Alone Together

I feel I have been a bit harsh on this film, as I did really enjoy watching I, and found it to be a bit better than reviews had me believe.

It wasn't a wholly original premise, although the Lockdown element added something fresh. I can understand this film isn't for those who like high action or a steady flow of punchy one liners.

However, despite the gentle pace, no huge peaks or troughs, and a pretty tame/simple concept, I was fully engaged throughout the film and thought it was very watchable. Yes, big things are ignored, or/& wrapped up/over before they're really ever a 'thing ', but I just liked being in the company of the characters and watching them navigate the pandemic with existing stresses and life situations.

I'd not deter anyone from watching this, and I appreciated most performances. But, its not something I'd rave about either. I think it's best being one of those films you stumped across and decide to give a try, and end up having a pleasant 90mins viewing experience.

I wouldn't have expected Katie Holmes to be the filmmaker who attempts to create a love story set during the early days of the pandemic. She wrote and directed this 2022 romantic dramedy. However, I would expect her to be the star since her filmmaking style draws from the same sensitivity well as her six years on "Dawson's Creek". The sensitivity of her direction and performance works to some degree, but the leaden pacing and feckless characters hamper Holmes' intention to bring a level of intimacy to COVID. There is something frustrating about watching fortyish characters act like they're dealing with twentysomething angst. Holmes, Jim Sturgess, and Derek Luke try mightily to compensate for this lapse by infusing sincerity. Only an unrecognizable Melissa Leo registers as a character actually living through the uncertainty of the pandemic.

A twee little movie that is inoffensive and fairly unmemorable, sort of Hallmark-ish in its lasting ability.

But there is one very annoying plothole: why, when from the outside this appeared to be a very large house, was there, inside, only one bedroom and onebathroom?

In simple little drama "Alone Together" (Katie Holmes' first film as writer (second as director)) she's a lowly NY journo whose dickish bf Derek Luke books them a rural AirBnB as the covid lock-down strikes... but he then doesn't turn up AND it's double-booked (sigh) with Jim Sturgess (always likeable) already there. Resigning to co-habit Holmes & Sturgess hit it off (duh) but as the world shuts up can she really shut it out and live a kinda fantasy? Calm & humourless it's pretty dry, but performances are sound (inc Melissa Leo as Sturgess' mum) and Holmes' direction fresh. We still wait on an excellent covid movie, but just maybe with this they're getting SLIGHTLY better.

To those reviewers that only watch part of a movie and then rate it 1 star-that's just not fair. Look, this movie is not a major movie and it's made for a female audience. I watched the whole thing last night and found it to be a fair romance set against the backdrop of the beginning of Covid. My problem was with Katie Holmes's character talking about wanting marriage and children sometime in the future. She's 44 so unless she's adopting that's not going to happen anytime soon. I do realize you can get pregnant at that age. I just think she was trying to play someone about ten years younger and that didn't work for me. It wasn't a bad way to spend 90 minutes, it's a bit slow moving but what do you expect during a pandemic? Her grandfather who raised her died and she cried briefly and then it's barely mentioned again. That wasn't realistic. So those are my reasons for not rating it higher than 6, although I mostly enjoyed it.