The film is about Megan, a woman
in her late twenties who is just sort of floating through life unsure of what
she wants. She has been in a relationship with Anthony and a part of the same
group of friends since high school; but, she feels herself growing apart from
them. She is also afraid to admit this fact to herself. When Anthony proposes to
her, she gets freaked out. She says yes, but then drops out of her life for a
week, hiding out with a teenage girl named Annika. Megan connects with both
Annika and her dad Craig, making her decision of whether she really wants to go
back to her old life all the more difficult.
Director Lynn Shelton is
known for making very realistic, character-driven micro-budget dramedies,
utilizing improvised dialog and naturalistic performances and production
design. Laggies is no different. It has a lower-budget feel and look (costing
one million, by far Shelton’s highest budget), yet flourishes on its rich
characters and strong performances. Shelton’s style is unglamorous (even when
she casts beautiful movie stars), telling stories about normal people leading
normal lives.
In Laggies, Megan is stuck. She
does not know what she wants and just staying put feels safer than actually
taking a risk in pursuit of being happy. In many ways, Megan serves as a surrogate
for many of us. In high school and college, we do not need to know what we
want, not really at least, as we go from class to class, exam to exam, year to
year, propped up by our group of friends. As we grow older, we change, however,
and these high school friends are not necessarily right for us anymore. We also
are faced with life outside of school – having to actually do something
somewhat productive to generate money so that we can survive (without leaching
off our parents too much). In a world in which we grow up being told we can do
anything (be that true or not), these limitless options become intimidating –
if we can do anything, how can we possibly choose what is right for us? We are
told to do what makes us happy, but it is not as easy as that – at least not
for most of us – because we do not really know what makes us happy. Many of us
find it challenging to grow up and take responsibility for our own lives,
clinging to the hope that things will just fall into place for us (magically).
It is clear that Megan no longer
fits where she is; she is unhappy, but afraid to make a change. It is not until
she experiences something new that she really realizes what is out there – what
she might actually want for herself. Shelton does a great job here,
exaggerating the two worlds Megan experiences. Her life with Anthony and her
high school friends grown up is one of constant stress, as they have drifted
apart, finding themselves on a different life paths (yet no one is willing to
admit it). Shelton more or less presents these characters as being awful. The
alpha dog of the group Allison is like a thirty-year-old version of Regina George
from Mean Girls,
dictating what is right and wrong maintaining control over her group. Allison
sees Megan as a problem because she no longer fits in with the group and tries
her hardest to make decisions for Megan to arrange her life so that she will
better fit into where the group is heading. Megan’s relationship with Anthony
is also presented as being terrible. He is smothering her.
Meanwhile, Annika and her friends
just accept Megan as she is, letting her have fun and making her feel cool
again – something that she has not felt in a long time, maybe not since high
school. In Craig, Megan finally has met a man that she can have fun with and
engage with her on a higher level. Shelton presents Megan as being a completely
different person. She is her best self around Annika and Craig, while she is
stifled and put down constantly by her friends. This creates empathy for her
plight even in a situation that seems ridiculous (hanging out with a teenage
girl to avoid your own life). The audience likes Megan, seeing her excel around
these characters, and roots for her to finally have the guts to make a change
in her life.
The film is fairly simple,
narratively, and we pretty much know where things are going from the beginning.
The drama is presented in a very light way as well – nothing is very heavy or
intense, even though the deeper theme of broken marriage can be very painful
and destructive. This theme is all over the film, but Shelton still keeps
things light by infusing the film with lots of great humor. Again, the
performances are fantastic and fun, which plays a big role in the humor and
light tone. The film’s biggest drawback is that while it does venture into more
dramatic places it never lingers for very long, retreating back to the lighter
tone always. Things are difficult for the characters, but also maybe a little
too easy. That said, however, Shelton never really seems to want Laggies to be
a full on drama, which is why she actively keeps thing light. And, we need fun,
light films too.
Laggies is not a powerful drama
that endeavors to deeply resonate with its audience, but it still gets its
message across, one of taking risks and striving to find happiness in one’s
life – not allowing oneself to just float unhappily through life, settling for
what is easy. It is a funny and entertaining dramedy, using its indie aesthetic
and performances very well.
Technical,
aesthetic & acting achievements: Lynn Shelton started out making
micro-budget indie films (known as Mumble Core), like Humpday.
Lately, she has been making similarly small films but with better known actors,
like Your
Sister’s Sister. Laggies is her best film to date, as she garners great performances
while balancing the humor and drama very well.
Composer Benjamin Gibbard’s
score does a good enough job supporting the dramatic moments in the film, but
is mostly unremarkable. Benjamin Kasulke’s
cinematography gives the film a naturalistic feel. He does good job lighting
the faces of his stars, as everyone looks good. Production designer John Lavin
does a great job creating a very realistic feel, as the sets look lived in.
Laggies succeeds overall thanks
to its great performances. Gretchen Mol
has very little screen time but is very good as Annika’s absent mother. Ellie Kemper
plays Allison off-type – a mean girl who wants to corral Megan, fitting her
back into her compartment within their group. Mark Webber
is quite good at playing needy, and does so here. Kaitlyn Dever
plays Misty, one of Annika’s friends. She is a star in the making, bringing a
lot of fun energy to the supporting role. Sam Rockwell
is very charming and a little goofy as Craig. He is very enjoyable to watch. Chloe Grace
Moretz plays Annika projecting a vibe of coolness, veiling her vulnerability.
In lesser hands the nuance of the role would have been lost but Moretz plays it
wonderfully. Keira
Knightley is fantastic as Megan, creating an American accent that works
well placing her socially and culturally. Knightley is a fine actress, bringing
more gravitas to Megan than one might expect to find in lighter fare such as
Laggies. Her emotional turmoil resonates to a greater extent in her capable
hands. Her work also pulls the audience in. Plus, she has great chemistry with
Rockwell and Moretz (which makes the film), while seemingly having no chemistry
with Webber making their relationship feel all the more wrong.
Summary
& score: Laggies is a good little indie, featuring terrific work
from its cast (especially Knightley, Moretz and Rockwell). It is funny and sweet.
7/10
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