WRITTEN FOR AND FIRST PUBLISHED BY WWW.LITNET.CO.ZA

First time director, Colin Trevorrow, manages to perfectly balance a quirky reality, a possible fantasy, dry humour and even a little romance. And Derek Connolly’s first script is brutally sharp and engaging throughout.

In a nutshell

A journo and two interns, which the smooth talking journo randomly labels the Indian and the lesbian, set off to his hometown to track down a possible story, a weirdo that placed the following ad:

Mood of the film

It is quirky without getting Zooey-Deschanel-type-ditzy and becoming all about the weirdness. It keeps its humanity intact all along. It also twists and turns without losing the plot or the viewer along the way.

Best performances

Michael Duplass (who has a top notch Rotten Tomatoes resume) shines as the rather weird, rather neurotic but ultimately sincere Kenneth. He is what one calls an underrated actor. He portrays Kenneth’s weirdness, persecution mania and aggression with utmost compassion. You are never scared of this guy, even though you should perhaps be.

Standout scene

The freaking end! Whether you will like it or not depends on your personality (or lack thereof).

Negatives

Trevorrow could have done more with ‘the Indian’. Karan Soni was an absolute delight as Arnau, but had too little screen time. He pulled off dead pan lines with little effort.

Darius (when noticing stickers on Arnau’s laptop cover): Why do you have flames on your laptop?

Arnau: It is fast.

Is it relevant today?

It is really good entertainment. It will make you smile, even ponder some life questions, but it does not preach, or get you down. We can certainly do with clever, uplifting cinema.

Does it cop out?

Oh no, just wait and see.

FYI

The classified ad was in fact published by the Backwoods Home Magazine in 1997, but it was written by an employee and not an actual ‘time travelling weirdo’.

Rottentomatoes Score

94%

My score

90%

Details

Director: Colin Trevorrow
Starring: Aubrey Plaza, Mark Duplass and Jake Johnson
Written by: Derek Connolly
Running time: 1 hr 26 min