Best Sellers

A struggling publisher accompanies a cranky old author on his final book tour. Stars Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza.

Decent performances in this comedy drama but the plot is not strong enough to make this more than a mediocre film.

There are a couple interesting plot twists but overall it's not that moving or indeed that entertaining.

Lucy Stanbridge (Aubrey Plaza) is struggling to maintain her book publishing father's legacy. Her books are being skewered by critics and Jack Sinclair (Scott Speedman) is trying to buy her out. She and her assistant Rachel Spence (Ellen Wong) discover an old contract with legendary writer Harris Shaw (Michael Caine). Harris wrote a groundbreaking blockbuster with her father but nothing more. In the contract, he owes the company one more book and she forces the sickly drunken writer to do a book tour.

The first half is trying to be a slightly comedic road trip with Plaza doing Plaza. It's a bit uneven and clunky. It's not until Aubrey throws up into the bowl that the movie finds its heart. The second half is much better for it. I'm not sure if this is a realistic book publishing world but at least, the movie is trying. One does need to stick with this movie for awhile before it gets good.

Best Sellers won't disappoint much people. There's a captivating story, sometimes sentimental, sometimes funny, and some good actors. For the funny parts it was mostly due to the character of Ellen Wong, for the sentimental parts the difficult relarionship between Michael Caine and Aubrey Plaza. Ellen Wong had a smaller part but was funny. Michael Caine (already 88 years old) still has it. Audrey Plaza in a slightly different role that we're normally used of did okay. I can't say I was bored by this movie, on the contrary it's an engaging story easy to follow. Best Sellers isn't a fast paced action movie, it's rather slow, a lot of conversations, but they all add something to the emotional story.

I have just finished watching this movie, and anything with Michael Caine in his winter years is worth seeing, his characters played over the decades has appealed to audiences across generations.

I didn't honestly feel this was time lost and enjoyed his latest performance, and all the character actors in the movie didn't disappoint,there have been several publisher movies over the past decades,with different themes,with the American ideal, all about the bucks, this particular work had that varnish sprinkled with pathos and humor.

Writers, novel writers certainly, should rise up against their movie cliché. In movies, painters and musicians are presented as sociable, attractive even, characters, but book writers are alcoholic misanthropes whose only company are cats.

This film takes this and similar tropes and applies the movie cliché of incompatible partners/opposites coming to like each other as well as the old man and young woman dichotomy, both of whom are on their uppers, albeit in different ways. Formulas are proven and so we are set on our way.

While the premise is established, the journey, literally, does offer some fresher angles, at least in terms of the publishing business. The blunt speech, calling cant for what it is, the pervasiveness of social media and celebrity, the shallowness of our culture, are done comically and with effect. How the calque curse word took hold is a mystery.

The pacing and editing keep things going well as we move from one plot point to the next and although it's not necessarily new material, the energy does not flag. The photography and locations are striking, somber and moody, wintry light which adds a more realistic edge to the narrative.

But the reason to stay with this story are the performances. Casting can elevate a film even if the other aspects are a little staid and that's what is on show here. Caine and Plaza hold it together as both leads take us through the journey where their antagonism turns to friendship. It's sentimental, just like the movie poster of Caine grinning.

They are supported with a good team of actors too and while the humans did their job admirably, the cat deserves an award for a memorable and nuanced cameo performance; perhaps even Best Supporting Actor would be fitting, if species rules are not still enforced.