Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? If you think you’re a hipster.
Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? If you want to be a hipster.
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 95 minutes (~1.5 hours)
“Playing It Cool” is a comedy about an uninspired writer who’s out to find the meaning of love. Along the way, he discovers that love is both far more and far less than he expected. It stars Chris Evans (Me/Narrator), Michelle Monaghan (Her), Topher Grace (Scott), Aubrey Plaza (Mallory), Ioan Gruffudd (Stuffy), Anthony Mackie (Bryan), Ashley Tisdale (as herself), Matthew Morrison (as himself). It is rated M-18.
“Playing It Cool” sports an impressive cast and has a strange and storied history – it straight to video on demand services before hitting cinemas. It starts off strong and has a very distinct style to it that would best be described as “hipster.” But then, any movie about writers tends to veer in this direction, since writers always portray writer characters as idealised versions of writers, rather than the fairly mundane job that it is. Nevertheless, we get a fair amount of witty dialogue to go with the hipster feel, so it still makes for an entertaining movie.
Highlights
Quirky tone and treatment
Despite its high profile cast, the film ultimately carries an indie movie vibe, what with its self-referential dialogue and immaculately bearded cast members. It’s still fairly mainstream in terms of production values and the quality of the movie, just that its tongue-in-cheek tone and the characters’ offbeat attitudes lend an air of unique artistry to the film.
Great chemistry in the ensemble scenes
Indeed, the most enjoyable scenes are when the Narrator hangs out with his group of friends, including Scott and Mallory. Them being a group of writers gives the actual scriptwriter an excuse to cut loose with the kind of fast-paced, witty dialogue that you’d expect a group of writers to verbally spar with. Their exchanges and repartee are executed with perfect timing and composure, demonstrating a strong familiarity and connection between the group that’s a joy to watch.
Topher Grace is a neurotically loveable Scott
Scott’s eternal insecurities and social awkwardness make him a good counterpoint to the (seemingly) confident and smooth Narrator. Yet he comes across as the more genuine and likeable of the two, since he exhibits far more human flaws and is more relatable. His bumbling geekiness makes us root for him more, and his sincere devotion to his book (and making all and sundry read it) is testament to the sheer passion that he has for the written word.
Letdowns
Narration is clumsy
The problem is that the narration only appears in the first half of the movie (which is distinctly slower and less energetic) and disappears in the second half of the movie. It feels like a tacked on afterthought, a stop gap measure to prevent the first half of the movie from sleepily sagging away. The voiceover is unnatural and doesn’t quite fit the portions it goes over, further lending credence to the impression that it was done after the fact.
Him and Her are an unconvincing couple
There’s absolutely no chemistry between the lead characters, and this is exacerbated by the tremendous chemistry that the Narrator has when he’s with his group of friends. It makes their love a hollow and contrived plot device, which hurts the overall plot and theme of the story – love.
Michelle Monaghan is a plastic female lead
Notwithstanding the absolute lack of a name for her character, Michelle Monaghan either smiles delicately or smiles painfully. There’s no subtext to her performance – what you see is what you get. And when she’s surrounded by so many cast members that are far more talented, her own performance seems even more bland than it already is.
“Playing It Cool” is not a conventional comedy, and the funnies come to those who think they’re hipster (or have an equally strange sense of humour). It’s fun to see all these characters take less typecast roles in this film, and of course, the appearance of a beard on almost every male character.
“Playing It Cool” opens in cinemas 7 May, 2015 (Thursday).
This review was also published on Yahoo Singapore.
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