[DRINKING BUDDIES opens in Cleveland on Friday, September 13th exclusively at the Capitol Theatre.]
Review by Pamela Zoslov
“Whether breaking up or hooking up,
Mumblecordians spend much time pondering what to do and say,” wrote
critic J. Hoberman in 2008, describing the low-budget indie movement
known by the unfortunate appellation “Mumblecore.” The movement,
characterized by naturalism, narrowly focused stories and improvised
(or seemingly improvised ) dialogue, has generated films of widely
ranging quality, from barely tolerable home movies (TINY FURNITURE)
to polished and professional (The Duplass brothers' JEFF, WHO LIVES AT HOME).
Joe Swanberg is one of the movement's
leading practitioners. His HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS,
starring mumblecore queen Greta Gerwig as a recent college grad who
can't decide between two male co-workers, falls into the “barely
tolerable home movies” category, though like Swanberg's other
films, it has its fans. Swanberg's newest film, DRINKING BUDDIES, is
vastly more accomplished, though still marked by less than brilliant
camera work and the halting, uncertain style of actors thinking up
what to say next.
A side note about improvisation in
film, a scourge wrought by John Cassavetes. As critic John Simon
observed, writers are writers because they can imagine and invent;
actors' skill is in mimesis, or imitation. Asking actors to
invent a screenplay while on camera is almost always problematic.
(One exception is Mike Leigh, whose method is to work out dialogue in
a series of improvisations, the best of which are then written into
the final script).
So DRINKING BUDDIES, a small romantic
drama, has a lot of patience-trying scenes that require the audience
to watch the characters converse aimlessly and trivially at bars and
parties. But it also features an actual story, some good,
naturalistic acting, and a certain amount of character insight. It
resembles in structure, if not in writing quality, a Woody Allen
film in which two couples intersect, uncouple and recouple.
The film focuses on Kate (pretty, feline-eyed
Olivia Wilde), a manager at a Chicago brewery who relishes being “one
of the guys” among the crew. Alcohol is the
medium through which the co-workers bond, and Kate prides herself on
being able to out-drink her colleagues every night at The Empty
Bottle (which the gang calls “The Bottle.”) She is especially
close with the bearded brewer Luke (Jake Johnson), her best friend
and the man who seems to understand her best.
Although Kate is in a relationship with
the patient, good-looking Chris (Ron Livingston), she remains
noncommittal. Drinking with her brewery mates is her top priority;
after a night out with the boys, she rides her bike to Chris' place,
sleeps with him, and takes off in the middle of the night, brushing
off Chris' plea that she spend the night. She's a narcissist who
enjoys the attention her beauty attracts, but has little to give in
return. Her life, her apartment (and, no doubt, her liver), are a
mess.
Luke loves Kate but understands the
limits of her character, which may be why he's chosen a relationship
with her opposite, the sweet, gentle Jill (mousy-cute Anna Kendrick),
a special education teacher who is the grounded counterbalance to
Kate's chaos. Jill and Luke are discussing marriage, with dialogue
that sounds entirely natural (“It'll have to be the right time,
when we're not so slammed.”)
The couples vacation together in Chris'
woodland cabin and, as often happens at sylvan retreats, fissures
appear in the two relationships. Kate and Luke play endless drinking
games together, and Chris and Jill go on a hiking excursion, during
which they momentarily explore a mutual attraction.
When Chris' grows tired of Kate's
non-participation in their relationship, Kate is left single. She
responds with defiance, challenging her drinking buddies to celebrate
with her. “I'm free! The shackles are off!” she declares. Yet her
pride is clearly wounded. She manipulates Luke, who wants to go home
after work, into drinking with her. (“You owe me a beer. One
fucking beer.”). Of course, with Kate and crew, there's no such
thing as just one beer; the amount of drinking these characters do is
astounding. Kate spends most of her workday behind dark,
hangover-concealing sunglasses.
With Jill away on a trip, Luke agrees
to the ultimate friendship test, helping Kate move to a new apartment. In this sequence,
Kate's selfishness is magnified. When Luke's hand is horribly
injured, Kate's chief concern is whether his blood will stain her
upholstery. And she chooses to go out drinking with another brewer
rather than having dinner with Luke. “We had plans,” Luke
admonishes her like the child she is.“That's what humans do.”
The film is effective as a character
study of a beautiful narcissist and the people on her periphery. Wilde does what she can with the limited writing,
though improvisation is probably not her greatest strength. Kendrick
is always enjoyable, and Jason Sudeikis shows up in an uncredited
role that barely registers. The film's real standout is Jake Johnson,
who looks and sounds like a real and recognizable person. 2 3/4 out of 4 stars.
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