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Greetings again from the darkness. The world of cinema has been slow to evolve, but these days we are getting more projects with women telling stories about women ... and this one from director Hannah Pearl Utt, who co-wrote the script with Jen Tullock does it pretty well. Both also star in the film, and casting themselves proves very effective at delivering the message. I saw it earlier this year at the Dallas International Film Festival.

"Stage Manager" (and writer) Rachel (Ms. Utt) and actress Jackie (Ms. Tullock) are sisters who live a kind of bohemian lifestyle above a community theatre with their playwright dad (Mandy Patinkin) and Jackie's 12 year old daughter Dodge (Oona Yaffe). There are daily struggles with this family. Money is always scarce. Dodge is growing up fast. Jackie and Rachel have very few career options, and Dad is a stubborn man who had one successful play and many that were, umm, not so successful.

An unexpected development has the grown sisters accidentally discovering their mother is not deceased (as they had lived most of their lives believing), but rather a famous soap opera actress (a terrific Judith Light). The rest of the story has this broken family trying to connect, while overcoming the assumptions that had been made based on a family history created by trying to protect kids from the truth.

Humor is injected to help soften some of the more emotional and dramatic moments, and there is a sense that the story-telling of Woody Allen films was an influence ... plus there's a visual near the end that evokes memories of MANHATTAN. Supporting work is provided by Mike Colter ("Luke Cage"), Alec Baldwin, Tim Daly, Peter Jacobson and newcomer Arica Himmel. The film also tosses in a hilarious 'caterer' line in regards to fashion, a singing Manny Patinkin, and most importantly, some terrific insight from two talented filmmakers.

Was expecting some form of comedy / drama when watching this, but just got drama. That's fine and this film is reasonably OK for a drama. BUT, the comedy bit was missing. Did they forget to put it in? It's categorized as a comedy / drama.

Who knows?

Anyway, if you do watch this, expect drama and don't expect laughs.

I'm not sure what I was expecting. I guess I was expecting it to be great. It was a little disappointing. It seemed like a movie written by actors, for actors. The characters were a bit quirky, but not much different than those I've seen many times before. And none of them were particularly likable. In fact, most of them were a bit on the annoying side. And the story was merely so so. Again, I'm not saying it was a bad movie, just not anything to write home about. I think one of the worst things about doing movie reviews on IMDB is that you're required to write 600 words. Or is it characters? There! I'm done!

Two sisters learn that their mother, whom they thought dead, is still alive? Juicy, involving, emotional, perhaps comedic and insightful. All of which this film ISN'T. Based on the characterizations we see, people respond in a way the writers want them to, not the way human beings do. Mandy Patinkin has a thankless, embarrassing role. Judith Light is terrific, but she can't save this. Many people walked out of the screening I attended...

BEFORE YOU KNOW IT is not the sort of film that's for everyone. And that's actually sort of what made it stand out to me. While I liked it, I know that for most it will be more of a "love it or hate it" type of thing.

It's a unique story, wonderfully acted and powerfully directed. The cinematography is great. There are a few moments that I didn't particularly care for, but overall I enjoyed it. Recommend.

I hate it when people not only write things for themselves but think they can direct themselves too. It's a "Look at me" festival. And it's boring as hell.

The movie is about a lot of things. And for me, Jen Tullock's character was a lot to take for the first hour - but that is just the author's point. Ultimately, this film had a lovely setting and very fine actors and an original story. Well worth watching.

This movie is listed as Comedy, Drama...not a bit of comedy to be found in this film...not even one little laugh.

It is very slow moving. I understand where they are trying to go with their thoughts/ideas but they just don't get there.

While it is often uneven, the characters are engaging and honest. Their flaws make them relatable. You might ask yourself why they would do something so foolish, but you are really frustrated with the same mistakes you make in your own life. In this alone the movie soars in forcing self-reflection from it's audience.

Filled with cliches, trite, and melodramatic, this is one of the worst written film scripts I have ever seen. The cast is bright and able and the camera loves most of them. Did they know how bad the material was as they tried valiantly to make it work ? Some scenes were actually cringe inducing ! I felt sorry for them.

I am flabbergasted by some of these negative reviews. This is definitely not a Hollywood picture, I guess. It is quirky, and maybe a bit contrived, but not hugely. It's a comedy, after all. But it's moving, funny, well-acted, and touches on some issues that aren't normally dealt with in the movies. And I love that it's a woman-centred picture! My only slight complaint was the young people's acting, which struck me as self-conscious, but hey, they're only 12 years old. But I was particularly impressed by Jen Tullock's performance. She is so authentic, so charming, so unique. (I know somebody just like her!!) I'd watch her in anything. Wow!

The directorial debut of Hannah Pearl Utt is sincere and enjoyable. While there are some issues with pacing and consistency in mood, I found each story in the film to be interesting and important. The subtle and thoughtful acting and storytelling won't be for everyone but this is a quiet and thoughtful film that deserves consideration. I look forward to future films from the young director!

For me, this dramedy was just painful to watch.

Towards the end, there were some honest moments, but it was way too long a slog to get there.

Overall, I'd say one to avoid.

Horrible characters that were like nails on a chalkboard. After watching thousands of films, I could not get to the end. I had to shut it off, as there were no redeeming qualities.

We found this film reasonably entertaining but if this is supposed to be 1993 as per description which is consistent with the 'feel' of the set and fashion, how do they have internet search and videos, and take selfies (on their flip phones)? Am I missing something here, or is this really poorly researched?

I watched this movie and it was horrible. One of the worst movies I have ever watched. I like Judith Light movies before, but this is not worth it. The two sisters are the worse actress's I have very seen on screen. Couldn't believe this even had 5 stars rating on IMDb.

The one sister so like boring & the other waaaay to much. U like drop your child & NEVER check on her, about an hr in had to turn off.

I liked the movie! It held my interest, and I am not an easy sell! There was a connection the actors made that made it "relatable to others"!