The Melbourne International Film Festival, Reviewed
The best, the worst, and the weirdest of what's coming to Australian movie screens in coming months.
The Perfect Film If You Have A Thing For Jason Sudeikis And/Or Alison Brie:
Sleeping With Other People, dir. Leslye Headland
Starring: Alison Brie, Jason Sudeikis, Adam Scott, Natasha Lyonne, Amanda Peet, Jason Mantzoukas
Reviewed by: Meg Watson
Between Amy Schumer going full Amy Schumer in Trainwreck and Jenny Slate starting a relationship out of an abortion in Obvious Child, rom-coms have gone through a bit of a revival recently, and at the heart of all of it is sex. Good sex. Casual sex. Ladies having lots of sex. Ladies having lots of good, casual sex. It’s great, and it’s adding new entertainment value to a genre that’s long been seven feet under in cliche.
This is the thinking behind Sleeping With Other People — a rowdy sex comedy that’s openly billed by director Leslye Headland (Bachelorette) as “When Harry Met Sally for assholes”. It’s silly and funny and charming in a way you’d absolutely expect from its stellar comedic cast, but ultimately Jason Sudeikis fingering an empty bottle of green tea just isn’t enough to dig the film out of its corny rom-com grave.
After losing their virginity to each other in college, Jake (Sudeikis) and Lainey (Alison Brie) meet by chance at a sex addicts’ meeting 12 years later. Jake’s been pressured there after gleefully cheating on every girlfriend he’s ever had, and Lainey describes herself as “addicted to love” as she carries on an emotionally devastating affair with a now-married, aggressively unlikeable guy from college (played to clinical perfection by Adam Scott). Resolute to keep their baggage to themselves, they embark on a self-enforced platonic friendship and develop a deep emotional relationship that ends up addressing aspects of their individual problems. If you feel like this sounds predictable, that’s because it 100 percent is.
Looking a little out of place in every film festival its visited, Sleeping With Other People was described best by Variety as “too broad for the arthouse and too small for the multiplex” — diving in and out of sincerity and sap, it seems really unsure of what it wants to do. For instance, the film had a real shot at taking a considered look at intimacy problems — something which Lainey suffers constantly from throughout. After losing her boyfriend (Adam Brody) due to infidelity, she’s publicly shamed and abused, she’s struck by heart-wrenching anxiety attacks repeatedly, and her only reprieve is detached and unenjoyable sex with someone who plainly has no real interest in her. But whatever real weight this has is shirked by her constant comparison to Jake — the only consequences of his ostensibly enjoyable casual sex are not being invited to his friend’s kid’s parties, and an accidental injury after an argument with an ex.
Because of this, it feels less like a story of two people bonding over shared problems as it was billed and more like Jason Sudeikis swooping in to save the day with some charming quips and a handy knowledge of the female anatomy. The aforementioned green tea scene literally involves him teaching her to masturbate.
Without any real kind refreshing difference, the film’s best enjoyed by mindlessly enjoying the presence of both Sudeikis and Brie on screen. They’re both perfectly cast and play their roles well with a fun on-screen chemistry stacked with smart pop culture references and wit. If you’re into Sudeikis, you’ll dig a few full-on sex scenes and an extended flirtation with his boss played by Amanda Peet. If you’d like some Brie, she seems like an A+ BFF, has an exceptional dance scene to David Bowie’s ‘Modern Love’ and happens to have a habit of hanging out in lingerie.
Hang on to all those great memories to stop the groaning when the credits roll.
For fans of: Jason Sudeikis’ raised eyebrows
Opening in Australia: September 11