En attendant

Just what does it mean to really 'grow up'? As kids, many of us no doubt assumed that maturity and independence would naturally follow once we hit a certain age. But, as most of us have since discovered, that isn't necessarily true: people can easily be adults in age but children in attitude. Laggies, an affable film with quirky indie sensibilities and a great cast, explores these issues with quite a lot of charm and genuine humour, although its odd plotting fails to live up to its characters in the end.

Megan (Keira Knightley) is stuck. Ten years after graduating from high school, her friends have all moved on with their lives and accumulated the accoutrements of adulthood: jobs, husbands, babies. Only Megan remains stalled in permanent adolescence, temping for her dad and living with her doting high-school boyfriend Anthony (Mark Webber). When Anthony's proposal of marriage forces her to contemplate leaving her commitment-free comfort zone, Megan takes refuge in the home of Annika (Chloe Moretz), a high-school girl who begs Megan for help in buying alcohol. In the course of a week, Megan discovers that there's more to life than idling in first gear, and draws closer to Annika and her dad, lawyer Craig (Sam Rockwell).

There's actually quite a lot to enjoy in Laggies, even if its ending is a foregone conclusion. Andrea Seigel's screenplay is sharp and smart, developing her characters into something more than stereotypes. There's a gentle, deep undertow of understanding in Megan's budding friendship with Annika - one which brings them both to a bittersweet meeting with Bethany (Gretchen Mol), the mom who abandoned Annika for a new career as a lingerie model. As played tenderly by Knightley and Rockwell, the way in which Megan is drawn towards Craig also makes sense, even if their connection feels a little forced.

The performances are also top-notch. Knightley delivers one of her most fascinating creations yet: a woman who has drifted through rather than lived her life for years, not daring to sever ties to her past but afraid to forge into the future. Her Megan is spiky and sweet, appealing even when the character's flaws threaten to overwhelm. Rockwell's part is a bit undercooked, but he's such a great actor that he lends Craig's attraction to Megan all the credibility denied it by the script. Moretz, too, is great as always, slipping into the troubled skin of Annika and creating another lost girl with plenty of spunk.

Where Laggies falters is in its final act. The last third of the film has a few great moments, including a heartrending encounter between Megan and Anthony that shouldn't work as well as it does. But it also degenerates steadily into cliché, abandoning much of its offbeat humour and complex characters for twists both odd (Megan's reaction to a car accident begs the question: is that really how a grown-up should respond to the situation?) and predictable (Megan's epiphany is a textbook rom-com moment).

In effect, Laggies stops growing, just as Megan did for ten years of her life. At the end, it provides easy answers for its characters after spending most of its running time suggesting that there are no such things: that the real world is complicated and people aren't perfect, that growing up takes effort and doesn't happen by default. This doesn't mean that the film isn't watchable - it very much is, and will reward viewers with some truly lovely moments of wry humour and quirky characterisation along the way. But its undeniable charm is also what makes Laggies' ending all the more disappointing.

A woman who is approaching her thirties and still doesn't know what she wants from life (like most of us, I would say), accidentally meets a teenager and uses her to escape responsibility, at least for a short time. A romantic comedy elevated from mediocrity by a rather realistic depiction of the mental state that most of us go through at some point in our lives. Some go through it maturely and responsibly, even painlessly, but many bring themselves into tragicomic situations as the heroine of this film. Partly because I found myself in this story to some extent, and partly because of Keira Knightley and Chloë Grace Moretz, I have to rate it at least a little higher than it objectively deserves.

7/10

Laggies would have been too big a mirror put up to my twenty-something crises-ed life were it not for the comedic value of the whole she-bang.

That's mildly dramatic but really Laggies is a very original take on the quarter-life crises beseeching the Millennial generation.

Megan (Keira Knightley) is an underachieving twenty-something resigned to an underwhelming existence of still dating her high school boyfriend and working for her father. Her friends are all doing the things you're supposed to be doing when you are in your mid-to-late twenties: getting married, having babies, buying a house, etcetera etctera. With a quarter-life crisis imminently on the horizon, Megan retreats to the home of new found friend Annika (Chloe Grace Moretz), a sixteen year old high school student.

