Better Late Then Never

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Blistering performances.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

I'm a big fan of Zoe Kazan and have been intrigued by her rise to fame in recent years.Therefore I was interested to see this film in which she plays twins, one of whom takes on the others identity after a car crash.It's a good film, one that mixes comedy and drama well. It's a little over sweary perhaps, and not without its slower moments, but a stellar performance from Kazan more than keeps it afloat.A nice film.

...do I need to say more? I feel like that should be enough. Fine. More. Her best movie? No, but I gave it a 9 to offset the mouth breathers (NO NUDITY--SUX)...but, while I feel it's not her best by a long shot, I doubt many others could have pulled off the premise and its attendant consequences. Bonus, John Carroll Lynch (look him up), veteran character actor, is asked for so much more in this film than I've seen asked of him before...and he delivers. There's an intense scene near the end...it's honestly worth the price of admission. Didn't know he had it in him. Watch it. You won't be disappointed.

This was another film that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival a year ago that I just couldn't get to. Which is unfortunate because it had Zoe Kazan in it, Jake Johnson, and even a small appearance from Danny Pudi. But, as with all Tribeca Film Festival movies, a year after you have likely forgotten about the movie, it randomly becomes available. Then you get to learn whether fate spared you spending $10+ or if you truly missed out on something great.Characters & StoryIn the film we are introduced to a set of twins comprised of Laurel and Audrey (Zoe Kazan) who are complete opposites. Laurel is the forgettable plain Jane who pretty much has yet do much in her 20+ years of life, besides baby her dad Frank (John Carroll Lynch) as if he was sickly. As for Audrey, she is the enviable twin. For despite looking the same, people find something about Audrey that makes her more beautiful than Laurel, more attractive than Laurel, and with Audrey's success, you can see a bit of jealousy.So when Laurel and Audrey get into a car accident, and everyone goes to the hospital and assumes Laurel died, Laurel takes this opportunity to take on the life of Audrey. Leading us to watch as Laurel amazingly adjust rather quickly to Audrey's life, and while it is depressing for her how people talk about her after "she" dies, she finds solace in her moments with Basel (Jake Johnson). But with her assuming Audrey's life there comes the question if as she finds love, and even maybe friendship, is it because she is Laurel or because everyone thinks she is Audrey?PraiseWhen it comes to this film I must say that I do believe that when New Girl wraps that Jake Johnson could have quite a career going for him. He has the same look and comic appeal of Seth Rogen and Jonah Hill, the slightly unkempt, borderline middle age guy, but with his characters not seemingly over obsessed with dick jokes, among other things, you can actually imagine this guy being attractive to a young lady, or sir if he ever does a movie like that. With that said, arguably he is the saving grace for the film. If just because he is the sole one who delivers energy to his role and has any sense of personality. CriticismMeanwhile the rest of the characters all seem two dimensional, even when dealing with Laurel's would-be death. I say this because everyone seems to really lack a personality, or any sense of energy. Kazan for example, as the boring twin Laurel, rarely ever shows off why she is the lead in this movie besides being cute. The story doesn't allow Laurel to find being Audrey overly complicated, and in fact she adapts to it rather quickly. Laurel also doesn't have a great emotional depth, and really while Lynch has his moments, even he seems like he is forcing himself to care in his scenes. Hence why Johnson is the sole person I praised. He truly to me was the only one who had any personality, even if it was the same one he has in the majority of his roles.Overall: Skip ItThe Pretty One feels like an underdone movie. The lack of energy and personality out of the majority of the cast made it so about halfway I was in the mindset of just not watching the rest. For while Johnson did help me push myself to watch till the end, it truly was a struggle. Hence why I'm labeling this a "Skip It" film. The actors may have shown up and did their lines, but with them doing so with 0 enthusiasm and with a story which gives you no reason to care about the characters or what they've been through, I don't see why you should waste your time.

Once I accepted the premise of this movie, which in itself is not easy to do, it grew on me and overall I came to like it. In my opinion, this is the type of movie that if one just goes with the flow, and doesn't try to look too closely beneath the plot surface, it can be enjoyable.Zoe Kazan does a fine job here, starring in a dual role of the identical twin sisters Laurel and Audrey. They're polar opposites in personality, with Laurel being introverted and self-doubting, while Audrey is outgoing and vivacious. Laurel is still living at home with her father Frank (John Carroll Lynch) with whom she has a co-dependent relationship, while Audrey has a successful career going in real estate and owns a duplex in town.However, one day while driving together they get distracted, and end up in a terrible head-on collision, where Laurel is seriously injured and Audrey is killed. Due to the fact that Laurel is wearing an ID bracelet imprinted with Audrey's name on it (which Audrey had just given to Laurel on their birthday to be a constant reminder of her), the doctors and even Frank think that Audrey survived the crash and that Laurel was the one killed. When Laurel is diagnosed with post-traumatic amnesia a lot of any inconsistencies can be explained away.Since Laurel thinks her life compared to her sister's was miserable, Laurel decides to maintain the charade, eventually moves into the duplex and even Audrey's job. At the duplex, she meets her tenant Basel, very effectively portrayed by the underrated actor Jake M. Johnson, whose performance in "Drinking Buddies" I liked quite a lot.Basel is quite the nice guy, selling used books over the internet and loaning others to neighborhood kids. You can see the attraction building between Basel and Laurel, and I thought the chemistry between the two worked exceptionally well.However, as circumstances will eventually warrant, Laurel may have to disclose who she really is, causing all kinds of reactions and chaos.Overall, I thought this film ably written and directed by Jenee Lamarque, can lose its' way at times, but can also be poignant and humorous as well, and as mentioned if one is willing to just accept the premise there are rewards here, in my opinion.