101 Ways (The Things a Girl Will Do to Keep Her Volvo)

If calling a film "light" and "refreshing" smacks somewhat of a soda pop commercial, it is for fairly good reason. "101 Ways" is consistently humorous, without reaching belly-aching proportions. When it ventures away from quick quips and fast puns, it never becomes offensive. In a nutshell, it is satisfying and well-worth the viewing, but not always the most substantive choice.

It is, after all, a movie about a girl's quest for romance and a career -- pretty standard fodder for many romantic comedies. Without love and without a job, Watson (played very adeptly by Wendy Hoopes) must find a way to make the payments on her beloved Volvo. But "101 Ways" does turn the genre on its head, narrowing the focus of Watson's love life to a supermarket check-out clerk, and (as the title implies) keeping her material hopes limited to the Swedish import sedan.

(The potentially confusing title is a reference to those pesky flyers seen all over college dorms, entitled "101 Ways to Make Love Without Having Sex." In this case, Watson seems to find that she encounters "101 Ways to Get F***ed Without Having Sex," which is pretty much the running joke of the entire movie.)

It is this balance of the absurd -- blending a healthy dose of paradox in a normally predictable setting -- that gives "101 Ways" its edge. The airline captain Dirk (Gabriel Macht), who reminds us that airline captains are long overdue for a good lampooning, is an especially welcome example of this. But Connecticut suburbs, brand new Volvos, and gargantuan supermarkets can only take a movie so far before dysfunctions on a Todd Solondz-type level can push it further.

I saw this film at a screening in Detroit with my full on mid-west burb-in-laws who liked it as much as me. 101 Ways is a fresh, witty film that specifically pokes fun at suburban life while playfully depicting Watson's painful journey. The youthful humor of the film clearly trancends age and demographics.

My favorite aspect of the film was the way a true variety of relationships are portrayed and how those relationships ultimately lead Watson down her road of self-discovery. (If you're open to them, it is usually the people around you that lead you to life's significant insights--ones that you might never have gotten to on your own.)

Why can't all coming-of-age films be like this?

A friend just gave me the DVD of this movie and it rocks! Thanks, Jen!I especially like the photos on the back with the "restaurant spies". Also, the movie itself is great. Totally top notch. Why can't Hollywood make a decent mainstream movie like this? Highly recommended.

I saw 101 Ways at a screening in Washington, DC. The audience reaction was very enthusiastic. There are alot of laughs in this movie, and moments that really ring true. In a movie world where sex and love come all too easily and frequently from the male point of view, 101 Ways offers the perspective of a young woman who finds love more difficult to find. Light-hearted, witty, creative, 101 Ways is an entertaining debut for first-time director Jennifer Katz.

Being from the area where this film was shot, it was even more entertaining for me to watch this great comedy and hear people shouting out "Look, it's Wentworth's" and the like. However, it's at the Supermarket checkout counter that this film really shines, with highly memorable scenes that had me laughing out loud. Glenn Fitzgerald plays a fine checkout clerk, and Catherine Mueller is spot on as a somewhat sulky bagger who avoids eye contact. Wendy Hoopes as the main angst-ridden gal who has left the big city in search of a better life will appeal to all younger adults who have been in a similar situation, but it's in the incidental character 'cameos' that you feel this film is special. Occasional throw-away lines show up that are absolutely hysterical and can almost pass you by so pay attention.

I look forward to seeing something else soon from the same director/writer.