'HAPPY ANNIVERSARY': Four and a Half Stars (Out of Five)
The new indie comedy from writer/director Jared Stern, in his feature film directorial debut. It tells the story of a couple that's struggling to decide if they should stay together or not, on their three year anniversary. The film stars Noël Wells and Ben Schwartz, and it was released by Netflix through it's streaming site. I really enjoyed it.
Mollie (Wells) and Sam (Schwartz) are celebrating their three year anniversary, with breakfast in bed that Sam prepared for Mollie, when Sam announces that she's not happy. This is a big surprise to Sam, who thought things were going great in their relationship. They argue about it, and reminisce on past experiences together, before Mollie suggests a temporary split. The two spend the rest of the film evaluating how they feel about each other, and whether they should stay together or not.
I love relationship studies, with lots of character development, and clever dialogue; like most notably the majority of Kevin Smith's work, or 'SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK' (my all-time favorite movie). This film does all of those things well, and the two leads are really likable and good in their roles too. I think Stern definitely impresses as a writer and first time director also. It's a feel good film, that's also a pretty honest examination of both the positives and negatives of relationships. I think it's definitely well worth a watch.
