Girl Play

GIRL PLAY is a vibrant, smart, hilarious, and unsentimental love story about two stage actors, Robin Greenspan and Lacie Harmon, cast as the leads in a romantic play. The women come fully equipped with compelling reasons why their falling in love with each other is simply not an option: Robin lives with her life partner in a clearly defined world, replete with Post-it reminders and insurance policies, and Lacie has recently come to embrace her commitment-phobia in full. But when their eccentric stage director (played to perfection by Dom Deluise) insists at rehearsals that the two women experience one electrifying and vulnerable moment after another, their chemistry has no place to go but up.

For all kinds of reasons, these two should not fall in love, and yet we all know where this story is going. But we don't know what fresh, unexpected, and delightful trouble it will trigger; nor whether these women will actually overcome their obstacles and make it – especially given Robin's terror at the mere possibility of hurting and disappointing her live-in girlfriend. The fear takes her back to the dread-filled moments that led to her coming out to her provincial mother (flawlessly played by Mink Stole). And Lacie clings to her independence after she revisits her most recent unbearably awkward, horror-show-down breakup with a demi-semi-steady.

The story unfolds beautifully, mixing narrative and direct-address narration. Because the writing, acting, direction, and editing are so incredibly deft, this hybrid means of story-telling and story-showing works beautifully. It reminds me of High Fidelity in that seamless way of mixing narrative, direct address, and flashbacks.

Mink Stole and Dom Deloise might have stolen the movie, had Robin Greenspan and Lacie Harmon not given such strong and appealing performances. Forgive the reductive Hollywood-ese of this analysis, but Robin Greenspan's hilarious neurotic practicality is young-Woody-Allen good, and Lacie Harmon's hilarious wry cynicism is young-Bruce-Willis sexy! What's more, these two leading ladies also wrote the movie. What's more than THAT…the movie is based on their true story. What's not to love!?

I have to agree with those who believe that the 'good' reviews here come from relatives, friends and colleagues of the women who made this. What I can't understand is why these two real-life women thought their love story was interesting enough to write a play, and then a movie about it. It was like listening to proud parents talk about their gorgeous baby (the one WE know looks like a frog) for 80 minutes. The leads are irritating: Robin (constantly pouting) delivers her lines as though she's performing a high school English oral, whereas Lacy seems to lead with her huge jaw (and drag her knuckles on the ground). The music and flash-backs are as cheesy as they get. The tell-rather-than-show narration does not translate well from the stage, but more importantly, the characters do NOTHING to endear themselves to the viewer. I just didn't CARE. I kept watching only because I'd paid to rent the damn film, but in hindsight that's 80 minutes of my life I can't get back. In short: you know how your best friend spends two hours on the phone telling you (without stopping for breaths) just how greatandsplendidandgorgeousandneat her new girlfriend is? That's what this movie is like. Be warned.

Hey everyone, I just saw this fantastic film at Melb Queer Film Festival last night. Definitely my pick for best film. I loved the music, but forgot to write down the name of the female singer who sung most of the original songs on the soundtrack.

I found it eerie and beautiful the way the story captured so much of how it feels to be me, how several of the conversations held between the characters are exact replicas of conversations I've had, exact replications of feelings I've had.

Well worth seeing, heck I want to see it again! Does anyone know if this will be available on DVD in Australia any time soon?

Cheers

oh god!!! that was a very painful "$2.5 movie" to watch. A good yet digested , cheesy and , so to say, easy to swallow, sad lesbian movie. they don't look one second comfortable with each other ! hardly can act or even kiss... come-on! and what's the "inspired by a true story" all about! and the ambiguity on this comedians might be the real lovers ( Ref short text before the credits )!?! lame,lame, lame... Overuse of the "too appropriate music for the right special moment " kind of soundtrack.

Caricatural and boring. Try to be sexy but misses it completely. How come this movie made so much fuss when, talking low budget independent movie, Gypo passed absolutely incognito. Oh well, sure the play 's much better! it almost could have a good material

In this hilarious and poignant romantic comedy, GIRL PLAY tells the story of Robin and Lacy. They're each in a committed relationship, yet they're falling in love with each other. In an intimate journey through their love lives, Robin and Lacy tell us; how they've become afraid of ending long-term relationships because... what else is there?, being uninterested sexually with a have-sex-with-me-NOW-what's-wrong-with-you girlfriend, being afraid to "come out" to a match-making Jewish mother, and, oh yeah, falling in love with a new co-star while in a play about relationships.

I laughed, I cried, I remembered the ridiculous things that I did, said and felt when falling in and out of love. Robin and Lacy bring such an honesty to their roles, I felt like I was watching two friends.

Turns out, this is a true story and the actors are also the people they portray! Oh, did I mention the extremely hot sex scene? Thank you Lee Friedlander for tastefully showing two women make love. My husband and I both thank you! Go see this movie. You will remember why you ever fell in love in the first place, no matter who it is you love.

Kissing Jessica who??