Fresno

First off it has to be said that the cast is stacked with good comedy actors who have all had great roles in other things, especially the two female leads. So when they are given this chance to shine with no excuse of male influence or bias it is a shame that the material itself is such a letdown.

There is just nothing to this film, the story is basic and not really provocative or interesting enough to justify its creation. Unlike a film like Garden State, where the generally mundane story is balanced with directing choices that give the film a unique melancholic feel that suits these low-key themes, the director does nothing to highlight the stagnant flow of the plot. There isn't even really that much humour to pad out the barely-existent plot. Instead you just get two sisters talking in circles, while occasionally events happen around them, often with little to no provocation. You could argue that 'that's life', but even so the way it is presented is so unappealing that it has little merit as either entertainment or a think-piece.

Overall this is still a movie, there is dialogue and characters and events occur over a feature length run-time, but if you watched it with the sound or screen off (or both) you wouldn't be missing much. If you want a female-orientated film that captures the trapped feeling of small town living then watch Ghost World, I don't know how all the fine elements that went into this came out so banal, but it looks like they mixed flour and water together and made paste.

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.

This movie's pretty hilarious. A hidden gem with a fantastic cast! Judge for yourself.

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.

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!