Songbird

I could watch Cobie read poetry for hours but this film is a mess that looks like it was made by a first month film student. There is no charm, no really funny moments, just a really, really, really, really bad film. When I say that there's no chemistry between the leads, don't assume that there's some kind of plot. There is no plot. Literally, throughout the entire film, Cobie acts as if she high or drunk in EVERY scene. I mean drunk like when your friend gets drunk and thinks she's really funny until she sees video the next day of just how stupid she really was the night before. I have to assume that Cobie made this film because the director is a family member or someone she owed a really big favor to.

This is an improvisational piece filmed in five days by Jamie Adams. Cobie Smulders plays Joanne, a 90's rock musician who enrolls in college after her band breaks up.Then fate brings her together with super sexy Peter (Richard Elis). This is a story about a girl who thinks she is everything and a man who lacks confidence coming together and finding love. Don't watch and expect a big production, this movie is like reality; stumbling people, clumsy, awkward and chaotic. All the things people criticized this movie for are actually the things that make this movie stand out and make it real. Cobie did a great job playing the rock musician. If you think she was loud and over the top, that was probably what she was aiming for, but all credits for making this movie great go to Richard for bringing sweetness and sensitivity.

I don't know what people expected but I really don't understand why there is so much hate towards this movie. It was exactly what I wanted it to be. The lead character Joanne is an extraverted, outspoken person who says and does whatever she wants. She makes people uncomfortable trom time to time and that's what makes her real. She doesn't have her life even remotely figured out. The movie shows life exactly as it is. Improvisation is the point of the whole thing. There are no great lines, suprising twists or love at first sight. It's everyday events that lead to people forming bonds with each other . I think the movie is great and you should give it a try.

Story was trite and cringey, going for obvious characters, no depth, no chemistry, not even a good soundtrack....

JoAnne Skye (Cobie Smulders) is a 90's rock star. The "Filthy Dukes" is her band. Her stardom is now faded and she's struggling to keep going. When her band finally quits, she reconnects with an old friend Sara Ramsey (Jessica Hynes) living in a caravan and decides to be an university student. She has a fling with administrator Pete (Richard Elis).

Firstly, I adore Cobie Smulders, and Jessica Hynes for Spaced. The 4 rating concerned me but also intrigued me. I can see the problems but it's not quite that bad. This was apparently much improvised, and shot in five days. It looks and feels it. It needs a few more written scenes and to extend it to a full week. It tries to cover with some montage sequences. Smulders could do a little singing but the opening music video is too inferior. I would suggest lip sync. There are a few good songs in the movie. It's fine to pick one of them and have her lip sync it. As for the characters, I like the destructiveness of Smulders, the buried jealousy of Hynes, and Elis' innate niceness. There is a lot to like here but it is still not good enough.