You will like this movie if (a) you enjoy razor-sharp, black-witted dialog (b) you liked either In the Company of Men or Sideways. The film is essentially a character study of Roger Swanson: a smooth-talking, manipulative, misogynistic, emotionally immature and brittle mess of a man, played pitch-perfect by Scott. He's not the sort of guy you like, but his insightful and cynical analyses of the human condition are mesmerizing, if you have a crowd to diffuse the depressing implications of his insights. Roger's in his element as an advertising copywriter, and unknowingly sums up his entire modus operandi with the explanation of his job to his nephew: "I make people feel inferior, then sell them something that makes them feel complete." This is a prelude to an unlikely mission that Roger undertakes: to help his nephew, who has just "dropped in" from Ohio on a pretext, lose his virginity that night in New York City. Normally, I wouldn't spend more than 10 minutes watching a sleaze bag like Roger on film, but the contrast between his misanthropy and the wholesome naïveté of his nephew kept me glued to the story. Roger uses the same "insult, then offer help" strategy on the boy as he does in his ad copy, but it's the teen's integrity that shines through to the women that Roger picks as the night's sexual conquests. The scene on a park bench, where Roger can't understand why his reptillian charm isn't working while his nephew gets his first truly passionate kiss is funny, sweet, and sad at the same time. Roger proceeds to self-destruct as the evening wears on, and his proximity to the innocence of his nephew enabled me to feel a slight bit of sadness for the guy amidst my revulsion.
The last act of the movie doesn't quite have the same riveting quality as the first two-thirds. OK, the last act doesn't really make sense in context, except to set up the very last moment of the film, which leads you to wonder what the nephew learned from Roger.
That this is the work of a first-time director shows. As mentioned, the last act made me scratch my head. The "shaky-cam" cinematography style made me slightly nauseated at times, and the lack of adequate lighting made some scenes unnecessarily dark. But the scripting and interplay between uncle and nephew makes this a watchable, worthwhile film.
The last act of the movie doesn't quite have the same riveting quality as the first two-thirds. OK, the last act doesn't really make sense in context, except to set up the very last moment of the film, which leads you to wonder what the nephew learned from Roger.
That this is the work of a first-time director shows. As mentioned, the last act made me scratch my head. The "shaky-cam" cinematography style made me slightly nauseated at times, and the lack of adequate lighting made some scenes unnecessarily dark. But the scripting and interplay between uncle and nephew makes this a watchable, worthwhile film.