection. Given that the premise of the movie is them getting together, it's not a spoiler, but this is a romantic comedy for couples, basically.

There is plenty funny to this movie, but if you're not into sex-based comedy, then this isn't for you.

If you liked "A Good Old Fashioned Orgy", then you should give this a watch.

Short and sweet, Patrick Brice's foursome mumblecore The Overnight is disguised as a more accessible comedy, headlined by Adam Scott and Jason Schwartzman along with Taylor Schilling. Thriving on awkward humour at the expense of new age lifestyles and anxieties, it treads a fine line of endearingly goofy, unexpectedly incisive and plain weird. However, in its brief runtime, it spends sequences on the mundane, highlighting a couple relatable aspects such as Scott's believable inability to make real friends. Its theme of sexual desires outside of monogamy brings to light a harsh truth that many would quietly acknowledge and it's sparked by the idea of that freedom, though it's an energy that's swiftly interrupted. It's not very visually inspired, including two very dangly and infamous props, but Taylor Schilling is a bright spark of the cast while Adam Scott holds his own in a feature film. Meanwhile Schwartzman is less of a person than a caricature but that is surely the intention behind the pair to bring out the humanity in Schilling and Scott. The Overnight earns a few chuckles and a few insights but it's mostly held back by its brevity but it has a sincerity through all the slight wackiness that makes it work, if just a little bit.

7/10

Greetings again from the darkness. For kindergartners, making friends is as easy as a bag of gummy worms on the playground. For adults, it's a bit more complicated. According to writer/director Patrick Brice (Creep, 2015) making adult friends can involve rectum paintings and penis prosthetics … at least after a lot of wine and too many bong hits. While this is not my wheelhouse for humor, it's clearly a bold cinematic step and pushes the boundaries even further than other recent Duplass Brothers projects (they are Producers here).

Emily (Taylor Schilling) and Alex (Adam Scott) have recently moved to L.A. from Seattle with their young son. Emily and Alex are good parents, good people, and a solid couple – except for some sexual incompatibility. While at the park, their son (and his gummy worms) befriends the son of Kurt (Jason Schwartzman), one of the endless oddballs that populate L.A. Kurt charms Emily and Alex into visiting his home for an adult dinner party/kid playdate.

Greeted at the door of the mansion by Kurt's French wife Charlotte (Judith Godreche), Emily and Alex are clearly wooed by the worldliness and sophistication of their new friends. Kurt is a bit of a renaissance man and he and Charlotte also appear to be a solid couple … though as the evening unfolds, we soon enough discover their own sexual incompatibility. And therein lies the core and conflict of the film – relationship dynamics impacted by sexual tension explored through raunchy humor.

It's interesting to compare Brice's film with Paul Mazursky's 1969 "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice", and analyze the cultural and cinematic differences brought on by the 46 year difference. What was shocking then, is nothing compared to what this film has us believe that most young adult couples are struggling with now. Emily and Alex spend the evening exploring their boundaries as individuals and as a couple, while being softly pushed by the more adventurous Kurt and Charlotte. Were it not so raunchy, the theme would be more interesting … though significantly less appealing at the box office.

All four lead actors are strong, but Schwartzman and Scott handle the more challenging roles with aplomb. Given my preferences, I could have used a safe word on a couple of occasions, but the real test will be whether audiences find the film a bold step forward, or whether it is judged to be shock for shock's sake.