Thursday, June 30, 2022
flickfeast
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Festivals
  • FrightFeast
  • Spotlight
  • Contribute
  • Submissions
    • Advertise on Flickfeast
    • Submit a Film
No Result
View All Result
flickfeast
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Festivals
  • FrightFeast
  • Spotlight
  • Contribute
  • Submissions
    • Advertise on Flickfeast
    • Submit a Film
No Result
View All Result
FLICKFEAST
No Result
View All Result
Home Reviews Film Review

Sundance London 2016 – Other People (2016)

Katie Smith-Wong by Katie Smith-Wong
June 3, 2016
in Film Review
Sundance London 2016 – Other People (2016)
15
SHARES
1.5k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
As an Emmy-nominated supervising writer for Saturday Night Live, Chris Kelly can deliver on laughs.  However, for his debut feature as director and screenwriter, he has gone down a more emotional route.
Other People focuses on struggling comedy writer David (Jesse Plemons), who has just broken up from his boyfriend and chosen to move back to Sacramento to care for his dying mother Joanne (Molly Shannon).  As the months go by, his career and personal difficulties become harder to deal with, forcing him to accept the inevitable.
Given Kelly’s impressive credentials, it seems strange to put a comedic twist on such a sensitive subject.  While the characters remain upbeat in more ways than one, they – like the script – fail to hide their mutual sorrow and inability to alienate Joanne’s pain.   As the film and timeline progresses, it is evident that the initial emotional support from family and friends begin to break down, leading to an increasingly bleak climax.
But Kelly solely focuses on David’s struggle, namely his inability to share his feelings with his family, as well as his lack of success.  Choosing to bury himself in his writing, he avoids any emotional connection with his younger sisters and especially his dad.  As a result,  Kelly rests its success on the protagonist rather than establish the emotional foundation to support the film.  Fortunately, Plemons portrays David with sensitivity and subtlety without wandering into douchebag territory.  Shannon is also great as the endearing Joanne, whose determination doesn’t relent nor deter from leading as normal a life as possible.
Kelly sporadically puts in small funny touches in his screenplay, which complements his natural, conventional direction.  While the comedic bits tend to play into David’s personal life, they momentarily uplift the feature but overall, it is not enough to raise the spirits of his character, nor this feature.

Director: Chris Kelly
Stars: Jesse Plemons, Bradley Whitford, Molly Shannon, Zach Woods
Runtime: 97 mins
Country: USA

Film Rating: ★★½☆☆

You might also like

Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) – Film Review

Nitram (2022) — Film Review

Elvis (2022) – Film Review

Tags: bradley whitfordChris Kellyjesse plemonsmolly shannonOther PeopleSundance London Film FestivalZach Woods
Katie Smith-Wong

Katie Smith-Wong

Related Posts

Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) – Film Review

by Katie Smith-Wong
June 29, 2022
Nitram - review
Film Review

Nitram (2022) — Film Review

by Johannes Black
June 27, 2022
Elvis (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Elvis (2022) – Film Review

by Dallas King
June 20, 2022
The Black Phone (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

The Black Phone (2022) – Film Review

by William Stottor
June 21, 2022
Lightyear (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Lightyear (2022) – Film Review

by Dallas King
June 16, 2022

Recommended

LFF 2012 Day 1 vodcast

October 11, 2012
TRAILER PARK – Anomalisa

TRAILER PARK – Anomalisa

November 5, 2015

Don't miss it

Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) – Film Review

June 29, 2022
Nitram - review
Film Review

Nitram (2022) — Film Review

June 27, 2022
Belle (2021) - Home Entertainment Review
HE Reviews

Belle (2021) – Home Entertainment Review

June 27, 2022
Father of the Bride (2022) – Film Review
Reviews

Father of the Bride (2022) – Film Review

June 25, 2022
Elvis (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

Elvis (2022) – Film Review

June 20, 2022
The Black Phone (2022) – Film Review
Film Review

The Black Phone (2022) – Film Review

June 21, 2022
flickfeast

Whetting your appetite for cinema with the best film reviews and features since 2009

© Copyright - flickfeast. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Festivals
  • FrightFeast
  • Spotlight
  • Contribute

© Copyright - flickfeast. All Rights Reserved.

Posting....