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Fritz (mistakenly?) ends up in an inhabited place he assumes he rented in Palm Springs for a week. A famous Hollywood star already resides there. When they bump into each other they both pass out and wake up cuddling accidentally.

Yet Lilly who is undergoing an "existential crisis" already spontaneously decides to keep the intruder and introduce him as her new boyfriend to her family. This hilarious premise becomes less far-fetched as we meet the extended family, friends and coworkers.

Despite their privileges they all deal with all kinds of issues, fears and sorrows, just like everybody else. There is a lot of authentic dialogue in here (not the scripted artificial blockbuster one). So you have to listen and empathize.

At the end the movie fizzles out a bit as we get a closer look at more characters. If you are into a meditative and even spiritual experience this slow paced chamber play is for you. It mainly takes place in one house, the other scenes outside are merely changes of place and not meant to introduce action sequences either.

So wind down, relax, extend your attention span and enjoy. Otherwise move on. If you make it to the end you may have gained some insights on how near actual happiness is.

I knew Rebecca Blumhagen - who plays the main character Claire - from Get Happy, which was quite a deep yet still somewhat lighthearted movie.

So I considered Other Plans as well. I was astonished about the low rating and lack of reviews. This intrigued me a bit. I was right. This is another indie that went under the radar of mainstream audiences.

Unlike Get Happy this is more lighthearted than deep even though Claire, the protagonist, has some childhood trauma of poverty to overcome. Thus she focuses on her career and "other plans" to prevent that from happening again while neglecting her private life.

Meanwhile an unpublished writer - who is working as a janitor in the building the publishing house she works for resides in - falls in love with her. Due to his low status he feels unworthy to approach her though.

Yet one day due to a mishap and a case of mistaken identity (and a little magic) he ends up doing that despite his fears.

First off, this love story is a bit of a fairy tale. It uses some romcom stereotypes and has some logic holes and inconsistencies yet overall it will brighten your day. Rebecca Blumhagen offers a constant cute overload for the eyes and even in her annoyance stays always gorgeous.

The male lead, Nathan, the undercover writer, plays his part even more convincingly as he has to change repeatedly from dejected janitor to aspiring writer and embodies both quite aptly.

Of course we expect the final outcome yet it's still an enjoyable watch to find out how Claire and Nathan will navigate the pitfalls of identity theft, toxic coworkers, misunderstandings etc.

With the help of some likable and truly supporting characters (Claire's friends, Nathan's brother, a homeless/magician) there are glimmers of hope we can relate to.

An overall likeable cast, positive message, and pleasurable love and personal development story that is uplifting without being too cheesy. Some of it is also a bit too obvious or spelled out. Clearly a movie for the heart and not the brain. Exactly what I needed today to wind down.

First off: as a comedy this falls flat. It's simply not funny.

It's rather an inspirational story of changing your life and becoming your best self similar to The Secret Life of Walter Mitty or Yes Man.

I really appreciate this self improvement genre so I'm happy I stuck long enough until the inspirational story fully unfolded.

Yes, I almost stopped viewing after half of the movie and the most cringe worthy scenes (circumcision on drugs anybody?).

In a way John Cena plays himself. I did not know him until I watched Freelancer which was also unexpectedly impressive. Like the hero of this film he reinvented himself as well. Despite al his muscle he became a comedy star.

He could have become a one dimensional action hero but he chose to play more complex and truthful characters.

Here he plays Ricky, a fully fictional or "fake" character (think impostor) and becomes a success step by step or rather fluently.

He starts as a loser - a cheap rock star imitator focusing on sleazy satire and alcoholic.

Yet over time he steps into his role impersonating the imaginary friend of three guys who never really grew up. This metamorphosis is the actually interesting part of this movie.

So if you come for the cheap laughs there aren't m/any depending on your sense of humor and general mood. Yet the story is truly inspiring.

I understand that this is just a "made for streaming" movie so the budget is not comparable to a Hollywood blockbuster. The more impressive is the line up.

Cena is clearly the star of this film with the others being rather supporting characters. Efron merely connects and holds everything together. Kudos for the unique albeit a bit convoluted and clunky story. It's watchable rather for the cries than the laughs as at the end you root for the underdog.