Forever is Composed of Nows
For those who don't know, Lee Toland Krieger whose second feature (much more accessible than his first) was The Vicious Kind, starring Adam Scott and Britney Snow, featuring an incredible performance from Scott, and an all around great story. For his follow-up, Krieger has taken another key member of the Parks & Recreation cast in Rashida Jones (who co-wrote the screenplay). With these two films, Krieger has proven himself a director capable of pulling exacting and realistic performances from his actors, while both entertaining and telling a relatable, humanistic story.
Celeste (Rashida Jones) and Jesse (Andy Samberg) are best friends. They've been best friends since high school at least. They're also married, though separated. In the case of this film, "separated" has its own meaning. Separated in the sense that they have intentions for divorce. In every other way, though, they seem attached at the hip. This seems not only bizarre to their friends, but downright uncomfortable in a dinner scene. Celeste and Jesse brush it off.
Celeste is a hard-working, career-driven woman in Los Angeles. Jesse is almost the complete opposite, aside from also living in Los Angeles (in fact, he lives in the guest house behind Celeste). Jesse is an artist, or so he claims, but he doesn't seem to do much to further his art. Celeste doesn't seem to have much of a problem with this, though she does remind him from time to time about finding a job. Why did they split up in the first place? It doesn't seem like it was because of Jesse's lack of a job or drive. Did they simply decide they were better off as friends and not as husband and wife? Perhaps. The film refuses to provide us with an answer, which would be fine, though it also fails to regard the difficulty of maintaining friendship - particularly such a close friendship - after a relationship. Maybe Celeste and Jesse are two people who are innately able to push their past relationship aside, and remain best friends. I don't honestly know.
The film's greatest achievement is with its second and third act developments, which give both Jones and Samberg ample room to prove their acting ability. Jones, who I guess has starred in other films, but I haven't seen them. I've seen her in plenty of supporting roles, and of course on the hilarious television show Parks & Recreation, where unfortunately she is, half the time, relegated to the status of reaction shot receptacle. With this film, she turns in the best performance I've ever seen from her; she is delicate and fragile, yet strong and hard-working. She seems complacent with her own situation, until Samberg changes his, which ironically is what she (thought she) wanted. I've never much liked Andy Samberg as an actor. He doesn't have the appeal of inherently charming actors, nor have I seen much in the way of true ability from him. But here, he's given a character with depth, a character who is human and relatable. He plays the part very well, though Jones steals the show.
The story treads familiar ground. The idea itself is fresh; the story, at times, paint by numbers. But, not unlike many other films, the acting keeps this afloat, along with a second half that elevates the material somewhat. Truly, it is Celeste's torrent of emotion that is most intriguing. At first independent and self-satisfied, her feelings and beliefs for what she wants from life are put to a great test. It is how she handles this test that provides the greatest dramatic fodder of the film.
In the end, this is a superbly acted, well-directed, fairly well-written film. It is entertaining because we like to see real people with real problems. It is less than perfect because what we expect is often delivered. Nevertheless, despite such an issue, this is a film I recommend; not only to see Jones step out of her type-cast and give a more vulnerable, raw performance, but also because we can empathize. Forever is a long time, they say. If you're happy, though, it won't seem so long.
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