HappyThankYouMorePlease...seriously more please

“I belong to the blank generation and I could take it or leave it each time.”
--Richard Hell and the Voidoids

Congratulations Josh Radnor, you have achieved Zach Braff status. Now don’t let it get to your head. I like How I Met Your Mother too much for you to ruin it by letting success go to your head. Besides, we already lost Two and Half Men to Tiger-blooded winning.

At any rate Radnor’s new film HappyThankYouMorePlease was pretty much what I expected it to be. There were a couple of surprises here and there and some memorably clever lines, but overall it felt incomplete. I did have a very distinct “I want more” feeling as I left the theater. Radnor wrote, starred and directed in a film following three different but connected storylines.

Sam Wexler (Radnor) finds a kid (played by Michael Algieri) separated from his mother on the subway and ends up looking after him, though by New York state law he actually kidnapped him. Sam has to balance illegally looking after his kid, his struggling writing career and a new love, [?] which mostly looks like a damaged version of lust on screen. Radnor and Kate Mara (127 Hours, Iron Man 2, The Shooter) really did not have the sort of on screen chemistry you would expect for a love story. But there was this sense of detachment throughout the movie.

The other plotlines are spearheaded by Malin Ackerman (Watchmen, The Proposal, Couples Retreat) and Zoe Kazan (Fracture, Me and Orson Welles, Revolutionary Road). Ackerman had what could have been a very challenging role had the writing chosen to steer it in that direction. Instead of running with the more predictable Alopecia sufferer struggling with concept of the beauty within, she plays more of a semi-drunk idealist who struggles with self-esteem issues based solely on the outward look of other people. Unfortunately her character was not very well developed and she just sort of came off as an image obsessed, neurotic complainer dressed like Erykah Badu. Kazan’s plotline was your standard twenty-something coming of age story which forced her and her boyfriend—played by Pablo Schreiber (Lords of Dogtown, Vicky Christina Barcelona, The Wire)—to make those big life decisions that all come upon people in their 20s. I did find it funny that they made a reference to Woody Allen films being of poor quality since he comes out with so many. One of those really bad Allen films: Vicky Christina Barcelona. I had a good laugh about that.

Even though the acting was not top notch there was still a big theme that was able to peak through and really caused me to draw more comparisons to Garden State than were probably healthy. Radnor did a good job of alluding to and showing how our generation is one that often seems like a group of children walking around in our parent’s shoes. It really seemed to me that he clearly did not think we as a generation were ready to be what our parent’s are, nor are very excited to assume that role thrust upon us by age. And so Radnor makes jokes about playing house with a one night stand and a child he stole off a subway. That alone made the movie tolerable. I never thought I would find myself saying that a film’s appeal to hipsters would be its saving grace. The music was a big part of that hipster appeal and was used to further that detached feeling that came with the film. However, at times even the music seemed to be detached from the film.

PleaseThankYouMorePlease did not make many deep statements and the social commentary that was addressed by the film seemed forced and pedantic. It is not a terrible date movie and if you are a fan of Radnor’s brand of dry wit it is worth a watch and a bag of popcorn.

Making the Grade

Acting: The acting was a bit hollow and shallow at times and there was a serious lack of on screen chemistry from actors who are known to have far more talent and ability. They did provide a few laughs but no real heartfelt, warm and fuzzy moments. Malin Ackerman did take a risk playing someone with Alopecia but it was a small one and didn’t have as much conflict as it could have. If she was supposed to play a character that draws attention away from her condition, why give her Alopecia in the first place? C+

Special Affects/Visuals: There was a visual homage or two, but not very inventive camera work. It was pretty much what you would expect from a directorial debut by someone who stands in front of the camera for a career. But it wasn’t a film that was too difficult to look at. C
Music/Sound: Trendy indie music that will go out of fashion in a few years when the hipsters find the next undiscovered act. The music did not really add anything to the movie, except justify all of the actor’s unwashed hair. The kid's art was kind of cool though. D+

Rewatchability: This movie will go out of style when the soundtrack does. Not a bad date/cuddle movie and not a waste of a spare hour and a half. But I am willing to bet the second time you see this film will be when it’s playing on the CW as their “Saturday matinee” 10-15 years from now. C

Overall Grade: C