Happythankyoumoreplease

"I was a well-fed, middle-class kid who came from good parents; I've got no material." Those words, spoken by Sam the writer, are just one example of how Josh Radnor blurs the lines between writer and character in his debut film, happythankyoumoreplease.

In it, we follow the lives of a few late-20s/early-30s bachelors and bachelorettes in New York City, a place Radnor portrays endearingly. Sam (played by Radnor) is a cynical writer desperately trying to sell one of his short stories. His best friend Anne (Malin Akerman) can't seem to stop dating the wrong guys. His cousin Mary (Zoe Kazan) is pressured by her boyfriend to go to Los Angeles (a city she loathes) and leave New York (the city she calls home). Along the way we meet all sorts of characters, including Rasheen, a "young black child" who, after shuffling through several foster families, has no home.

Sam takes Rasheen in for awhile, at least until he can figure out what to do with him. Anne accuses him of using the boy for material, but it's more complicated than that. Although we've seen the little-kid-sidekick device before, it's so lightheartedly entertaining here that we really don't care. Michael Algieri's debut as Rasheen will steal your heart.

I have yet to mention Mississippi, a bartender/cabaret singer, played by the lovely Kate Mara, who serves as Sam's romantic conflict. They hit it off quickly, possibly too quickly, and we wonder if they've met at the wrong time. Regardless, their interactions are the most cringe-worthy of the film (see: "let's clean each other up" and "you write short stories, I'm ready for the novel").

On the other hand, great music from Jaymay kept me in tune with the film's title. It serves as a narrative soundtrack for happythankyoumoreplease and gives it an indie feel (the film won the Audience Award for Best Drama at Sundance).

Although at times cheesy and clichéd, Radnor's debut tells an epigrammatic story about characters we genuinely care about. Sam's not delivering a profound revelation when he says "every five years I realize what an asshole I was five years ago." Yet the inherent modesty in that statement says a lot about Radnor's work.

Greetings again from the darkness. If such a thing existed in Hollywood, I wouldn't be surprised if Woody Allen brought a Trademark Infringement suit against writer/director Josh Radnor. There is even a clear reference to Mr. Allen, who must be one of Radnor's idols. Of course, similar ideas and approaches happen frequently in movies, so really what we have is a snapshot in time of what it's like to be a young (late 20's to early 30's) New Yorker trying to figure out life.

Radnor is one of the stars of "How I Met Your Mother" and this is his filmmaking debut. He does show some promise despite some weakness in the script and too dang many close-ups - talking heads, as I call them. His goal was to take an intimate look at relationships and the road to maturity, which is often filled with potholes. This seems especially true for those artistic types who are convinced New York is the only land of opportunity in existence.

There are 4 stories going on: Sam (Josh Radnor) is a struggling writer who meets Mississippi (Kate Mara), a cabaret singer/waitress; Mary Catherine (Zoe Kazan) and Charlie (Pablo Schreiber) have their relationship tested by a proposed move to L.A.; Annie (Malin Akerman) suffers from a self-image problem and faces off against a true romantic in Sam #2 (Tony Hale); and an on-going interwoven story line involves Sam's character making an asinine decision when a young boy gets separated from his family on the subway.

The best of the stories is Annie's. Suffering from an auto-immune disease which leaves her hairless, she has a real self-image problem in thinking that she is not worthy of love. On the ironic other hand, she is put off by the advances of nice guy Sam #2 because he isn't the physical specimen she had dreamed of. Akerman and Hale make these characters believable and we actually pull for them to figure it out.

Kazan's Mary Catherine just had me hoping Charlie would slap her and take off to LA on his own. Kazan (granddaughter of the great director Elia Kazan) actually does a nice job capturing the suffering that so many females put themselves through. Kate Mara's Mississippi is the perky on the outside, defensive on the inside type who should probably never get mixed up with the self-centered mess that is Sam (Radnor). Still, Mara's talent is on full display (she first leaped off the screen in Brokeback Mountain as Heath Ledger's 19 yr old daughter).

One thing the script reminds us is that this generation still believes the world revolves around their every decision. They have been a bit slow on the uptake here, but it makes for easy pickings in script writing. There are some terrific individual scenes, but some of the larger plot lines are not treated fairly or completely. Maybe Radnor tackled a bit too much for his first outing. Still, a decent effort and I look forward to more from him.

