Izzy Gets the Fuck Across Town

Besides the last act, this movie is like a slice of nostalgia pie from the mid to late 2ks. The golden era of everything 'indie'. From music to film and before social media ran the world. Before all the buzzwords especially'hipster', when 'hipster' was still attached to it's original meaning more than that of a certain look or type of smug person.

I was happy to be of that time. Now I am nearly 30 and life a whole ocean away in Japan where I live 'my dream'. A great little flick that took me back to the feeling of the hustle and bustle to living that dream.

As far as performances. I will stick to Mackenzie her being the only good part to me of the latest Terminator installment made me dig into her catalogue. I hope she continues to get more and more roles. She is badass, beautiful, and groovy.

Kanpai! -Malizilla

A meandering pointless "love" story? I dont know. Maybe. Maybe Im just old and cynical but this felt like a 16 year olds attempts at depth. It started off interesting but just devolved into bleh and then meandered into a horrible mess. Mackenzie Davis carries it but even then its nihilistic.

'IZZY GETS THE F*CK ACROSS TOWN': Three Stars (Out of Five)

An indie comedy-drama about a desperate woman trying to get across Los Angeles, to her ex-boyfriend's engagement party so that she can crash it. The movie was written and directed by first time feature filmmaker Christian Papierniak. It stars Mackenzie Davis, Alex Russell, Carrie Coon, Alia Shawkat, Haley Joel Osment, Lakeith Stanfield, Brandon T. Jackson and Rob Huebel. The film has received mixed reviews from critics, and it's now playing in indie theaters like Portland. I found it to be mostly a pointless bore, but it does have it's moments though.

The film tells the story of a woman named Izzy (Davis). Izzy wakes up one morning in bed with a guy she doesn't know (Stanfield), or remember how she met him. She then decides she needs to get across town, in Los Angeles, to her ex-boyfriend's engagement party, so that she can crash it. Along the way Izzy meets an assortment of characters.

The film is really random, and kind of pointless, until it's conclusion. I do appreciate it's climax though, and how it unfolds, but the rest of the film I could have mostly done without. Davis is good in the lead role though, and the supporting cast is all decent as well. I was mostly bored throughout it though.

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.

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.