Mubi Monday: Good One (2024)

A feature debut written and directed by India Donaldson that makes use of a very small cast and some very pointed dialogue to explore some confrontational and relevant subject matter, Good One is a film that you could easily roll your eyes at before dismissing, considering the subtlety of the performances and the conversations, but I would implore you to give it your time. 

Lily Collias plays Sam, a young woman who goes on a camping trip with her father (Chris, played by James Le Gros) and his friend (Matt, played by Danny McCarthy). Both of the men have moments of struggling to remind themselves of how they used to be compared to how they are now, post-divorce and with many more mistakes having piled up in their lives. This doesn't make it the most comfortable environment for Sam, but she spends a lot of her time mediating between the two men, and even delivering some words of wisdom to them. One particular comment leaves her very unsettled though, but neither of the men seem particularly aware of just how much it affects her.

Considering not much seems to happen for the majority of Good One, it left me feeling absolutely devastated and stuck in a mode of self-examination as the end credits rolled. There's the overarching theme of divorced parents struggling to deal with their children, somehow not figuring that the decisions they made over the years would affect how their children perceive, and communicate with, them, but there's also something important being said about the constant tide of male energy causing erosion to the landscape of women. 

Donaldson handles everything perfectly, and has the confidence to leave plenty of time and space for viewers to keep asking questions as the film unfolds. She doesn't ever take things to anywhere near an extreme, which makes the viewing experience even more unsettling and thought-provoking because the problem being looked at is a lot easier to confront and attack if it's presented in some of the more extreme forms we're aware of.

Collias gives the kind of performance that deserves to gain her a lot of attention and praise, and I hope I get to see her in a lot more after this, while both Le Gros and McCarthy excel at playing the kind of men who try their best to wander through life being oblivious to a number of their own failings or inappropriate comments. They don't seem like truly bad men . . . but bad men so often don't. Whether they can eventually reckon with themselves, and their responsibility in the kind of society they might want Sam to be safe in, is almost entirely separate from their standard mix of jokes and arguments. Except it isn't at all separate from all of that, which is clear as we watch their interactions from the POV of a young woman.

Much like the main character, this is bold, uncomfortable, and intelligent. I highly recommend it to those after something challenging and brilliant.

9/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share 

Mubi Monday: Living In Oblivion (1995)

This is yet another film I had heard about decades ago, when it was first released, but sadly didn’t get around to. Everyone I took notice of gave this plenty of praise, proclaiming it a smart and funny film that worked particularly well on people with even passing knowledge of the chaos and egos that can often occur while films are being made. And, once again, everyone I took notice of proved to be absolutely correct.

Living In Oblivion shows us the trials and tribulation of a director (Steve Buscemi) trying to get his film made. He has a superb leading lady (Catherine Keener) to help, but everyone else seems to bring extra problems to the filming process, whether it’s an egotistical male lead (James Le Gros) or a cameraman who keeps trying to change the shot (Dermot Mulroney). There’s a focus puller (Kevin Corrigan) who doesn’t always stay focused, another temperamental actor who comes on the scene later (Peter Dinklage), and tension whenever the sound mixer (Michael Griffiths) is trying to ensure that anything caught on camera has good enough audio to accompany it.

Written and directed by Tom DiCillo, a director with a small filmography that you could find in a dictionary alongside the definition of “quirky”, Living In Oblivion is entertaining and amusing from the earliest scenes, and then just gets better and better as it all builds towards a satisfying, and hilarious, finale. Roughly split into three distinct acts, and moving between moments of colour and moments shown in black and white, this is a fairly low-budget and small film that never feels confined by the limited resources. Because the focus is always on a director just trying to get one main scene finalized it feels natural to be observing that one main scenes, with the repetition and frustrations being the main point of the film. The script is brilliant, with almost every line and moment featuring either a gag or a knowing commentary about life on a low-budget film set, from the dubious selection of goods available to eat and drink to the tension that can arise when a relationship spurs between two colleagues.