This is an excellent "slice of life" movie, very easy to relate to and entertaining. It manages to be optimistic without being saccharine sweet. The writer/director, while male, depicts women characters with compassion and understanding. And New York in summer feels like the real thing, in a way that the best Woody Allen films do. Most impressive and enjoyable, though, are the performances. Malin Ackerman has never been better. Tony Hale is a revelation! Josh is excellent (and nothing like Ted Mosby). The little boy, Michael Algieri, is a natural. And Kate Mara -- omg! Not only is she gorgeous, funny and engaging, she's an amazing singer!! Watching her one feels a star being born. The songs by Jaymay -- which are the movie's score -- are perfect. And tech credits (cinematography, editing, production design) are fantastic.

What a movie....what a movie..... I must say I'm a big fan of Josh Radnor because of his hit series "How I met your mother" and (who isn't?) I think as a writer he is amazing and he has a long way to go. He has mentioned his love for short stories unknowingly in the TV show many times and I must say his endeavour has never gone unnoticed. Josh Radnor has a real potential. He just brought it together and the rest was obvious. The writing was superb(I'm a writer myself so bro Respect!) and not to forget the brilliant direction done by Josh himself.

A wonderful debut, by the way, as a director for him and all the very best wishes to him for his future ventures. Awesome acting and some great performances by the cast that included Malin Akerman (as usual she is brilliant in this flick too), Kate Mara (I'm beginning to like her already)and Zoe Kazan(with her sweet role which she generally plays quite naturally).

The story was wonderful. Gotta watch it to know it. I'd give it a 7 on 10 and I think the flick deserved it. I'd recommend everyone to go and watch this one because it certainly is worth all the accolades.

It appears that Josh Radnor's hopeless romantic "How I Met Your Mother" character Ted Mosby has rubbed off on his other ambitions. His debut film, "happythankyoumoreplease" is a bit more realistic than the hit sitcom, but both involve a great deal of optimism.

Following various relationship dynamics between six connected New Yorkers, Radnor is not-so-subtly inspired by Woody Allen, whom he references in the film quite clearly without naming him directly. To compare Radnor's film with Allen's body of work, however, would very clearly result in one major fundamental difference: Radnor is not pessimistic.

Radnor stars as Sam Wexler, a struggling writer (yup) on the precipice of 30 who by chance notices a young boy (Michael Algieri) get separated from what appears to be his family while on the subway. Sam feels inclined to help, but after a certain point (around when he learns the boy is a foster child who clearly didn't like his living situation) realizes he can't shake him off and takes him in. Around this time, a nearby bartender/server (Kate Mara) catches his eye.

The film also follows Sam's closest friend, Annie (Malin Akerman), a woman with alopecia struggling to find love, as well as his cousin Mary Catherine (Zoe Kazan) and her boyfriend Charlie (Pablo Schreiber), who confront the possibility of uprooting their lives and moving to Los Angeles.

The characters' problems are very realistic, though not necessarily interesting. Sam's relationship with the boy, Rasheen, has the most potential because Rasheen is not the typical surprisingly mature wise- alec kid we're normally treated to in adult films involving unlikely friendships between a child and adult. But Radnor is also interested in the other relationship dynamics in his script, so that one story doesn't get quite the attention it might have ideally received.

Radnor's writing is very conscious of cliché, a necessity given the stories--especially the romances--have a natural trajectory toward predictable. And even though there's little reason given as to why Mara's Mississippi is interested in Sam, Radnor makes their exchanges too cute for their entire subplot to turn sour. The implication is these are two troubled young people looking for love, willing to go out on a limb to find it. That is just one of the many really sweet notions Radnor wishes to convey through this film.

"Happythankyoumoreplease" never delves into especially dramatic territory. The characters hit major bumps and hardships, but more of the sentimental variety, the kind that evoke audience empathy by trying to relate to everyone. Nothing out of the ordinary happens in the movie; Radnor just wants his audience to connect with the problems of the characters and consider the shifts in perspective they experience.

It's a pleasant film that really plays it safe, and those movies have their place. People hoping to be stirred by some seriously thought- provoking interpersonal dilemmas will be disappointed, but the title should be a giveaway that this one's an uplifting indie. The characters and their situations feel real, and it's enough to keep the film interesting until it finishes with a soft, moment-of-clarity/all is right in the universe climax.

I would definitely keep an eye on Radnor's work going forward. There are far worse labels than an optimistic Woody Allen minus the neuroses.

~Steven C

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