happythankyoumoreplease.

So, animated movies, done. Yay! Once I finish a set of films that I schedule to review, I normally have then a moment where what exactly the next block is is undecided. I had a stack of Marvel animated movies to watch and review and even more indie romance movies... and you know what I went with. More than anything, I think if I balance a sat of Indie Romance with a set of animated it'd make a nice balance until I find a load of horror films or something to review. Enjoy!


As a critic myself, I pay attention to critics, you get a lotta assholes who say, 'I won't let critics control me, I will make up my own mind!' when really all critics are there to do is suggest ways to save your money... that being said I do find that critics have trends, for example hardcore horror rarely get good reviews always commenting on the fact that they do their frightening job well, just not much else... so that is kind of the point?

happythankyoumoreplease has been tied with the words 'pretentious' and 'nonsense' but I'd argue back that Indie Romance is always pretentious and is often lacking any clear sense of direction or narrative being that it is a story of 'real people' and 'real life'. Complaining about these aspects is akin to complaining that the sky is blue. Others have called it 'clichéd', a negative term that has always irritated me, clichés exist because those narrative aspects have caused a film to sell, as long as you keep seeing these movies and as long as they keep making money, these clichés will exist, you're an active part in keeping its heart beating so if you dislike it so much, stop watching the films you retard.

Okay, with that aside, is the '2010 Garden State' actually any good..?

Firstly I'm hesitant to call this indie romance, despite being shown at Sundance and having a lot of the codes and conventions of Indie Romance, the cast is problematic, mainly since it's an indie romance movie with Malin Akerman, Kate Mara and Josh Radnor. I mean I ain't complaining about an excuse to stare at Akerman and Mara, that is more than good enough for me! And I know Radnor is doing a Garden State by writing and directing a movie he stars as the lead role in but when I think of true Indie Romance, I think of casts of actors I've never seen before and will probably never see again but this is always problematic because so many 'Indie Romance' movies seem to always have at least one established actor in that it has almost become a trope in itself, despite going against what the genre stands for.

Films like these always make me wish I was born in somewhere like New York City. The NYC is practically a centre point for everything geeky and it's just a city that matters... the UK is small as it is, but I live in Derby, how many people from the UK have actually been to Derby? So most American's have no idea Derby is even a place, yet the whole world knows of New York City, sigh.

So happythankyoumoreplease is basically a film about New York and the people who live in it. Our main character is probably most easily defined as aspiring author Sam Wexler. There is also just the general stories of life unfolding around Sam as each of his friends has their own stories. It's ambitious and works surprisingly well. Oh and there is a narrative about alopecia awareness..? And adoption laws in New York City..? So basically it's as much about love as it is life. And I like how so much of the film rests on the characters being really drunk. It's well written, uses music excellently and manages to be a powerful and moving piece.

Radnor and Mara have incredible chemistry, I'd argue they are both a little too beautiful for me to take this seriously as a portrayal of 'real life' but whenever they exchange dialogue, I couldn't help but find myself grinning. There is something just so natural in all their awkwardness. They're lovely together.

You know, the more I watch this movie the more something started to click. There is an ongoing in the background conflict of New York as the media intends it and New York as just the city you live in. Earlier I mentioned just how much I'd love to live in NYC but I wonder, how badly do I want to live in the city and how badly do I want to live in the media's representation of this?

I bring this up because of a few things I felt didn't really fit until I approached it using the above paragraph. Radnor and Mara are our main romance point and both of them are very attractive people, it doesn't really make sense then that this movie is trying so hard to be 'real' - unless of course this is a socially aware critique, melding the reality of New York and the media representation of New York together. Beautiful people doing normal things. This would also explain why they gave Akerman an alopecia identity crisis subplot. Or I could just be over thinking things...

So do I recommend this? It's typical Indie Romance fare, but I feel any romance movie - whether it be indie or not - that makes me care enough about the characters to leave me grinning away like a nutter and making me want to fall in love like them to the point of a sickening envy is the mark of a great film. So I definitely recommend you check this out. Radnor did a great job with his first movie, I hope to see more from this guy.

Think About It!

-Locke