Insanity handled with inventiveness, sadness and glee in Jason James' ENTANGLEMENT

We've seen a number of "crazy love" stories down the decades but few have come to the problem with quite the oddball enthusiasm and determination to figure out the puzzle as ENTANGLEMENT, a new indie film opening in a limited theatrical run this week. As directed by Jason James, shown below, and written by Jason Filiatrault, the movie begins with a suicide attempt interrupted by the doorbell and proceeds from this alternately scary/goofy premise onward to even more frightening and funny matters.

The writer and his director have conceived their film as a kind of gleeful look at possible insanity from a mass of differing -- but mostly amusing -- angles. While this may put off folk who feel that mental illness/suicide should never be treated amusingly and/or cavalierly, TrustMovies must admit that he sometimes finds this can work rather well. (And as a former suicide-attempt, many decades ago, he feels he has a right to his opinion.)

Entanglement uses everything from bits of physics (it possesses its own version of "string theory": see poster at top and the photos toward the bottom), friendship, fantasy (complete with some charming animation), parenting and an almost-adopted sibling to tell the tale of a grown man named Ben -- played by the always interesting and goofy Thomas Middleditch, shown at top and below -- who has a load of trouble coming to terms with things like growing up and accepting responsibility.

Into his life comes a very pretty mystery woman named Hanna, who just may be that nearly-adopted sister. Hanna is played by the versatile and ever-commanding Jess Weixler, who here turns in another first-rate performance that keeps us, and Ben, on our toes. By turns charming, sexy, sweet and bizarre, Weixler has seldom seemed as alluring and/or maybe a little dangerous (except, of course, in Teeth).

Also on hand but relegated to background material -- as so often happens in films to any poor young woman who carries an unrequited torch for the hero -- is a young and pretty neighbor of Ben's named Tabby. Fortunately Tabby is played with enough wit and charm by Diana Bang, below, right, to keep her character in the foreground after all.

These three leads pretty much keep the movie on its oddball course, as we slip and slide along with Ben, finding our way toward unraveling the entanglement that is his mind and life. The movie has connections aplenty, even including that delivery man who rings the doorbell initially and finally appears again in what very well might be a more important role.

Fortunately our two Jasons do not work with a heavy hand. These connections and possibilities are suggested rather than belabored, and the movie comes to its conclusion more quickly, confidently and lightly than you may expect.

Performances are all they need be to brings this rather delicate, bordering-on-precious fable to life. Mr. Middleditch (of Silicon Valley and The Bronze) uses his innate goofiness abetted by just enough charm and appeal to make a pretty good hero of Ben, while Weixler and Bang offer interesting versions of woman as both help-meet and hindrance.

From Dark Star Pictures and running a just-right 85 minutes, Entanglement opens this Friday, February 9, in ten cities across the country, including New York (at the Cinema Village) and Los Angeles (at Laemmle's Monica Film Center). To see all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters, click here and then scroll down. And if you're not near any of these ten cities, the film will also be streaming on many of the usual outlets, as well.

Prevarication reigns (and rains): Phil Allocco's goofy, funny rom-com, THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES

Though it has been sitting around for two years now, hitting the festival circuit while waiting for release, a rom-com called THE TRUTH ABOUT LIES -- written and directed by Phil Allocco (shown below), who earlier made a name for himself as guitarist in the band, Law & Order  -- turns out to have been worth the wait. The movie is funny, charming and goofy as hell, and it sports a first-rate cast of good-looking actors who also know how to create the proper chemistry together, as well as nailing the humor as easily as the romance. 

You will have to suspend your disbelief a bit at some of the whoppers you'll be asked to accept here, but since Allocco has made his movie all about lying, and his leading man, the hugely under-appreciated comedic hottie, Fran Kranz (shown below in romantic mode and and further below in comedic), handles these lies with such amazing aplomb that, for maximum enjoyment and fun, it's best to simply go along on this wild ride. 

The filmmaker's point would seem to be that we all lie to each other all the time, but if we can just ground those lies in a healthier life style -- a decent job, apartment, mate, diet and more -- then we'll get by just fine. What? How dare he! 

Mr. Allocco dares, all right, and he pretty much gets away with it, too, thanks to some clever writing, decent direction, and the ministrations of his first-rate cast. Mr. Franz has long been one of my favorite rom-com actors, and once again he acquits himself royally. Whether he's falling in love, above, or killing time in the men's room, below, with a couple of rolls of toilet paper, he's alternately sexy and funny and always fun. 

