one too many mornings presents a look at two young men in their late 20s grappling with an impending, and somewhat delayed, adulthood. the story is slight but character and incident are rich. i kind of felt like this was a realistic 'slice of life' dramedy about dudes, the likes of which you only get nowadays in mainstream apatow comedies. this is the indie version of that - think of the 'hangout' movies of linklater or early jarmusch (in fact, the beautiful b&w cinematography and extended takes at times recall jarmusch explicitly).
i've heard the term 'mumblecore' bandied about in reference to this new NEXT section at sundance. i'm not really sure i'd say the label applies to OTMM - it's a really controlled work that, while feeling loose, doesn't really meander, and the aesthetic shows the hand of a real filmmaker. pretty assured stuff for a first time feature filmmaker - count me impressed.
if anything, i'd say the film slightly overstays it's welcome at times, particularly in the final stretch, but the laughs are huge and it seems to play well for a packed house. i first heard about the film in a NYT article about YouTube getting into the digital rentals game - kind of a pity most people will probably see this online (the filmmakers are self-distributing and have a website equipped with downloads and dvds) as it seems like a pretty satisfying theatrical experience. the cinematography really elevates this above most indie films of comparable budget and its nice to see someone still shooting b&w. overall, i'd recommend checking it out if you get the chance.
8/10
