Afternoon Delight

Afternoon Delight plays a bit like a Judd Apatow flick, from a female perspective. It's enjoyable, unexpectedly; after the first scene I sighed deeply expecting another film about about L.A. upper middle class problems. The film turned into something much more poignant.

Despite some automated plot clichés, the film plays earnestly and honestly, following a married couple as they struggle to keep the fire going in their relationship - not a plot I would have driven a mile to watch unfold. However the film is (mercifully) very funny, with a good eye for improv and dialogue, and it aims for the heart. For the most part it's on target - and it tackles some complicated grey-area issues that we all face in relationships.

Kathryn Hahn I'd seen (and hardly noticed) in Our Idiot Brother, but here she delivers an effective, multi dimensional performance.

A strong film, made better by the fact that I kind of stumbled upon it without previous expectations.

I found this title on a streaming service and, don't judge me, but I have to admit I was attracted initially by the title and low IMDb rating which promised something a bit cheap and steamy. When I saw however that it starred Katherine Hahn and was written and directed by Jill Soloway I realised it must actually be a pretty good film, and any steam would be a bonus. Soloway was one of the people behind the legendary Six Feet Under as well as Transparent (which incidentally I found patchier but still largely excellent) and this film won't disappoint viewers who loved the realistic dialogue and natural acting of those series. Familiar Soloway territory is explored, namely middle-class people wrangling with issues of sexuality, identity and class in Los Angeles. Hahn plays (superbly, with highly-strung aplomb) Rachel, a married woman having a mid-life crisis. Her nerdy husband buys her a lap dance at a club, which seems to ignite something in her, and later, while buying coffee downtown, she runs into the dancer, McKenna, played by a young and sexy Juno Temple. Rachel befriends McKenna, perhaps thinking some of her laid-back sexiness will rub off on her, and when McKenna gets thrown out of her home, Rachel invites her to stay temporarily in the family home. It turns out McKenna isn't exactly just a dancer and Rachel decides to spice up her non-existent sex life by accompanying her on a home visit to one of McKenna's regular clients. At this point however Rachel's true character comes to the fore as she decides she no longer wants anything to do with McKenna, who in turn also reverts to type during a boys' evening with Rachel's husband and his pals. Ultimately Rachel turns out to be a pretty awful, spoilt middle-class person who doesn't know what she wants and doesn't have a great deal of respect for the working class, so that by the end I was annoyed, not by the film but by her character (though clearly that was the intention). The film is definitely worth more than its current 5.2 IMDb rating (I've seen far more pretentious and tedious films get inexplicably higher scores on here) and also definitely worth investigating - and there is indeed some steam too, if that's what you're looking for.

Making a film is hard, no one disputes that, and I have respect for the filmmaker for making this film. But if this is the best direction of American independent film of 2013 then the answer is simple, cinema is dead. The fact that this film has played almost nowhere in Europe (festival wise) shows the impact it has internationally and the limited view that somewhere like Sundance can have on the current state of cinema. I don't have any ill will towards Ms. Solowayl or her film, but cinema should be there to enlighten, excite, experiment, not play into clichés and formulas (in this case, the indie that really wants to be the next multiplex family train wreck). This film isn't terrible, it's just average, another movie, with some "names," used as a calling card to go on and help Ms. Soloway make more mediocre work. And as the protagonist says in the TV SET, "make the world more mediocre." Hopefully, before her next attempt, she'll actually watch some films (and learn about cinema), think about what she wants to say and try and do something as an artist that is, even mildly, important. And of course "important" is relative, but if this was the last film she could make, would this be the story she would want to tell? Really? If the answer is yes, then not only is cinema dead, but culture as well. In the days of TED talks, Starbucks alternative mix CDs, etc.. this fits in just fine. Something you think is radical, but when you really look at it critically, it's just more suburban POV, that has nothing more to say than, "our life is boring." We know that already. I give her a five, if nothing more, for effort.

