Strong and Moving!

Overrated and overhyped

Just perfect...

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Definitely the product of young minds, this piece may very well appeal to the 20s crowd, who is still trying to find their place in the world, while obsessing over every neurosis. However, I can't imagine that the heavy amount of narcissistic navel-gazing, trite humor, or banal subject matter would be particularly engaging to anyone over 30. Another problem is that the peripheral characters, whom the filmmakers obviously have nothing but contempt for, are hyped up to such absurd caricatures for comic effect, that they fail to be relatable in any real way. However, one has to give some style points to the filmmakers, who obviously grew up in the video generation, and use every conceivable editing trick in the book in order to spruce up an otherwise non-existent plot. There are 2 points to remember here. First, beware of festival darlings. Second, even though we live in the age of youtube, not everyone's account of their mundane lives deserves big- screen treatment. But these young filmmakers have every right to make their film, and if others 20-somethings can find something in it to identify with, then all the better. Yet I could not help but think at the end of this film how this latest generation, just now coming of age, will fare in the real world that presents so many challenges and complications. In the age when every child is constantly reassured of how special they are, and that they all deserve their 15 minutes of exposure, resiliency and the ability to deal with adversity does not exactly appear to be this generation's strong point.

I love this movie. Plain and simple. It's the story of two people and their lives and their story of finding one another. The trials and tribulations of their "Anti-dating" are pure enjoyment, as well as certain instances of hypochondria and the need to "create from your core". Two people set out to connect with each other but only through artistic mediums. This means strictly writing notes back and forth and communicating via their video cameras. And the great thing about this movie is that it's all real. The two directors are the main characters in the story, as well as the actors (who are, in affect, playing themselves). This entire film reads to me like an enormous art project, which I will rightfully grant a deserved A+!

If this film wasn't about the self-indulgent filmmakers (who are the main "actors" in the film), does anyone really care? After seeing "A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints", I think that format works much better, while acting as a biopic, the author/director keeps a safe distance, instead of (in the case of this film), using the ending to "surprise" the viewers with a "this really was our life" cliché ending. The big question that I couldn't answer was ... "Would I care about these characters if I knew they weren't the directors/actors?" I'm fairly certain I wouldn't.The animation and pacing have merits, but the cinematography, done in HD, is spotty at best ... maybe a thumbs up for the first gen of filmmakers, but these days, amateur.If you can Netflix it or see a free screening, it's worth checking out ... but for a fistful of dollars, I'm not sure it's worth the hype.For more relationship/entanglement, I'd recommend The Puffy Chair (Duplass Brothers, 2005), while very Soderbergh/Tony Scott (yes, _that_ Tony Scott), in terms of hand-held, grainy visuals, the story of men, women, and the craziness when they come together, is compelling in a raw, honest, and unpretentious way.That's ultimately the difference ... if this were a raw and honest film, I would recommend it, but it's ultimately pretentious and superfluous.

.....both times I saw it in Austin. The film takes an approach at film-making that I have never seen before, with a topic so apt that you have to see it to understand. The style is somewhere in between faux documentary and fiction, and the editing and music are virtually seamless. Another thing that really stuck out for me in this film was the acting, they have this ensemble of something like 50 actors, all spot on with their performances. I recommend seeing this movie at one of it's upcoming screenings to check out all of the talent oozing from every pore of Susan, Arin and every actor involved in this film. I think their next screening is at Gen Art in NY, and I'm sure its making the festival circuit elsewhere. Don't miss it if you can help it!