Right now the big box office battle is between a genetically modified killer dinosaur and a group of emotions inside the mind of a twelve year-old girl. Of course, I’m referring to Pixar’s smash INSIDE OUT. Now one of the main reasons Joy and the gang are in a frenzy is the recent cross-country move by the family of said, often sad, girl, Riley. Yes, this up-rooting can be truly traumatic for the kiddies. But what about their parents? Are they also worried about making new friends. This new film answers that question with a resounding yes. But it’s definitely not an all-ages romp, for this flick owes little to Disney, and more to Mazursky. The late director Paul to be precise, for this echoes his late-sixties counter-culture cinema classic BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE. So, this is a different kind of play date (nudge, nudge, wink,wink) that’s explored by Alex & Emily & Kurt & Char in THE OVERNIGHT.
It actually begins not long after dawn as Alex (Adam Scott) and Emily (Taylor Schilling)’s “going through the motions” intimacy is interrupted by their energetic six year-old RJ (R.J. Hermes). It appears that they’re breaking in the bedroom of their new Los Angeles home. Alex is a stay-at-home dad and Emily’s company has transferred her from Seattle. As Alex sifts through the boxes, looking for a pair of “Summer pants” for RJ’s trip to the park (it’s a birthday party for a neighbor’s child), Emily begs off to head to work (gotta’ get a jump on things). At the park, neither fella’s making new friends. But soon after mommy surprises them (work can wait), RJ, with the help of a big bag of “gummy worms”, begins playing with Max (Max Morritt). This attracts the attention of Max’s pop Kurt (Jason Schwartzman). Learning that the family’s new to the area, Kurt invites the three over for “pizza night”. That evening the trio is stunned by Kurt’s opulent digs (and Alex is ashamed of the “2 buck chuck” they picked up on the way). Nonetheless, they are warmly welcomed by Kurt who introduces them to his Parisian-born wife Charlotte (Judith Godreche). After dinner , Alex and Emily begin to say their good nights, since it’s nearing RJ’s bedtime. But Kurt declares the evening under “French rules” and suggests that RJ sleep in Max’s room, while the now adult party continues. After the boys go down for the count, the booze flows, the bong is fired up, and the two couples get to know each other a whole, whole lot better. Just what kind of dinner party is this? Alex and Emily have to wonder if they’re the real main course!
The majority of this engaging quartet of actors build on the personas they’ve developed in their extensive TV and film work. Scott is the affable, but often bewildered everyman he’s essayed in FRIENDS WITH KIDS and the late, much missed ,TV series “Parks and Recreations”. But here there’s a hint of sadness, especially in the film’s opening minutes as he just can’t quite fulfill his husbandry duties. He really needs to feel desired once more. This takes nothing away from his great comic double takes during his stay at “Casa de Kurt”. Schilling also plays a not-too-distant cousin of her break-out character Piper from the streaming sensation “Orange is the New Black”. Her Emily is a somewhat repressed, tightly-wound “stranger in a strange land”, who needs to be shaken out of her rut. Slowly she almost learns to have fun again, and sheds the ultra-focused bread-winner role, while still expressing “shock and awe” at the detours she takes. Schwartzman adds another quirky performance to his long list of off-the-wall indie flick leads. His Kurt is eager to take in these “straights” and shepherd them through his “bizarro-world”, almost like a hipster “Pied Piper” (dig his public park duds!). As the night goes on, he projects a “Willy Wonka”-like vibe whether he’s lulling the lil’ guys into slumberland or proudly presenting his “art”. The newcomer (at least for most US audiences) here is Godreche as the exotic blonde “Bardot-ized” bombshell whose uninhibited sensuality throws her guests for a loop. But there’s a real playful quality to her, plus a sense of mystery. Those eyes never betray the mischief she’s plotting.
Writer/director Patrick Brice coaxes solid performances from all the actors, while making familiar sunny California feel like an odd “nether-world” (as it would be through the eyes of these Seattle transplants). Much of the dialogue has an off-the-cuff improv vibe without any clumsy pauses as the actors flail about in search of a punchline. Perhaps this is the influence of the co-producers, “mumblecore” icons the Duplass brothers. Although the film clocks in at a modest 78 minutes, we still feel that weary, up-all-night, party “buzz”. This may have been prodded along by an overuse of music montages (drinking, toking, swimming, etc.). But, be warned, the running time is the only modest thing about this flick. The language, graphic nudity (female and male), and sexual situations are pretty raw for a film with such “known” stars. So, if you need a blockbuster break, and aren’t spooked by some “naughty” behavior, then you might enjoy meeting the mismatched new neighbors of THE OVERNIGHT.
3.5 Out of 5
THE OVERNIGHT opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Tivoli Theatre