If I had a dollar for every time an independent film opened with a man or woman looking lost, listless, and disheveled, I think I'd have about a day's pay. This time, however, the disheveled soul is Rachel (Kathryn Hahn), a stay-at-home mother who is falling into a midlife crisis a bit too early it would appear. Her marriage with her husband Jeff (Josh Radnor) has gone sexless, her child's school events fail to drum up anything besides faux-excitement, and her purpose in life seems to be nothing of any particular significance. Out of the blue, and because of a recommendation from a close friend, she plans a date- night with her husband at a local area strip club to hopefully spice up their sexlife in the bedroom.

Instead of inspiring sexual energy, Rachel finds herself inspired by McKenna (Juno Temple), a beautiful blonde stripper who claims she's nineteen and has found the ins and outs of the exotic dancing world at a young age. Rachel, taken by McKenna's positivity given her situation, which can often be viewed as degrading, and her mature behavior, hires her as a live-in nanny, however, effectively creating tension between Jeff and her family.

Hahn is terrific here as a woman who is in a part of her life that is not only difficult to go through but difficult to portray accurately. The character of Rachel doesn't seem to know what she wants, and because of that, Hahn already has the difficultly of trying to make a character like that not only sympathetic but accessible to the audience. For what she does, Hahn succeeds almost through-and- through, portraying a character who isn't always likable, isn't always friendly, but is consistently human and easy to identify with in the regard that she makes mistakes, sometimes socially-lethal ones, like we all do, and for that we can admire her in her relatability.

While Hahn takes centerstage here, Juno Temple as an actress here and in other films. Temple has frequently kept herself in the role of a working class woman who is trying to do right but finds ways to get herself in situations that pull her in different directions. Her previous films - like Dirty Girl, which beautifully demonstrated her potential as a lead, Killer Joe, and Little Birds - all had those qualities in some particular way, whereas here, she finds ways to be more comfortable with her life choices and not filled with regret or uncertainty. This subtle difference already makes Temple's performance a bit more different than her previous, but the typical lower-income status- quo her character belongs to still echoes the past quite loudly.

It is a shame, however, that with Hahn and Temple assuming the frontlines of the show here that Josh Radnor, a very talented writer/director/actor, is kind of neglected in terms of character and focus here. His only shining-moment is a predictable outburst that occurs late in the film and even that would've worked better if he had more character to him than the neglected husband role who, oh yeah, has feelings.

Furthermore, it's also sad that first time writer/director Jill Soloway decides to have the third act conflict revolve around Rachel in a drunken-haze, spewing "honesty" at all her girlfriends. Such cartoonishness doesn't belong in this picture, and unlike in a film like August: Osage County with wit and unpredictability, Afternoon Delight explores them with triviality and constant predictability.

With that, Afternoon Delight is kind of a jumble, but the pros outweigh the cons just enough that where a mild but present recommendation can be awarded. Not only do Hahn and Temple demonstrate great leading performances, but Soloway bravely shows her captivation with human interest stories. She'd likely be great participating in the mumblecore "movement," something that needs new people to handle some of the attributes of the long-running subgenre.

Starring: Kathryn Hahn, Juno Temple, and Josh Radnor. Directed by: Jill Soloway.

Rachel (Kathryn Hahn) is a smart but bored housewife. She has trouble connecting with her son Logan and has stopped having sex with her husband Jeff (Josh Radnor). Following her friend Stephanie (Jessica St. Clair), she takes her husband to a strip club. Jeff buys her a session in the backroom with stripper McKenna (Juno Temple). Later she tracks down McKenna and befriends her. She takes McKenna in when she runs into problems. Then she finds out that McKenna is a prostitute also. Dr. Lenore (Jane Lynch) is her unhelpful psychiatrist. Jennie (Michaela Watkins) is the bossy school mom.

There are a lot of smart funny women in this. Jill Soloway is mostly a TV writer/producer and she has written some pretty smart stuff. She doesn't really have a directorial style. Kathryn Hahn brings a naturally smart lovely vibe. There is a general oddness with the tone. It's light and cute for the first half. It's even wacky and unreal. Then it tries to go to a darker place which it hasn't earn the right to. It definitely doesn't have the realism to be believable. About an hour into the movie, it takes the turn and it feels unreal. It's almost a different movie. Having so many female comedians may actually hurt this. For example, having Jane Lynch just throws the tone to a different place.