Cell phones have been causing problems in movies for some time now, both on and off the big screen. Can you think of the last time that you watched a horror movie and didn’t have to go through the, now obligatory, scene in which either all cell phones are taken away from the main characters or someone walks about in an open space and tells everyone that they can’t get a signal anywhere? Okay, horror movies set in the past can avoid that pitfall, but every other film needs to deal with it. And then we have the horrible, and growing, problem of people taking calls while at the cinema, tweeting their thoughts, updating Facebook, etc. etc. I’m one of those people who thinks that all cinemas should have jammers fitted. “But what if I need to be on call?” some people always ask.
“Well, maybe don’t pick that evening to try watching Nebraska.”
Anyway, we’ve had movies made ON cell phones and now I Play With The Phrase Each Other gives us a movie that is composed entirely of cell phone calls. Well, that’s what it claims anyway. That claim isn’t true, as far as I can tell. Not all of the calls are on cell phones, for one thing. “Pedant,” I hear you cry, among the cacophony of other voices that exist in my head. You might have a point, but there are also moments when characters just talk to other characters onscreen. Okay, one of those characters may have just ended a phone call, or be awaiting a reply, but that still means that there’s dialogue here outwith cell phone calls. “Pedant,” you may be saying once again, but it’s softer this time so I can’t hear you anyway. The fact remains, however, that if you’re promoting your film as “the first feature film composed entirely of cell phone calls” then that’s what it should be. It’s a limitation that makes for a distinctly uncinematic final product, but if writer-director Jay Alvarez had managed to create something within that remit then I would have begrudgingly applauded him for it. As it is, I simply resent him for putting me through this movie while he couldn’t adhere to his own rulebook.
So, what’s it all about? Well, nothing much, really. This is standard slacker stuff. Think of Clerks and then remove the humour and pop culture references, instead replacing them with an air of smugness and . . . . well . . . . . cell phones. It’s not that the film is without humour. There are a couple of moments that should at least raise a smile. But the film needs much more. The slim plot sees neurotic Jake (Will Hand) moving to a city to join his friend, Sean (Jay Alvarez). Jake spends a lot of time talking to his friend, Zane (Alexander Fraser), and Zane spends more time than he should talking to an ex, who provides him with details of her sex life, and the sex life of her friend. Jake tries to get a job, while also trying to find somewhere to live, Sean goes around speaking the kind of overly verbose dialogue that is only ever spoken by faux-bohemian movie characters and Zane is there to talk about sex, basically.
Maybe it’s just me. Maybe some people will love the movie, its black and white cinematography, the almost unending dialogue (and there are some great individual moments tucked away in the script, including a voicemail from a gentleman that leads on from a customer service experience to his own past dealings with management) and the overall statement it makes about a generation of people who spend so much of their time glued to cell phones.
I didn’t like it, but, as mentioned above, I would certainly have respected it more if it had managed to stay true to the M.O.
I Play With The Phrase Each Other premiered at Raindance 2nd October 2013.
WRITER/DIRECTOR: JAY ALVAREZ
STARS: JAY ALVAREZ, WILL HAND, ALEXANDER FRASER, MEGAN KOPP
RUNTIME: 110 MINS APPROX
COUNTRY: USA
Film Rating: 
