This is a small budget movie, and that is not a bad thing, but it also means that the story and the acting have to be good. The actors, everyone of them, deliver. Joey Slotnick had plenty of opportunities to make his character absolutely ridiculous. Instead he hits precisely the right balance of smart, funny, awkward, caring, and lost that most of us feel in our own lives. Sometimes he gets it right, sometimes he gets it wrong, and sometimes he just can't win. But you like him and you root for him. Amy Hargreaves is amazing, as well. She provides an extremely nuanced performance as Lisa, portraying her as highly competent in many areas of her life and less confident in others. Sometimes placing her needs (and her kink) on the back burner in order to preserve her relationship and her family. To sum up her character and performance in a word, it has to be charming. I think all of the actors portraying the kids have bright futures ahead, because every one of them nailed it.
As far as story, the film either needed another ten or fifteen minutes or a subplot cut. While billed as a comedy, there are some pretty heavy dramatic moments. Having said that, the script was well written and the story is complex without being overly opaque. There are some very funny moments in this film, so it deserves the comedy tag, but dramedy might be a better description.
Now we come to the kinky bits. This was refreshingly realistic. Most people into kink have jobs, families, bills to pay, and the normal headaches of living. This film does a nice job of showing that. They have fun with kink and kinksters while also respecting it, so kudos for that.
All in all, I really liked this film. It was nice to watch a film that was actually shot in reality and not crammed with CGI. If you are from the Columbus, OH area, you'll probably have a lot of fun recognizing the locations. The acting was great and the story was very good. Worth your time.