His suddenly former and soon-to-become girlfriends are played by Mary Elizabeth Ellis (below) and Odette Annable (further below), the former with a lot of anger and sass, the latter with such graceful beauty and charm that she'll sweep you off your feet, just as she does our hero his.

Allocco peppers his movie, via title cards, with frequent and often terrific quotes about lies and truth -- and their effect on us all. Many of these quotes are first-rate, and they'll make you think (and laugh) as much as does the movie itself. 

In the supporting cast are other good (and good-looking) performers such as Miles Fisher (below, as Kranz's best friend) and Chris Diamantopoulos (at bottom, playing Annable's husband). 

From time to time the movie will put you in mind of early-Woody Allen. But, hey, early Woody Allen ain't bad. And neither is The Truth About Lies. And if the movie will not set the world on fire (we can leave that to Donald Trump), it's nonetheless a pleasurable enough outing for those who appreciate the rom-com genre.

Opening theatrically in some 25 cities across the country this Friday, October 27 -- in New York City, it hits the Cinema Village; in Los Angeles at Laemmle's Monica Film Center -- the movie, running 94 minutes, will be available digitally, as well. Click here, then click on Screenings in the task bar, to view all currently scheduled playdates, cities and theaters.

In LITERALLY, RIGHT BEFORE AARON, Ryan Eggold offers up a smart, off-the-wall rom-com

Slightly psychotic, as is its very troubled hero (played by Justin Long with finesse, humor and enough believability to win us over), LITERALLY, RIGHT BEFORE ARRON proves an unusual mix of movies that include everything from My Best Friend's Wedding to just about any and every they're-going-to-get-married movie you'll have so far seen. And yet it still manages to seem surprisingly original, if somewhat problematic. The work of actor, Ryan Eggold (shown below, who with this, his first full-length film, has written, directed, edited and composed), the film tracks the coming apart of a young man named Adam, from the time he learns of his ex's impending wedding until the event itself -- in which he plays, well... an unexpectedly major role.

What Mr. Eggold has done here is explore -- at length, in some depth and mostly humorously -- a man's growing and non-stop obsession with a love relationship that, although ended, has not at all gone away. Mr. Long (shown below as the ex who came "literally, right before Aaron," as another character helpfully points out) gives one of his best performances out of many very good ones, as he takes that ball of obsession and runs with it, scoring touchdown after touchdown, even if these are all, in the end, against his own team. Via flashback and fantasy, as well as quite real-if-bizarre situations and supporting characters, the filmmaker gives us this man's about-to-implode life -- work life, love life, family life and more -- as he begins and then continues his sad but pretty funny descent.

Highlights here include a "proposal" scene that is certainly among the oddest ever, with results that will leave your mouth, as it does that of the recipient, hanging open, right through to a wedding reception that is one for the books. Along the way we meet a number of supporting characters, all of whom exist to keep Adam on track, from which, of course, he consistently derails.

Even that would-be love of his life (played by Cobie Smulders, above right) seems to come to life only through Adam's eyes. The groom, too (a hot, hirsute Ryan Hansen, above left) exists more as the antagonist-to-be-toppled than a full-bodied character. But all this is by intention, I suspect, and much of it, but not all, works to the film's advantage. What is missing, is any sense of who this Adam character was prior to his knowledge of his great love's impending marriage.

Clearly he had some major problems, or the earlier pairing would have remained in place. But could he have always been such a desperate jerk? Probably not, but that's what we see here, so we'll just have to take the rest on faith. Among the supporting cast are John Cho (above, right) as Adam's best friend, Kristen Schaal (below, left) as his very bizarre "wedding date," Lea Thompson (shown at bottom) as his mom (looking young enough here to be his sister), and Dana Delany as the bride's mom -- who in a particularly telling scene, intimates that she preferred Adam's Mr Fuck-Up to Aaron's Mr. Perfect.

If you approach Literally, Right Before Aaron with expectations of oddity rather than mainstream romantic comedy, I suspect you'll have a pretty good time. At the very least, you'll get a step-by-step lesson on what not to do so far as your ex -- along with just about everybody else -- is concerned.

From Screen Media Films and running 103 minutes, the movie opens theatrically in a limited run this Friday, September 29 -- in New York City (at the Village East Cinema), Los Angeles (at Laemmle's Monica Film Center) and in Arizona (at the Harkins Shea 14 in Scottsdale) plus another dozen cities over the weeks to come. Click here to see all currently scheduled venues.

