Results

Wesley Morris (man, I miss reading his reviews on Grantland every week) called this movie "sneak attack romance." It is also sneak attack comedy and character development. But the story never feels forced. Maybe that's the nuanced performances or maybe it's the little moments that make the whole thing feel genuine. I did not know these movies were still getting made, honestly. I'm glad they are. They make you laugh without punchlines, and that should not be so rare.

 Results stars Guy Pearce, Cobie Smulders, and Kevin Corrigan. Pearce and Smulders play personal trainers for an up and coming gym called Fit 4 Life. The film more or less revolves around these two. They are enjoying a decently profitable business when a bored multimillionaire (Corrigan) decides that he should try and lose some weight. So, Fit 4 Life takes him on as a client. Despite their better judgment of course. Needless to say 'Results' plays by it's own set of rules. Rules that many films today are to safe to even attempt.

But this is why this film is so compelling. It feels real because there is so much that separates it from everything else. Easily, the best part of this film is in its cast. The best of the bunch being Pearce. He plays the ambitious owner of Fit 4 Life. A man that genuinely wants to do good. Even though he may not be able to get that point across without stumbling over himself countless times. But every one else does a great job as well.

This may be due to impressive character writing. Few films these days put this amount of effort into molding its characters. The main three all may seem to have the same problems but it's how they handle these problems that's so compelling. Each one deals with their mid life crisis in different ways. Corrigan can't help but buy anything and everything that he thinks he needs. And Smulders jumps between jobs and men equally, in a sad attempt to try and give her life some meaning.

But the back bone of 'Results' resides in its rom com structure. The film approaches this genre of film from a different direction that easily reinvigorates its familiar story line. With its impressively drawn characters at its back 'Results' hits some ludicrously funny marks. It offers a well drawn, sharp script that basks in its own awkward set pieces and dialogue.

The problem with 'Results' is that the film seems to come to a head not quite halfway through the film. After this hilarious climax everything afterwards just feels like an after thought. So, nearly half of this film feels tacked on. While it wasn't noticeably bad it was certainly harder to focus on the film. Saying that this film moves at its own pace is an understatement. At best it's uneven and worst, sluggish.

'Results' is not a bad film. It's funny, fresh, and offers fleshed out characters that are performed perfectly by its cast. But, 'Results' may a bit to unconventional for its own good. It moves at an uncomfortably slow pace that is often to sluggish for its own good.

Texan slice of life with characters who live on the edge. Quirky. Unpredictable. Finally satisfying. Glad Pearce gets to speak in his native Australian accent. Even happier that no reference is made to it!

Pearce is phenomenal, as always, If it wasn't for him there was nothing to review. It is not the lack of talent but a dwindling obvious storyline. Smulders character is rather irritating. Her confrontational whimsical personality does not at all gel on screen with Pearce. Smulders plays her part without any subtlety in a storyline that relies on small developments. I get that this is the whole plot line, contradicting personalities etc, but it moves along choppy and forcefully in an effort to match Smulders and Pearce together.The part with the client could have been more useful but it became rather redundant.

Not really sure what this was. It had some chuckle moments, but nothing terribly funny. The plot jumped around quite a bit, and lacked any cohesiveness. Not sure what the role of Anthony Michael Hall was for. Seemed like it was just added to give him some work. The main male character had a good heart, while the main female lead was mostly a jerk that wasn't very likeable (and also didn't particularly look like a personal trainer). Ultimately, it was quite boring, and I fast-forwarded through the last 10 minutes or so just to see how it ended. Turns out I didn't really care.