Alone Together

In simple little drama "Alone Together" (Katie Holmes' first film as writer (second as director)) she's a lowly NY journo whose dickish bf Derek Luke books them a rural AirBnB as the covid lock-down strikes... but he then doesn't turn up AND it's double-booked (sigh) with Jim Sturgess (always likeable) already there. Resigning to co-habit Holmes & Sturgess hit it off (duh) but as the world shuts up can she really shut it out and live a kinda fantasy? Calm & humourless it's pretty dry, but performances are sound (inc Melissa Leo as Sturgess' mum) and Holmes' direction fresh. We still wait on an excellent covid movie, but just maybe with this they're getting SLIGHTLY better.

I wouldn't have expected Katie Holmes to be the filmmaker who attempts to create a love story set during the early days of the pandemic. She wrote and directed this 2022 romantic dramedy. However, I would expect her to be the star since her filmmaking style draws from the same sensitivity well as her six years on "Dawson's Creek". The sensitivity of her direction and performance works to some degree, but the leaden pacing and feckless characters hamper Holmes' intention to bring a level of intimacy to COVID. There is something frustrating about watching fortyish characters act like they're dealing with twentysomething angst. Holmes, Jim Sturgess, and Derek Luke try mightily to compensate for this lapse by infusing sincerity. Only an unrecognizable Melissa Leo registers as a character actually living through the uncertainty of the pandemic.

I quite enjoyed this movie, it describes what went on and what people went through in the city. With all the awkward moments. I remmwber thinking it was going to be two weeks, then everything shutting down, remember not being able to hug my family, staying away from friends, my building not allowing friends to come for a meal, friends dying and hearing of people passing, and working all day and stepping outside for the 7pm cheer - in my opinion it's well done. And then getting better here and worse in other countries. And if it seems slow, that's because that's how those days were. Well done!

And the love story is a nice background, or the other way around.

A twee little movie that is inoffensive and fairly unmemorable, sort of Hallmark-ish in its lasting ability.

But there is one very annoying plothole: why, when from the outside this appeared to be a very large house, was there, inside, only one bedroom and onebathroom?

It's not bad, the story is nice, and kind and warm in parts, but... there are so many cringe-worth moments in the movie that I had to watch in two parts (and I almost gave up).

It is apparent (to me, at least) that the script needed more iterations and finessing (to remove the cringe moments for starters).

Also, none of the "couples" had much chemistry, I think the movie would be much better off with slightly older (mature) male counterparts and a more relaxed and relatable relationship between them.

Maybe in a few more years, with proper distancing from the pandemic, a refined script and more time to proper audition and cast the 2 main male characters the movie could have been much better.