I Used to Go Here

I appreciate when a movie has even a faintly casual/mature attitude towards certain controversial subjects, but for the most part, this is your standard, undercooked indie dramedy.

Can a mid-life crisis sneak up on a 35 year old? Let's not be ageist about this matter, of course it can.

Gillian Jacobs translates her wonderfully sassy yet confused young woman character of "Love" (Netflix, worth the binge) into aspiring author Kate Jacobs, rebounding from a cancelled book tour to revisit her alma mater at the request of her old prof crush.

Mayhem ensues. Well, not really, but something better. Whilst her friends are back home with very pregnant bellies, single Kate anxiously jumps back into college, if only for a brief escapade. Enraptured by the youth and vitality of her previous life, Kate slips back into a comfy place, leaving her spiralling mess adult self behind.

Avoiding sliding into "Animal House" debauchery, "I Used To Go Here" tackles a series of comedic and romantic escapades in a fresh, believable manner. Kate's complicated relationship with her old mentor (a wonderfully nuanced turn by Jermaine Clement) is at the core of the film, isn't dwelled on but played out naturally, and revisited cleverly when the movie comes full circle.

All this rests on the lead's shoulders, and she manages to shoulder it quite well. Jacobs is that rare breed: a wide-eyed actor who is both endearing and relatable enough to carry the movie, which as it turns out, is pretty good.

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Kate Conklin (Gillian Jacobs) should be happy after publishing her first novel. She's not. The book is not selling well. Her book tour gets cancelled. Her love life had cratered. Her friends are pregnant and moving on. Her old writing professor David Kirkpatrick (Jemaine Clement) invites her to speak at her alma mater. She's staying at a B&B across the street from her former home which houses a new group of student writers.

This is a small indie with a little bit of quirky humorous moments and light weight drama. Mostly, it's elevated by the appealing Gillian Jacobs' charms. It's slow at times and struggles to generate narrative momentum. There is one small section in the middle where it becomes a fun mission. It would be interesting to expand that part. The movie does need to add more to the script. I would change the last line to, "I could have done better. I will do better." It's more affirmative and more directed at herself. Overall, this feels like a second or third draft. It needs some more stuffing to fill up the script.

The pace was a tad slow and I could not really get in to caring what Kate did or said. There were some cute side stories and characters. Many stereo types for the side characters (ie the BnB owner, Tall Brad). Some things just didn't make sense (keys?).

I think this film is a great mix of comedy and drama. The jokes are pretty funny, and I like the fact that it is free from gross humour. The drama side of the author's lack of success connects with me as well. I enjoyed it.