Afternoon Delight

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.

Stay at home mum and bored housewife Rachel (Kahryn Hayn) tired of kindergarten mom meet ups and help-the-homeless functions receives a boost to her non-existent sex drive when she's jokingly given a lap dance at a strip club courtesy of her workaholic husband Jeff (Josh Radnor). Curious to unravel more of her newly discovered eroticism she secretly revisits the strip bar only to "accidentally" bump into the young woman named Whitney (Juno Temple) who gave her the lap dance and they begin chatting. Many coffees later Rachel slowly becomes aware of Whitney's empowering hold of her own femininity and they soon become friends and, coupled with a cry for help with her own life, Rachel sees an opportunity to help Whitney break free of her inappropriate lifestyle by inviting her into her home and offering Whitney a small position as a live in nanny. When Whitney's OTHER job as a classy escort comes to light things begin to effect Rachel's moral compass and the already precarious family relationship.

Written and directed by Jill Soloway Afternoon Delight is essentially centered on one woman who is desperate for release emotionally, sexually and physically. Working on many levels, this film continually addresses the deep issues most married couples experience and has the ability to keep the mood upbeat and funny. While actually a reasonably good flick the difficulty in portraying the emotional elements onto screen made it hard to become engrossing. Good performances all round.

This is an example of film I would never claim is great, but is certainly off the usual beaten (to death) path and therefore at is interesting at least.

The story is about a self-absorbed yuppie mother (Katherine Hahn) who tries to spice up her marriage by going to a strip club and then bringing home a lap dancer (Juno Temple) to be her nanny. I can imagine two movies immediately: it could be some late-night cable sexploitation thing where a hot woman discovers her inner stripper and lives happily (and sexily) ever after, OR it could be some half-assed feminist diatribe where two women from different social classes learn to relate to each other as they come to terms with the commodification of women by the patriarchy, yada, yada. Fortunately, this movie is neither. Instead it's kind of satirical black comedy about a not particularly sympathetic female character who in quest of some kind of sexual liberation makes a complete mess of her life, her new "friend's" life, and generally the lives of everyone around her.

It's also nice to find a movie about strippers that strikes a balance between pure exploitation and the kind "female empowerment" claptrap where Hollywood actresses take on "brave" role as strippers and sex workers, but strictly observe their iron-clad "no-nudity clauses" because that would somehow be giving in to "sexism". Both actresses bravely shed both their clothes and their need to ALWAYS maintain audience sympathy. Juno Temple's character is a proud "sex worker" who does what she does, not because she is either "exploited" or "empowered", but simply because it is a valid career choice. She's totally amoral--kind of like a sexy shark. Hahn's character is a self-loathing Jewish feminist who thinks she has less "hang-ups" than everyone around her when she probably has a lot more.

Hahn at times risks being completely unsympathetic, which may explain a lot of the negative reaction to this movie. It's really hard to dislike Juno Temple, but I think the fact that she's such a desirable little cutie who takes her clothes off in every other role sometimes overshadows what a talented actress she is. Yeah, she gets all the "nudie" roles her prudish American peers won't touch, but if you compare this to "Magic, Magic" to "Cracks" to the British "St. Trinian's" comedies she first appeared in, it's evident she has a lot more range and talent than she's given credit for. This movie is not a comedy masterpiece by any means, but it is certainly worth a look.

A charming, touching indie dramedy. I watched it mainly because I really like comedian Kathryn Hahn. I've loved her presence as a character actress since she popped up in Step Brothers a few years back, and she's stolen scenes in movies such as Wanderlust and TV shows such as Parks & Recreation since then. I'd heard it was a bad film, but I thought it was pretty good. Hahn stars as a wife and mother. Her marriage (to Josh Radnor) isn't bad, necessarily, but their sex life has kind of died. One night, on a whim, she decides to have a couples date with her best friend at a strip club (her friend swears that it gets her husband's motor running). There she meets a young stripper played by Juno Temple, and she becomes a little obsessed with the girl afterward. Not sexually, exactly, though there may be an element of that. It's kind of a motherly attention, mixed with a deep curiosity regarding the girl's highly sexual lifestyle. When she finds the girl outside of work, she's basically homeless, so Hahn takes her home, hoping to maybe glean some of her secrets. There isn't much of a plot. It's mostly just a film about people. It really gives Hahn, who is in general a supporting player, a chance to shine, and, man, does she ever. This is a fantastic performance. Temple is quite good, too. The men in the picture are a little underdeveloped. If Radnor had been more of a character, the film might have been great. As it is, it's pretty good.