Izzy Gets the Fuck Across Town

I shouldn't be surprised by the reaction to this film, in a time when indie films have to be brutally realistic, or feature decayed characters, or have scenery gnashing performances to make a mark. There can't just be chaotic, sweet little movies made about someone's ordinary life, someone's annoying, trashed, tender youth - if they don't make a profound statement about life.

But these little movies always seem to have startlingly true moments, stunningly real feelings. They're not throbbingly stylish or cinematic, so they let their characters come through, sometimes with painful honesty - Izzy manages to be a crashing fail, and at the same time, her experience of the pain of first, and long-lasting love is like a honeycomb crushed in a fist.

She's dirty, wild, funny, lazy - but look at how she folds down onto the bathroom floor and doesn't cry, but lets out this half scream, half moan as the person she's built so much of herself in has just walked away. Watch how she looks at her embittered sister who she used to be so close to, while they sing a song they put so much of their youth and essence into. There's love, there's fear, shame, longing - but there's still that dazzle of hope in her eyes. She's still young, and she hasn't been crushed into uniformity yet.

How can you not feel the truth of this? The fine line between hope and fantasy is a tightrope she walks the entire time. Is what she wants beautiful from afar, but up close, when it opens its mouth, is it just ridiculous? What is the fate she's going to make, if she decides to let go of the one she's been hitching her heart to half of her life? I wish I could've stayed with her longer to find out.

I really wanted to like this film, despite the mixed reviews. I enjoy a lot of the cast and was especially psyched to see the talented Mackenzie Davis given a project to carry. And for the first hour or so, I wasn't disappointed. But the last act (pretty much everything after the point where she confronts her former friend and leaves the party) is downright terrible. Neither what happens to her the next morning nor the very last scene makes any sense considering what comes before. It seems tacked on, like there was an original ending that didn't play well with preview audiences. This could have been so much better.

This indie film is very relaxing and pleasing to watch. But be warned: It starts like that but slowly, but strongly, becomes somewhat of a regular romantic comedy. Could have been great if stayed on the level of the 1st half.

It was always a strong 8 really, at least, but the end, as others have noted, is really weak, and actually, as others have not, so is the arty, dream-sequence opening, which nearly made me switch off.

I'm very glad I stuck with it because ultimately what stuck with me were the good parts, so good they might be 9s or even 10s. And they define the whole, a frantic, hilarious odyssey through a city, in the small but honourable tradition of Ulysses, After Hours, Slacker and The Swimme, full of brilliant little vignettes and characters, sly twists and ironies, and a carefully paid out understanding of the life we're looking at. For the first half or so especially, those vignettes are something remarkable, each one almost a little movie in itself. It's simply superb writing, perfectly executed by all concerned.

MILD SPOILERS:

The third act, as others have noted, is a major bummer of a misfire, but things weaken even before that. For me, it started losing momentum at the sister's house, with the singing, which, in my view, should have been a bit of raucous, haywire acoustic punk that left everyone speechless.

And then, just finding out who the ex is, about whom all this mad dash has been about, is a huge letdown because he seems such a dullard, but also there's a terrible lack of clarity that is near the line demarcating interesting ambiguity, but neither on nor over it in my view.

The, I think, intended reading - Izzy breaks up her ex's engagement and then dumps him as revenge - doesn't seem to fit anything about her character. Much more interesting would have been if she'd been entirely sincere about wanting him back, then just helplessly shut down and ran out on it, like the true avoidant personality she probably is, putting the cap on her trail of destruction. Either way, a little rewriting and probably some recasting - of the boyfriend - would have been required.

It's really too bad it didn't quite get there. But I'm still going to watch it again for the good bits because I love them.

Ya gotta love movies whose entire plots are summed up in the title. And as far as that goes, "Izzy Gets the Fk Across Town" ranks up there with the Coscarelli masterpiece "John Dies At The End".

As far as the story of "Izzy Gets the Fk Across Town" goes, that's all you really need to know. But just for the sake of discussion I'll describe it a bit more. "Izzy" is the quintessential "hot mess". She barely survives life crashing on someone's couch because her bank account is perpetually $35 overdrawn. Throughout the entire film she's wearing a white tuxedo jacket with wine (or is it blood?) stains all over it which is never really explained until the final act. She is an angsty musician who hasn't taken her guitar out of the box for 2 years. And yet, as all hot messes go, she deludes herself into thinking that she's in total control of her life. If you know the type, or if you ARE the type, you will love her to death from the opening scene where she's trying to sneak out of a guy's bedroom but desperately has to pee.

The plot reveals itself quickly. Izzy's lost love is about to get engaged, and in order to stop it Izzy must... you guessed it... get the f across town. But this is no easy task for a hot mess.

What unfolds is a quirky, at times random, at times deeply poetic, adventure across LA where she meets bizarre characters, sort of like Alice in Wonderland meets Planes Trains and Automobiles. Episodes are arranged in short little vignettes and introduced with teasing titles such as "2. Give me my [f**] car, dick" and this presentation works wonderfully.

Side note: I can think of 2 other films that used this episodic approach masterfully: the Japanese masterpiece "Summer of Kikujiro" and the 90s classic "Singles", both of which fit right in the groove with audiences who would enjoy "Izzy".

Lead actress Mackenzie Davis knocks it out of the park with a really endearing portrayal of a tough protagonist who's perpetually 1 cup of coffee away from a nervous breakdown. All the supporting roles are fantastic as well, each character being extremely memorable even though they float in & out of her life like existential scenery. They do leave their mark.

The dialogue is witty, fast paced and subtle. In other words, don't expect any slapstick pratfalls or fart jokes. The humor is situational, quirky and often unspoken, perhaps like "The Office" only more subtle. If you get it, you'll be entertained from start to finish.

Cinematography and editing is fantastic, artistic without hitting you over the head with artsiness. Some scenes are deliberately hyper and disorienting (split screen), while the powerful scenes are carefully shot with no interruptions.

Big bonus points for an awesome indie punk, riot grrrl soundtrack and a powerful scene in the middle where Mackenzie and Carrie Coon sing a duet of "Axemen", a classic Heavens to Betsy song.

And ok, here is the "masterpiece" part I promised in my title. Despite its breezy approach and almost self-mocking presentation, this film has some profound, poetic moments that make you stop and realize that there is a deeper message here. And if you're paying attention, even the somewhat cryptic ending (which appears to have enraged at least 1 fellow reviewer) makes complete sense and caps the film perfectly. This is one of those films which make me long for the old imdb days of discussion boards, because the right audience could really dissect this.

I won't spoil it, but the theme revolves around Izzy's seemingly conflicted attitude that Fate controls everything--but at the same she is in control of everything. Yes, that's the "hot mess" attitude I mentioned earlier, where it may seem like she has no clue what she's doing with her life, and yet... maybe she knows something we don't. It also focuses on the way we romanticize things that we don't have, or lost, in a really poetic way. Watch the flick and digest the ending, and you won't be disappointed.

I can't think of many mainstream movies to compare this to, other than the 2 aforementioned, because "Izzy" has such an original flavor. But if you liked "(500) Days of Summer" or maybe even "Juno" I think you'll love this flick.