Drugstore June

Drugstore June is a film that explores the frustration and annoyance of June, a woman who is a source of frustration and annoyance to everyone in her life. The movie is built around the viewer spending 91 minutes with June, which generates laughs at a joke level but also allows the audience to identify with the poor, exasperated souls conversing with her. The director Nicholaus Goossen, who wrote the script with Esther Povitsky, uses the camera, music, and performances to create a cohesive atmosphere that is indie-comedy quirky but specific enough to allow for some intentional playfulness. The storyworld is somewhat off-kilter, but June is strange by their standards. The film's structure means that her scene partners often determine whether things are working, and mileage may vary significantly. The best moments either have a strong narrative frame or feature characters that collide with June's energy in an interesting way. Some of the best moments include interrogations by two detectives after Bill's pharmacy is robbed, a hostile encounter with her old boss, and delightful back-and-forth with Owen and his friends over pancakes. Beverly D'Angelo as June's mother is also a standout, making the most of every moment she's onscreen. However, the sibling dynamic between June and her brother Jonathan works less well, and the full family scenes generally aren't as engaging as June's investigation of the robbery. Drugstore June is a comedy that showcases the limitations of its director, June. The character's development arc is a highlight, but the filming lacks sincerity. The film is a comedic construct, making it difficult to expect real change from June. Despite this, June learns from the inconsistencies and the film is still funny. It creatively approaches a deceptively ambitious setup without overstaying its welcome. While some ideas feel like raw versions of what could be refined in future films, Drugstore June is a worthwhile watch in an uninspiring month for new theatrical movies.

There is definitely some parody in the first half or so of the movie, June's character especially. It's definitely meant for people of the current TikTok media influencer generation. The only obvious insider thing is Miranda Cosgrove using her favorite curse word a couple times. For me, it's always fun to see Miranda in something, Beverly D'Angelo is great as always, the rest of the cast does well. Laughed out loud often. Esther Povitsky does more stuff hopefully. Kind of movie that people will remember fondly 10 or 15 years from now, maybe not so much now. Product of it's time, genius will be recognized later.

I went into this movie blind, but being a fan of Bobby Lee, Steph Tolev and Bill Burr I thought hey- this is going to be so good!

I've seen Esther before in a few things and I know she is funny and she can act.

The first 10 minutes, I gave it the benefit of the doubt. I thought it was setting us up to see what a "loser" this 30-year-old still living with her parents was. I'm still unclear on what age she was supposed to be. There were no stakes in this movie. No one was forcing her to move out, no one was making her do anything on her own. I think they were insinuating that she was overweight throughout the movie, but she didn't visually appear that way.

The main character never became likeable. She wasn't even likeable in an unlikable way. There was nothing redeeming about the character. She wasn't a hero, or an anti-hero.

There was a very loose plot. There was no story arc, no climax, no anything. I still don't really know what the movie was about. The last 10 minutes hastily and quickly wrapped things up. There was no character development, or any character redemption.

This movie was stacked with great actors and comedians, but, where was the funny?

The dad was supposed to be a good for nothing gambler, which was a weird thing that popped up halfway through the movie, even though they live in a giant, beautiful house and their bedrooms were stacked with anything they could ask for.

It just wasn't believable. The brother sounds like he was written by a 50 year old who opened tiktok for the first time.

I don't know. I wanted to love this movie. But it was just impossible.

Seemed like it was going for Juno or Napoleon Dynamite vibes, but the writing wasn't there.

Now, I can't say this is a GOOD movie, really. I can say it was far less terrible than I was expecting. It's got ol' Billy Big B@lls in it, albeit very briefly, and that's a highlight. Bobby Lee is someone I'm not too sure about, but he's growing on me, and he's fine in this. The lead character is... tough to deal with, but i somehow think that's the point. The big surprise here for me is James Remar. In pretty much everything I've seen him in I've not been a fan of his performance. It always seems a little too over-dramatic. SOO serious. Always sticks out like a sore thumb. He's actually pretty funny in this. He and, to a lesser extent, the brother, are absolute savages in the way they treat June. He just doesn't GAF, and she's just so unappealing it makes that bullying pretty amusing. Not that I condone bullying, of course. At least until the end, and then of course they have to soften up so the MP gets her way.

In summary, it's all right, except for the lead. Not a glowing recommendation, but I didn't totally hate it. 5/10.

The character is cringe. That's intentional. It's a satirical look at how those people behave. If you can't see that, you should probably remove yourself from the situations or the people that TRIGGER ... YOU ... into not seeing things for what they are. If you didn't understand the film, you're likely part of the target and you will never understand.

Very few films in the past 10 years have made me laugh out loud. This one accomplished that on multiple occasions. And I'm not some shill for anyone involved in the film. Bill Burr's scene was one of the funniest in years. Perfect delivery. And though I've never seen the lead anywhere else, she delivered as well. Hopefully that's not a reflection of her true self. If so, then at least she'll have a pièce de résistance.

At the very least, will one day perhaps be a cult classic.