The term Laggies comes from Megan's profoundly underwhelming inferior performance in life below her potential. She is in this debilitatingly immobilizing limbo of the mid-twenties when, having done what you thought you were supposed to do and following the path you thought you were supposed to follow, you find yourself 'here' but 'here' isn't where you want to be. Andrea Seigel's screenplay does a good job of satirically making fun of the trends Milennials are doing nowadays as they 'play' house – like first dances and potential baby names.

A good movie will have characters and themes you can identify with, that will help put a mirror to life and help you engage with the narrative. For some 20-somethings most of the film and Keira Knightley's portrayal of an existential crisis may be a bit too close for comfort. Thankfully Chloe Grace Moretz's character has a dad played by Sam Rockwell. Rockwell is the shining light of a comic savior within the film and lifts up the depressing moments of story to a entertainingly watchable movie.

Laggies is a fun one-time watch for 20-somethings to realize they could be more messed up and to find the humor within the perplexities of burgeoning adulthood.

Please check out our website for all the recent releases reviewed in full.

There's a very brief sidewalk dance sequence early on in the film that gives clear indication why so may fans are fiercely loyal and just adore Kiera. There's lots of good portrayals in this movie, but there is just something special about her in this work, and it's one of the best things she's done. Watching the film, it naturally unfolds what is happening to her, and the evolution of her character to a place where we all fully realize she needs to be going. This is a very well made, and truly enjoyable little film. With characters that are fun to watch and briefly partake in their lives. All those responsible for casting are to be most highly praised.. the group they have put together is perfect for the production, none are out of place. It's the kind of film that can and should be watched again.. to be enjoyed as much as the first time round.

Laggies is all about growing up, with its main character unable to take life seriously. The film explores to several compelling points of moving on to adulthood. Then it takes to a quirkier turn where Megan tries to make another life with a younger crowd where she feels more accepted of who she is. This is meant to be a story about getting away from the comfort zone, the movie does bring a lot of acknowledgment of why this is supposed to be the right thing, but it resolves to a more comfortable type of ending which doesn't live up much to what it wants to say. Thankfully, most of it is undeniably delightful and clever, delivered by charming talents on screen. This isn't probably what Laggies is meant to be, but there is still a lot of reasons why you should like it, anyway.

The film started out in a compellingly tough state for the main character; having less fun with her old high school friends and dealing with other complicated issues. She's basically avoiding from those personal troubles of how life has changed and finding a way to completely run away from them. Once she meets her new set of younger friends, it leads to a build up of a much different purpose. The story carries Megan with heavy questions, but the movie doesn't seem to have the guts of being challenging, thus results to an easier solution with her problems. This is probably not a bad thing, but it could have gone a little deeper. But the sweetness didn't rob much of the value. The film's own charming world alone at least makes things memorable.

What totally benefits here is the cast. Keira Knightley just perfectly captures her character's teen-like personality without making it look inappropriately weird. Sam Rockwell's magnetic charisma just brings a lot of likable impact at every scene he is in. Chloë Grace Moretz does her usual thing and there's definitely nothing wrong with that. These talents just makes it work. The movie already handles its own humor cleverly without making each of them feel forced, unlike most comedies out there. Maybe letting these stars come around and talk into each other already makes for a worth of watch.

Laggies kind of drops its "growing up" intentions and instead tells something about being happy about your own decisions, or something like that. The message it brings in the end is definitely not the one that it once tried to show, maybe because the film decided that they wanted to go conventional to that point. And the movie seems to be alright with that, which is sort of a strange aspect. But the best way to see the movie is just letting the talents bring it to life in their small lighter moments, it's a far more entertaining movie if that's the focus. There are still things that could have made it much engaging, but there's already a good movie in here that would instantly appeal the audience.