International Falls

Really nothing to like about this except Rachael Harris' performance. Not sure how she got me to root for such an unlikeable character, even with her accent being inconsistent and the lack of chemistry between the two leads. Other than the two main characters, there was zero depth to any of the others. I expected some twist that never arrived. If you are going to have a movie about standup comedy, at least include some funny comedy? It feels like they cut a big seen near the end and stuck in one of those silent sad scenes in its place, where you are supposed to fill in the blanks. This movie felt honest, but nothing to feel good about.

Indie movie it's. Just a encounter of a man and woman in International Falls both with their own family issues and they just click in sense of relieve each other's unhappiness. It's a story of that but just not too boring to watch.

What makes International Falls such an engaging film -- outside of the soothing Minnesoooota accents -- are the two central performances. As Tim, Huebel perfectly captures the life of a struggling comic, his sarcastic wit and self-deprecating humor masking the emotions he's too insecure to actually share. As Dee, Rachael Harris matches him note-for-note, slowly but surely finding the confidence she needs to alter her life, regardless of how daunting it may seem. Together, Huebel and Harris create the kind of on-screen chemistry that never feels forced or rehearsed; the type of chemistry that grows organically from a shared perspective.

Love the premise of this film. Props for the strong casting. It's just to slow and lacking in artful dialogue. I felt like they were ripping off "Fargo" including a lame reference in the dialogue. The central male character, who's a comic, is really bad at being a comic. But no comic is so bad that they don't have years of material to lean on. This comic has no act whatsoever. And that's why this film drags on. He's boring beyond the pale. The only saving grace is the last ten minutes. That segment makes the entire film worth it. What a recovery. Like watching a patient flatline and comes back from the dead.

Dee (Rachael Harris) is a bored wife and mother in International Falls, Minnesota. She dreams of being a stand-up comedian. She's a hotel desk clerk where Tim (Rob Huebel) is the new traveling comic doing shows in the hotel.

The start is a little awkward with her cheating. I also noticed that her accent switches from Fargo to sassy Rachael Harris throughout the movie. It's weird that some characters go fall Fargo while others are doing a lot less. Eventually, there is some good character work with Dee and her husband. The stand-up comedy is almost never funny and that causes problems of its own. The ending is one of those problems. I understand the writer falling in love with the gas station bit but her closing should be one joke and out. The joke could even bomb but she just has to get over the hump of finally finding her joy. That's her journey. It's not about the mistress or her marriage. It's not about anything other than a middle age woman finding her own joy for the first time.