This movie is so similar to 1983's The Big Chill—eight longtime friends gather for a weekend at a big, rich-person's Southern mansion (except whereas in The Big Chill, the eight were friends from college, here we mostly don't know how they're connected)—that I feel like it must be an homage by Clea Duvall. I like her as an actress, so I'd hate to believe that it's just a blatant ripoff. The eight cast members are even structured the same way: The Big Chill had seven friends in their early 30s convening, with the eighth being someone a decade younger; same here.
Duvall has assembled a winning cast, although Melanie Lynskey's character is super annoying. The plot is pretty thin and far-fetched: You have to wonder why Jessie (Duvall's character) wouldn't have had this "you need to get out of your bad marriage" conversation directly and privately with her sister (the Cobie Smulders character). Lynskey's character is the driving force behind this intervention, and except for one small moment, you'd never even know Jessie and Ruby were sisters.
It's wrapped up a little too tidily, too, with the imperiled married couple, who seem to actually despise each other, suddenly deciding to give it a go.
Not a bad movie, not really a very good movie, either...I suppose faint praise, but...you could do worse?
Duvall has assembled a winning cast, although Melanie Lynskey's character is super annoying. The plot is pretty thin and far-fetched: You have to wonder why Jessie (Duvall's character) wouldn't have had this "you need to get out of your bad marriage" conversation directly and privately with her sister (the Cobie Smulders character). Lynskey's character is the driving force behind this intervention, and except for one small moment, you'd never even know Jessie and Ruby were sisters.
It's wrapped up a little too tidily, too, with the imperiled married couple, who seem to actually despise each other, suddenly deciding to give it a go.
Not a bad movie, not really a very good movie, either...I suppose faint praise, but...you could do worse?