Director: Brin Hill
Starring: Zoe Kazan, Michael Stahl-David, Mark Feuerstein
Year: 2014
I just like Zoe Kazan, that’s all there is to it. Is she the greatest dramatic actress in cinematic history? No. Is she the funniest comedian you’ll see? Nope. Is she the sexist celebrity to ever walk the red carpet? Not quite. But she’s a little bit of everything, and that might be even better. She’s girl-next-door, she’s indie, she’s pretty, she’s likeable, she seems smart & nice & kinda normal; good qualities to have, I’d say, even if you’re not phenomenal in any one definable area. Every time I see her in a movie I like her, and it seems like America agrees. The Pretty One and What If were both films I’d watch again, and partly because of her performances. Zoe is the It Girl of the moment, though that never seems to stay long, so I guess we all better enjoy it while it lasts.
At a young age, Rebecca & Dylan are connected by some strange force that will stay with them as they grow up, though neither of them totally understand why. They can feel what the other is feeling, like a set of emotions inside themselves that belong to someone else. And one day, those emotions get a face, as they begin to talk to each other for the first time. Rebecca is in New Hampshire, the wive of a prominent doctor, a socialite who has always felt different. Dylan is in New Mexico, an ex-con who is smarter than his friends, a man who has never fit in. And now the pair finally know why they felt strange over the years, as they begin to converse to the voice inside their head, a voice they know belongs to a real person miles away, even though others can’t hear it. They begin to connect, to fall in love perhaps, with their worlds still miles apart.
This film was a bit of a roller-coaster for me, with low lows and high highs. At the beginning of the movie I was convinced that I wouldn’t like it, that the story was going to be a little too weird. As I got into the flow of the narrative, I began to enjoy the plot a little more. By the end, I was back to feeling like I had just watched something far too strange and cheesy. And it was that; romantic and over-the-top in a way that turned me off rather than piqued my interest. Perhaps it was a bit more female-oriented, and looking at it from that perspective I might be able to give it a bit more credit. Zoe Kazan was still excellent; believable, approachable, quick, deep. And I liked Michale Stahl-David as well, though he took some getting used to. The same could be said about the film; it took a while to warm up, it took time for me to warm up to it, and by the end I was left a little lukewarm.
My rating: ☆ ☆ ☆