A lesbian film. An 80's homage movie. For reasons that will likely never be known or understood (and probably involve an acid trip), someone decided to merge these two genres. And, in its own bizarre way, it works. Here's my breakdown:
The Look - Because it's an homage to the eighties, the entire movie, especially the first scenes, look like they were shot on a VHS Camcorder. The lighting is interesting, with pinks and purples that are reminiscent of the decade. It takes a little getting used to, and I wonder if the film would have been better if they had shot it like any other movie. But it's their creative decision and maybe I don't especially like it, but I'll give them credit for taking the risk.
The Writing - At first I thought the jokes were horrible. Painfully bad. Then I began noticing references to Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Breakfast Club. Then I figured out that the humor was meant to be reminiscent of that era. From that point of view the jokes are good bad jokes, meaning they're good at recreating teenage angst-y jokes that today would be very dated.
The Story - Perhaps it's a little too over dramatic and self indulgent for its own good, but maybe that's the point. The characters are colorful and horribly flawed human beings, and it shows in the most awkward and endearing moments of the film. You may not understand their decisions or why they choose to bring so much drama down on themselves, but you'll at least relate to it in one way or another.
The Acting - The best acting performances come from Maya Jamner as Ryan and LE Barone as Dov. Ryan is a beautiful, quirky neurotic and is the funniest character. Dov (Dove?) has an interesting plotline that I can't get into without giving too much away, but the acting is flawless.
The Bad - It was very hard to hear the dialog at times. Closed captions are a must, especially for all the little jokes and quick asides. Some of the scenes could have been shorter, especially the ones with Bridget and Dov talking. Two hours is hefty and 20 minutes could have been cut out.
Overall - I hate myself for how much I love this movie. I've watched it three times, and I suspect I'll give in and watch it again. There are so many reasons not to like this. But I do. I love it. I'm sure many others will too.
