Easy Living

Enjoyed this indie. Great character study of unique woman. Everyone can identify w their own life w lousy times. Caroline provided outstanding acting. She showed her true range. The supporting cast are stabilizing characters to the main character. Nice that it previewed at several film festivals. Nice first movie for new writer/director Adam Keleman. Looking forward to his next project.

This a rare case where the IMBD average rating is actually accurate, but still on the generous side. The lead is cast perfectly, and the majority of the supporting roles are handled competently. While our lead is beautifully flawed, the viewer is compelled to see what happens to her. Unfortunately the script is where this movie fails monumentally. This is no "gem" of any sorts, as one previous reviewer incomprehensibly said. Without spending too much time on this, the final 20 minutes were an absolute absurd waste of time and energy. It's like all of a sudden we are thrown into another completely different movie. I don't mind when a flawed character fails to find their way or redemtption or whatever as long it's handled in a decent manner by the director/writer. The abuurdity of the final 20 minutes ruined everything that came before it, and it's ashame because there were genuinely warm, funny, and powerful scenes. All wiped out by a nonsensical ending that defies reason, sanity, and just about everything else. This movie falls into the realm of disappointing and forgettable, where it shall rightfully remain forever.

A truly excellent character study, anchored by strong, believable performances and nuanced writing. Sherry's struggle with getting herself onto the ladder that she has until now ignored, and the existential despair that entails, is easy to relate to. The director (Adam Keleman) imbues the proceedings with a touch of absurdity, just enough to make it feel as if the universe is aligned against her. And a jarring final act initially seems out of place until it fits squarely into Sherry's path towards self-actualization. A tiny gem.

I enjoyed this movie despite the low IMDB rating so have to let others know that it might not be what you expected. Excellent strong performance by lead actress and the story doesn't sugar coat things. I really didn't expect it to be as good as it was, while it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea it kept my attention all the way through. It's a strong 9/10 in my books. thanks

Easy Living seemed to be warmly-received in its world premiere at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. It is entertaining quirky film about Sherry Graham, a door-to-door makeup saleswoman, who is struggling to fix her rather messy life. The writer/director Adam Keleman has crafted a strong lead character. The lead actress, Caroline Dhavernas, delivers a really strong performance. Sherry is trying to turn a corner and escape her dead end job and really her dead end life. While much of the film is entertaining and provocative, the bizarre ending doesn't really do the rest of the movie justice. It is as if the Keleman wrote himself into a corner and couldn't figure out how to get out of it so he just came up with a completely unanticipated and illogical way to resolve the story. It is unfortunate, because it undermines the intelligence nuanced writing and acting that had occurred up to that point.