'Save Yourselves!' is the hidden gem comedy we need
No Content for Old Men
with Matt Craig
Hey movie lovers!
As always, you can find a podcast version of this newsletter on Apple or Spotify. Thank you so much for listening and spreading the word!
In this week's newsletter: If you were expecting a review of Adam Sandler's Hubie Halloween, you came to the wrong place. Instead I'll be talking about a movie I actually really liked, indie comedy "Save Yourselves!" For recommendations, I was deeply moved by Netflix documentary "Dick Johnson is Dead," and couldn't help myself from starting "Emily in Paris," plus two other movies recommended to me by some awesome readers. In this week's "Trailer Watch," quite literally one of the most shocking movie trailers I've ever seen in my entire life.
Word Count: 724 words
Reading time: 4 minutes
Save Yourselves!
These days, mentioning in casual conversation that the world is ending doesn't even warrant a reaction. It's like yeah, duh, the sky is blue, water is wet, and a pandemic/earthquake/wildfire/riot/shooting/scandal on the news is just a Tuesday evening.
But have you ever stopped to think about how you'd actually fair in an apocalyptic scenario? That's what co-writer/directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson have done with Save Yourselves!, along the way skewering the sourdough-making, social media-obsessed millennial generation with an accuracy that could only be achieved by mining personal experience.
Let me just say I love this movie's premise, and few things make me happier than a clever high concept. A couple of Brooklyn hipsters take a trip upstate to unplug from technology, only to find out that while their phones were off the earth was invaded by aliens that look like pouffe footstools. That, my friends, is how you set up a movie!
Anyone creative enough to come up with that premise was never going to let this project devolve into schlocky mediocrity. The precision with which the movie examines (read: exposes) the way young people interact both with each other and also the larger world leads to moments of guilty laughter -- no spoilers but a fight between the couple over accidentally closing the other's internet browser tabs was painfully relatable -- and startling self-examination, for those lucky enough to grow up without ever having to consider the first couple levels of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Do we have any real, tangible skills?
That question is funny...until it isn't. Even before the alien invasion, slacker Jack and achiever Su suffer relationship friction born out of the comfortable mundanity of modern early adulthood. Jack can't commit, because he doesn't feel like a man. Su can't be satisfied, because someone who is always doing better is just a swipe away. They go on the trip under the guise of "reconnecting with each other," but it's really more enticing because it sounds like something someone else might post about on social media after doing and "finding themselves." They constantly and unconvincingly have to remind each other how helpful and refreshing the trip is for each of them.
Those are nuanced emotional journeys to navigate, but they are handled admirably by John Reynolds (unrecognizable from his role "Stranger Things" but practically identical to his character in the underrated TBS show "Search Party") and Sunita Mani (seen in "GLOW" and "Mr. Robot"). They inhabit the sort of entitled-but-not-snotty, idealistic-but-narrow-minded young people who just sorta assume things are going to work out. Playing romance, comedy, action and even a little horror in rapid succession is not nearly as easy as they make it seem.
So yeah, in some ways it's a classic indie movie about human nature with a perspective on modern culture. But the brisk 93-minute run time means the story zips by, smartly doling out exposition in tiny bits and pieces that always keeps the viewer guessing. Just when you think you've got a handle on the narrative arc, another twist flies in to keep you on your toes. This is a movie about alien invasion after all. It's not gonna be boring.
My only quibble would be with the ending, which is abstract enough to be intriguing but not entirely satisfying. They took the 2001: A Space Odyssey approach. Then again, in our current moment I'm not sure tying up all the loose ends would've felt entirely appropriate.
The closest comparison I can make for this movie is Palm Springs, which is high praise. The movie is clever and super entertaining, but feels pretty insignificant. It comes, you enjoy it, then it goes. The idea of seeing either of those movies on a big movie theater screen feels foreign. They are experiences tailor-made for the home.
I suppose that's another 2020 quality, after yet another week of terrible industry news: the "temporary" closure of Regal cinemas and the further postponement into late 2021 for Dune and No Time to Die. Movies have arguably never held less cultural caché, which paves the way for fun flicks that feel more like perfectly crafted one-off television episodes.
This year, that's really all you can ask for. To date, Save Yourselves! is the 6th best of the 51 2020 releases I've seen. For a couple of bucks on iTunes, you will absolutely not be disappointed.
Streaming Suggestions!
Something New
Dick Johnson is Dead (Netflix): I don't know if you can call this a documentary, because of its liberal grasp on reality. One could accuse it being downright manipulative with the truth, but I guess for a movie about dementia and Alzheimer's, that's appropriate. The underlying emotional core of documentarian Kirsten Johnson filming the last years of her father's life rings as true as any document of aging and family ever made. My only advice is to bring a box of tissues, necessary for both sadness and laughter.
Emily in Paris (Netflix): From the makers of "Sex and the City" comes another show that lands somewhere between guilty pleasure and outright embarrassment. I cringed through the entire first episode, hated it, then wasn't able to stop myself from watching another episode and a half before I finally cut myself off. It's textbook Netflix -- beautiful people, beautiful settings, syrupy-sweet storylines, and the overwhelming urge to draw in international audiences. Oh, all that plus the five-second countdown timer after you finish an episode, not nearly enough time to reevaluate the poor life choices that led you here.
Something Old
Point Break (1993): Big thanks to reader Jack M. for recommending this (ironically?) iconic Katheryn Bigelow action flick starring Keanu Reaves and Patrick Swayze. Holy moly, I really hope Bigelow is cashing fat royalty checks from the makers of The Fast and the Furious franchise, who absolutely ripped off this premise in every possible way. Swayze's bank-robbing surfer dude is awesome and leaves Vin Diesel far in his wake, but it's difficult to tell how much of Reaves' airhead cop routine is character building vs. bad acting. Bigelow was smart to focus a disproportionate amount of this movie on filming various impressive stunts, from surfing to skydiving to a beach football scene so homoerotic it gives Top Gun a run for its money, because any time the movie slows down and attempts serious drama it's hard to stifle your laughter. I guess that's another thing Dom Toretto and la familia stole from "the ex-presidents."
Something to Stream
Coherence (Hulu): Every time I think that there are no original ideas left for movies, I have to remind myself I am not looking hard enough. Otherwise I would've found this dinner-party-gone-wrong thriller long before it was repeatedly recommended to me by reader and friend Josh L,, who knew I was a big fan of Karyn Kusama's The Invitation. The low budget, low-fi production heightens a sense of horror that isn't really there on the page, which makes for a healthy mix of dread and psychological mind-f***ery. But the script is the real star of the show here, taking a super original premise and layering in enough twists and character development to keep you guessing from start to surprising finish. Overall this movie rules, a true hidden gem.
Trailer Watch: Fatman
So let me get this straight. Mel Gibson plays an evil Santa Claus (??), who gives a kid coal and then the kid hires Walton Goggins to hunt down and kill Santa? My mind just melted. Count me in. I've watched this trailer at least 10 times since yesterday and can't stop laughing at quotes like, "you think I got this job because I'm fat and jolly?" and the minor key Christmas carols. It's such a bold idea that it could be brilliant, or it could simplly ruin all of our childhoods. Either way, I can't wait.