The Overnight

'THE OVERNIGHT': Four Stars (Out of Five)

Raunchy sex comedy flick, written and directed by indie filmmaker Patrick Brice. It stars Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman and Judith Godreche; as two sets of parents, one conservative and one unconventional, who meet for a playdate between their two sons, which leads to much more. It was produced by Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Adam Scott and Naomi Scott; on a budget of just $200,000. I found it to be odd, disturbing and very funny.

Alex (Scott) and Emily (Schilling) just moved to Los Angeles, with their young son RJ (R.J. Hermes). They meet Kurt (Schwartzman), and his son Max (Max Moritt), at a park; and Kurt invites them over for a family playdate. Alex and Emily accept the invitation, and they meet Kurt's wife, Charlotte (Godreche), upon arrival. Things go from strange, to crazy, after the two kids fall asleep.

The movie is quirky, and hilariously funny, in places. Most of the time it's extremely uncomfortable, and disturbing, as well; watching these characters have these extremely awkward and bizarre encounters. That's what's so good about the movie though, even more so than it's witty humor, is just it's insightful (and extremely odd) look, at human nature. The movie is definitely worth seeing just for that.

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As a comedy and as a gradually unfolding mystery, the film simply works. Mainly because all involved make it seem somehow plausible. A well crafted film that for me was quite surprising, as I had no idea what to expect going into it. It's not really the kind of story that I'm interested in exactly, but at the same time it's difficult to say that the film isn't worth watching. It is entertaining for the most part, and it definitely is somewhat original in my estimation, and even a little thought provoking.

6.5/10.

I saw this ages ago but I decided to review it when I found out it was by the same guy who did the "Creep" movies. How about that. I like finding out things like that.

This movie is quite singular. It has this unassuming, disquieting power, like the first act of thriller where everyone thinks everything is fine until everything isn't. With limited characters, setting and time lapse (it is indeed the events of a night) the effect relies on making sure the characters are vivid and three dimensional and they all just pop of the screen.

It always has this sense of build up to something immense and never quite pays off so I'm tempted to say it's more like one of half or two thirds of a great movie without really being a great movie itself, though its a great two thirds.

it's on one level very simple; an innocent rendez-vous of an inhibited couple and an exhibitionist couple leads us to find that neither is exactly what they seem.

it's not really a profound or vivid narrative. It's more like those dinner parties you have in your life where the conversations plus the wine makes you think you've had an epiphany on how to unlock the potential of living until the next morning where you just get to work as usual.

it's definitely the journey not the destination and you get an agreeable amount of frankness about human sexuality. it's not always easy viewing but it shows an admirable amount of restraint in its script.

Memorable but I still feel a bit at a loss for what it was even trying to say.

Short and sweet, Patrick Brice's foursome mumblecore The Overnight is disguised as a more accessible comedy, headlined by Adam Scott and Jason Schwartzman along with Taylor Schilling. Thriving on awkward humour at the expense of new age lifestyles and anxieties, it treads a fine line of endearingly goofy, unexpectedly incisive and plain weird. However, in its brief runtime, it spends sequences on the mundane, highlighting a couple relatable aspects such as Scott's believable inability to make real friends. Its theme of sexual desires outside of monogamy brings to light a harsh truth that many would quietly acknowledge and it's sparked by the idea of that freedom, though it's an energy that's swiftly interrupted. It's not very visually inspired, including two very dangly and infamous props, but Taylor Schilling is a bright spark of the cast while Adam Scott holds his own in a feature film. Meanwhile Schwartzman is less of a person than a caricature but that is surely the intention behind the pair to bring out the humanity in Schilling and Scott. The Overnight earns a few chuckles and a few insights but it's mostly held back by its brevity but it has a sincerity through all the slight wackiness that makes it work, if just a little bit.

7/10

This is one of those films where the less you know, the better. As an overall film it is incredibly difficult to judge in terms of its merits. The film is really its own creation and it beats to its own rhythm. The cast is very strong, and the film is surely entertaining throughout. Because it's so unpredictable, there's a certain joy to get from just wondering where it'll all go. For that reason, it's more of a film that will be a lot stronger on first viewing. I don't know how it'll really hold up on rewatches, but I suspect it'll lose a lot. I had a great time watching it, but I also don't know if to recommend it because I feel like many people (and I say that with emphasis on many) will hate the film and what it eventually becomes.