The Pill

The title, along with the film cover are both pretty self explanatory. It may sound like a cliché type movie but once you give it a chance, you find it is not as bad as you would have thought. It provides many laughs but there are some heart touching moments as well. It's not so much like 'No Strings Attached' or 'Friends With Benefits' kind of deal. It's more of them wanting to prevent any problems in the aftermath of sex then just having sex and leaving it at that. I also liked how the stars were more of smaller known actors and not big Hollywood celebrities. It put more of a shine on them. Noah Bean and Rachel Boston are fantastic together. You can feel the chemistry between them from beginning to end. This may not be an award winning film, but hey not all of them have to be. It is a perfect fit if you're home with your friends and you just want to have a good laugh.

Somebody should have taken a pill instead of giving birth to this movie. A romantic comedy needs certain ingredients to Work. 1) It needs to be romantic. 2) It needs to be funny once in a while. 3) It needs characters that that we can care about. Sadly it fails on all counts. The main character, (awful acting by the way), is to put it mildly not very likable and it remains a mystery why she fell for him in the first place. I mean the guy has 2 facial expressions. A nervous smile with lots of teeth and another that probably is supposed to look panicked. There's virtually no plot at all except his attempts to get her to take the pill. The woman does slightly better with her part. Actually showing a bit of character, but the script doesn't give her much to Work with. Waste of time !!

...I think people are doing just too much when it comes to criticizing this movie.

So what if the characters aren't likable? Well I wouldn't say "so what" because character development is important, but I think Fred and Mindy are meant to be "normal," with a quirky, indie twist. And "normally"...people do have one night stands and wind up pregnant, unfortunately. This film is a comedic perspective of real life. And it's kind of a chic, urban adventure.

I just love the roaming around New York City this film has, reminds me of...me. And I like seeing it on screen, what the hell. I also like that it's set in a summery time, so it's bright and fun and ironic to how dark this probably could be.

I mean I'd punch Fred in real life. He follows Mindy around pretending to like her just to make sure she takes both doses of a morning after pill. And why? Because he's married or in a long-term relationship. It shows two different types of New York lives: Fred is from the intellectual, upper classed part, with a self-centred, jet-setting girlfriend in a big fancy condo or studio apartment it looked like, and Mindy is on a working class budget with a black boyfriend in a small apartment in Brooklyn.

Now I have no idea why Mindy wanted to have Fred's child but based on my description it seems she wants his status through his child? I don't know. I think the director just wanted to portray girls who wind up pregnant after one night stands as bonkers and manipulative who try to pass it off as feminism. Maybe it's his version of modern city girls, as the New York backdrop was utilized a lot and very well so perhaps this setting was done intentionally, or convenient considering it's where the director lived... But it was done in a funny way, and it's a comedy! So it worked.

Anyway I hated Fred, LOVED the guy playing him. I'm not sure if it was improvising the script or what. But he was funny. Sometimes the script seemed like they were improvising with some direction on where the conversation should go, like very realistic dialogue (stuttering, petty back and forths, laughs, vulgar social commentary), so on that level to film snobs it could've looked amateur acting-wise but pretty good direction wise. But I enjoyed it because it was realistic.

The elements were great as I mentioned, the background scenery of New York City, being on the subway-train (a big must in big-city indie films for me), strutting and skipping through big crowds, going to small cafes, convenience stores and pharmacies, apartments with cute and artsy interior decoration (they used the director's apartment for Mindy's apartment), it was all so nice. Their stylish- casual wardrobe. The soundtrack was enjoyable, like atmospheric, bubbly indie music. All these things subtly but hugely make the film, for me. So it's an enjoyable watch. Albeit with flaws. I loved the last scene, I would've done the same thing as Mindy when she saw Fred if not worse.

Long story short: the only flaws, for me, was developing Mindy's character. I simply don't understand why she loved Fred so fast and intentionally had his kid but hey girls like this do exist. I also don't like Fred but I think focusing on him as a character too much is unnecessary to critiquing the film as a whole. The things I liked: the setting, Fred's script and the actor playing him, the theme (it's interesting). The pace was good. It's not a boring film at all. If you're into films just to fall in love with the characters/actors and ignore how well a film was put together or not, then this isn't for you. If you can understand the reality of character flaws but appreciate important film elements like plot, script, setting, angles, music, originality yet reality, then this is for you! :D

The Pill(2011) Starring: Noah Bean, Rachel Boston, Anna Chlumsky, Jean Brassard, S. Lue McWilliams, Steve Routman, Julia Royter, Jack Tartaglia, Al Thompson, and Dreama Walker Directed By: J.C. Khoury Review Hello everyone your pal the cupid critic here to tell you about why you should use a condom, you won't make a shitty love story like this one. The film is about Fred being worried that he has gotten the free- spirited Mindy pregnant after an unprotected one-night stand, Fred feigns romantic interest and sticks by her side for twelve hours to make sure she takes both doses of the morning-after pill. If this film any intentional goals of being something good, it fails cause this is most uneventful and boring love story. It's not even that funny. Which makes it harder to sit through. The characters I don't remember and I just finished watching it this second. Only Fred the dumb-ass who is unsuccessful at putting on a condom and thus you have your very boring and uneventful love story. The story is not interesting if anything it feels forced upon. They do this for the sake of the plot, which contemplates to this and this. The movie convenience and plot device after another, this movie didn't need to happen, I mean it was so dang boring I need to listen to my love songs to stay awake. The direction is pretty okay, J.C Khoury does a fine job with shot but fails in getting good performances out of his actors. They all look like rejects for a soap opera. None of the elements in a good film are present, is J.C Khpoury's shots good? yes, but that doesn't make the film any less boring, tedious, stupid and uneventful. I'm giving THE PILL a half out of five.

It is quite hard to connect to someone who is ... not honest to say the least. We get to learn two individuals who have fun together ... but you know that fun can become something more. Sexual intercourse is exhausting but also rewarding. Well if two individuals have either an understanding or love each other.

Sometimes love does not have to exist. But what if the woman might get pregnant? Not a good thing or something the male can live up to? It is quite the journey and quite the "mission" the male goes through. But again, how are we supposed to feel with him? On the other hand, the female has some issues too. Still she is more reliable than him - him I do not believe a word.

Maybe I'm wrong you say? Maybe so - you have to watch to find out. A low budget effort with a lot of craziness ... but a movie that is quite decent overall to say the least too. Something that cannot be said about our two main characters.