laggies
Buoyed by Keira Knightley’s empathetic performance,Laggiesis a decent coming of adult age dramedy that (like its protagonist) is a bit too directionless.
Laggiesstars Keira Knightley as 28 - twelvemonth sometime Megan , as she finds herself in the midst of a tail - spirit crisis while attempting to resolve just what her next step ought to be , both professionally ( having already gain a graduate degree ) and in her personal life . Megan , now shinny to relate to her longtime friends , winds up all the more get off - guard when her beau Anthony ( Mark Webber ) - whom she has been with since high school - proposes ( or , rather , tries to ) during one of their friends ' marriage ceremony .
In answer to this and her having made an unpleasant discovery about her pa ( Jeff Garlin ) , Megan finish up giving herself a week to get her human activity together , by pretending to head out of township to a ego - improvement seminar . However , after having befriended the teen Annika ( Chloë Grace Moretz ) , Megan alternatively put low at her newfound vernal pal ’s house - much to the confusion of Annika ’s dad Craig ( Sam Rockwell ) , a single and world - weary divorcement lawyer .
Laggiespremiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and symbolize the latest directorial effort from indie movie maker Lynn Shelton ( Humpday , Your Sister ’s Sister ) , but Shelton ’s first lineament - distance project that she did n’t also save . TheLaggiesscript was instead compose by Andrea Seigel , a relative newcomer who shows potency in her debut , but also suffer from many of the accustomed growing nisus for a first - time ( produced ) film writer .
Buoyed by Keira Knightley ’s empathic performance , Laggiesis a decent coming of adult age dramedy that ( like its friend ) is a bit too directionless . The screenplay by Seigel nonetheless does address relevant themes and consequence for anyone who ’s gone through ( or is going through ) their 20 - or is at a crossroad in their life , really . late moving-picture show by Seth Rogen have dealt with related subject area issue through raunchy gag and humankind - child tropes , butLaggiesis able to commix things up a morsel by rely on way-out humor and a woman ’s linear perspective , or else .
alas , Laggiesends up walk a very conventional dividing line , tarradiddle - sassy , resulting in a film that feel a bittoolight - weight ; to be reasonable , though , it also seems that some of the richer material from Seigel ’s script ( read : sure subplots involving Megan ’s old high schoolhouse sidekick and Annika ’s Friend ) was cut down or removed altogether during the editing appendage . Shelton and her longtime cameraman , Benjamin Kasulke , arrange the proceedings in a visually - uninfected fashion and give it the right amount of glossiness to overcome its low - budget design , but ultimatelyLaggieswould’ve demand some existent stylistic flourish to make up for its story shortcomings .
In term of her directorial oeuvre onLaggies , Shelton ’s true strength lie with her ability to coax firm carrying out from her capable ( and willing ) cast . Keira Knightley , who is back to using her American stress here , does a fine job of evince Megan ’s various personalities quirks and genial hangups through just her facial expressions and physical structure language alone . The naturalism of her performance help to offset the moments where Knightley must render fairly on - the - nose dialogue about her theatrical role ’s journeying ( and the Epiphany she has along the style ) .
Chloë Grace Moretz is once again unattackable in the role of the gamy schooler Annika , even though her character does n’t amount to much more than an precis . Sam Rockwell likewise bring more depth than the writing does to the role of Annika ’s dad , shedding some of his coolness and dorking it up a fiddling , while also capturing the loneliness and heartbreak that hover beneath Craig ’s airfoil . Folks such as Jeff Garlin ( Curb Your Enthusiasm , The Goldbergs ) , Ellie Kemper ( The Office ) , Kaitlyn Dever ( Short Term 12 ) , and Mark Webber ( Scott Pilgrim vs. the World ) play their own roles well , but they ’re mostly there to keep the plot moving .
In the oddment , Laggiesis a well - act indie - flavored spin on a familiar dramedy story , but it ’s too fluffy to amount to anything that substantial . It ’s a passable film on the whole , and is the rare film that examines modern other maturity job from the position of a amply - realized female protagonist ; that makes it recommendable as a next rental pick , but not necessarily something that necessitate to be find out in a theater .
TRAILER
Laggiesis now playing in a modified U.S. theatrical acquittance . It is 99 minutes tenacious and is Rated R for spoken communication , some intimate fabric and teenager partying .
Laggies is a comedy - drama film directed by Lynn Shelton , featuring Keira Knightley as Megan , a young charwoman experiencing a fourth - life crisis . Seeking refuge from her life ’s province , Megan befriends Annika , a high-pitched schooltime student played by Chloë Grace Moretz , and start to navigate her way through delay adulthood . Sam Rockwell cobalt - stars as Annika ’s begetter , Craig , adding deepness and complexness to Megan ’s journey of self - discovery .
Chloë Grace Moretz and Keira Knightley in ‘Laggies’
Sam Rockwell and Keira Knightley in ‘Laggies’
Keira Knightley and Mark Webber in ‘Laggie’
