Addicted to Fresno

I saw this yesterday at a sold out Newfest screening in NYC. The audience loved it. I wouldn't say that this movie is the next "Some Like it Hot" or "Sullivan's Travels" but it was a lot of fun. When I saw it, the audience was laughing a lot and they howled at the Bar Mitzvah scene and the 'fellatio' scene too.

Today I see three negative reviews here. Two, it would seem at least, are from men. One of whom tags himself: cinnyaste? I see that he has written 80 reviews here at IMDb. The two others are strangely similar, and were posted on the same day, the second by a reviewer who had only been an IMDb member for one day when this one solitary review was posted?

The audience at Newfest was more women than men. The two stars of the movie are women as are the writer and director. Cinnyaste (I guess the common spelling was already taken) claims: "Another misstep is the addition of a neither-here-nor-there LGBT agenda which doesn't mix well with the main story" Agenda? Let me say that again, Agenda????? Since one of the two sisters is a lesbian would subtracting her sexuality from the story have given the "main plot" of the movie less of a LGBT agenda? Well I guess it would. The resulting half plot would have been much less agendified.

The other sister has problems with an addiction and a codependency between the two runs as a serious thread throughout the film. However this is primarily a comedy and I can assure you the that there were a lot of laughs. Although this movie was admittedly a low budget quickie, which was mostly shot in the motel where it took place, it was much better than these two...... sorry three..... reviewers would have you believe.

To the reviewer who complains that he doesn't believe that any of the creative team are from Fresno... gasp!... I would point out that this story could have taken place in any one of a thousand small cities across this country. A recurring complaint about so many American cities these days is that they are all very nearly the same.

Much, much better than I expected. I could easily have rated ADDICTED TO FRESNO with 8 stars! The story was interesting, with clever characters and a light-hearted attitude. The performances were perfect and believable... Recommended!

Addicted to Fresno is full of artfully-crafted deadpan situations that probably created quite a few amusing bloopers. The star Natasha Lyonne has great control of her expression. The other actors and actresses complement her talents well, but she really stood out.

Presumably, this was a low budget movie but nevertheless the cinematography was excellent. As a photographer, I often was impressed with how well the lighting was controlled (for example, the poetry scene on the loading dock; scenes in the hotel hallway, never a good lighting situation; the pet cemetery scene). OK, maybe most people wouldn't care about these details, but if the producer had not properly lit these scenes, the movie would not have been as pleasant to watch even if nothing else had changed. Appreciate what you don't notice as much as what you do notice.

Don't look for any deep philosophical plot; just take the movie as the comedy that it was intended to be. Loved it.

I thought the script had continuous spiraling of obstacles the sisters had to face leaving room for clarity and forgiveness on both their parts and hilarity and fun for the audience. I loved every scene and thought every character had great chemistry with one another making everything rocking. Both sisters demonstrated a relatable character with distinct personalities and flaws. The beauty of the film is how they unravel one another by unraveling themselves first. I think the message really stood out to worry first about yourself before you worry too much about anyone else, even those you love, because like Martha, you may feel like what you're giving isn't enough and that the other person is ungrateful for your efforts, when really what you're trying to fulfill is a void inside of you. I laughed a lot during this movie and am purchasing it after watching it on hulu. Great work!

Natasha Lyonne and Judy Greer star in "Addicted to Fresno," a 2015 film. It seems to have been done on a low budget, but the movie looks good.

Lyonne is Martha, who is allowing her sex-addicted sister Shannon (Greer), recently thrown out of rehab, to stay with her. She also gets her a job at the motel where she cleans. While having sex with a resident, Shannon accidentally kills him. The women cover the body with a sheet dump him in a laundry cart and take him to a pet cemetery, asking the owners to cremate their Great Dane and the laundry cart. Unfortunately the wife of the owner sees it's a body, and blackmails them for $25,000.

When knocking over the local sex shop only elicits dildos, the women decide to rob a Bar Mitzvah. In the meantime, Martha has had to break up with her girlfriend, and finds a trainer at the gym is attracted to her - but she's too busy trying to take care of Shannon.

Fun caper movie, full of sex talk and foul language, with good acting by both women. I thought the story and the situations were amusing. There is a slight serious undertone, but it fits in well with the film. The outtakes at the end are entertaining.

I don't know if everyone realizes what a huge feat it is to do an independent film. From the credits at the end, many people were involved. Kudos to them.