Buscemi is great in his role, a typical director with a vision often exceeding the resources he has available to him. It’s his film, because the film within the film is HIS film, and he gives one of his absolute best performances, which is high praise indeed when you think of everything he’s done. Keener is easily equal to him, and understandably steals every scene that focuses on her (which makes up a lot of the screentime), as viewers are shown how much the camera and crew are enthralled by her performance. She has the tougher role than Buscemi, and her effortless greatness shows why she has long been someone that movie fans love to see appear in any role she takes. Mulroney and Corrigan are both fun, Le Gros is an entertaining douchebag, and Dinklage gets to have the second-best outburst in the film (nothing tops Buscemi’s outburst about 20-30 minutes into things). Everyone else deserves praise, from Griffiths to Danielle Von Zerneck (playing the main assistant to Buscemi’s character), and there’s not one weak spot in the entire cast, with even the smallest roles feeling absolutely spot on.

If you enjoy comedies then you should enjoy this, especially if you’re also a fan of any of the main players. If you have even a passing familiarity with how much blood, sweat, and tears it can take to make any movie, however, then this could well become a firm favourite. I know it is now one of mine.

9/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews
Or Amazon is nice at this time of year - https://www.amazon.co.uk/hz/wishlist/ls/Y1ZUCB13HLJD?ref_=wl_share

Support The Girls (2018)

Some things will always seem odd to me, despite the fact that we are exposed to so much American culture here in the UK. The idea of Hooters, for example, a restaurant/bar chain with a very specific USP. I see the obvious appeal, but it just never feels like a winning mix. But what do I know? It’s even stranger when you think of those business models also being open to as wide a variety of customers as possible. A family dinner out at Hooters? Each to their own, I just cannot imagine that ever being a choice I would make.

This is all a precursor to my discussion of Support The Girls, a film based on people working in a premises that isn’t a Hooters, but is very similar to them. Regina Hall plays Lisa, a manager dealing with a variety of problems on a very busy day. Not only are there practical issues needing resolved, Lisa also tries her best to help the staff working for her. And she is struggling to keep her marriage together. It doesn’t help that her boss (Cubby, played by James Le Gros) has no consideration for the people he employs. 

Marketed as a comedy drama, there’s really not much to laugh at here in Support The Girls. I am not saying that as a criticism, it’s a great little film with a superb lead role for Hall, but I don’t want people to be disappointed by the preconceptions of a film that doesn’t play out as expected.

Written and directed by Andrew Bujalski, who has an enjoyable little filmography I recommend checking out, Support The Girls is essentially about that human touch that makes the world of difference in every job role, whether in terms of customer service or the morale of the team. We are too often expected to do too much for too little, and the individuals who help us, either practically or with a generally supportive and positive attitude, are the ones who help us get through the day. This is especially true for anyone working for a large business that has a boss prizing numbers ahead of everything else.

I’ve been a fan of Hall for many years now and I cannot stress enough what a great role this is for her. She fits it so well too, with her mix of optimism, strength, and good work ethics, and this is easily one of her best performances. Haley Lu Richardson and Shayna McHayle are both very good as two employees/work colleagues, Le Gros convinces as the kind of boss who won’t be swayed by talk of his workforce being actual humans with actual lives, and Lea DeLaria stands out as a customer, Bobo, who appreciates the female servers without disrespecting or demeaning them (unlike some of the unruly male patrons who frequent the establishment).

Essentially just another “full, stressful, day at work” movie, this is smartly crafted by Bujalski to maximise various points about how workers are treated, by employers and customers. Every cast member is right for their role, no weak links here, and the ending is suitably bittersweet. I recommend this as a film that deserves your support.

8/10

If you have enjoyed this, or any other, review on the blog then do consider the following ways to show your appreciation. A subscription/follow costs nothing.
It also costs nothing to like/subscribe to the YouTube channel attached to the podcast I am part of - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCErkxBO0xds5qd_rhjFgDmA
Or you may have a couple of quid to throw at me, in Ko-fi form - https://ko-fi.com/kevinmatthews