If you don't live near any of the current venues, relax: The movie will simultaneously hit VOD this Friday, as well.

Kevin Pollack directs his first -- and pretty funny -- narrative film, THE LATE BLOOMER

An actor TrustMovies has enjoyed quite regularly down the decades, Kevin Pollack (a fellow with 126 IMDB acting credits to his name), has now directed his first narrative movie -- not surprisingly a comedy, given this guy's background -- and it is one that, while sometimes crass, is always pretty funny, too. Titled THE LATE BLOOMER, it details the story, said to be "almost" true, of a young man who, due to an un-diagnosed medical problem, has never experienced puberty and therefore no sex nor even sexual desire.

Based on the memoir by Ken Baker, originally published back in 2001, and screen-written by some five different scribes, Mr. Pollack's movie (the director is shown at right) has such an unusual, grab-you-by-the-throat story to tell that it very nearly works via its odd tale alone. It's that bizarre-but-believable. Well, it ought to be, as the medical condition explained here actually happened to Mr. Baker, as it has to others. It may be rare, but it is also there. And it must be dealt with.

While I have not read Baker's memoir, from what I've heard about it, the book is quite moving as it brings the reader into the feelings of this man-boy so utterly inexperienced in much that we consider vital in life.

The movie, not exactly unexpectedly, plays all of this for laughs. To its credit, it gets quite a lot of them, too. Star Johnny Simmons, above, with his sweet face and goofy-but-sexy quality, seems a very good choice for the lead role. He's believable and funny as a grown guy only just discovering what most of us found years ago. If he doesn't wrench your heartstrings, too, that simply does not seem to be required here.

Supporting Simmons are a bevy of good performers who fill their roles just fine but are, with a couple of exceptions, not required to do much more. These include Maria Bello and J.K. Simmons (shown above, left and right), as our boy's parents, and Brittany Snow (below) as the pretty (and very literal) girl-next-door.

Jane Lynch (below) portrays Simmon's mentor, while Kumail Nanjiani and Beck Bennett (two photos below, shown respectively at right and left) play his two best, though not very bright, friends,

with Paul Wesley (shown at left in photo at bottom) as the other, and not very nice, man in his would-be girlfriend's life.

While the movie concentrates most of its humor and events on things sexual, which are generally funny if sometimes a little too crassly perceived, when it takes off into other area of adolescent trauma -- everything from acne to vocal changes to tantrums towards one's parents (the latter is maybe the film's funniest scene, in which Mr. Simmons excels) -- it proves even more on-the-mark.

At times, and at its most enjoyable, The Late Bloomer almost seems like a more "real" version of one of those popular body-jumping fantasy movies like Freaky Friday, Big  or 13 Going on 30 -- in which our hero or heroine suddenly inhabits the body of someone of a very different age.

If the film skirts over feelings to land more laughs, well, that's what movies tend to do, right? And at least this one manages to garner an awful lot of those laughs. From Momentum Pictures and running around 90 minutes, The Late Bloomer opens tomorrow, Friday, October 7, in "select" theaters (for instance, twice daily at NYC's Cinema Village and at Laemmle's Music Hall 3 in L.A.) while simultaneously making its debut on VOD and digital HD.

The lighthearted side of Hurricane Sandy (yes) in Farsad & Redleaf's 3RD STREET BLACKOUT

It may prove heavy-going over the first few minutes of 3RD STREET BLACKOUT, a new nerd-variety rom-com from the acting/producing/ directing/writing team of Negin Farsad and Jeremy Redleaf. But hold on (and listen carefully as the sometimes quite clever dialog bounces, super-fast, out of the mouths of the cast) and you'll very likely be taken in by this (eventually pretty charming) little lark. It's throwaway, certainly, but there have been many less interesting examples of the genre on which to spend your time.

Mr. Redleaf and Ms Farsad (shown above, right and left, respectively) play, TrustMovies is guessing, some sort of version of themselves as Rudy and Mina, two smart yet socially inept nerds who have lucked into a clearly good relationship with each other but who suddenly go out of their way to fuck things up.

While at a TED conference, Mina finds herself involved with a possible business investor (the goofy-but-sexy Ed Weeks, above, right) who wants to add some lovemaking to the deal. Back and forth from present to past the movie jumps, raising the question of will she/won't she and did she/didn't she. When Rudy gets wind of what did or didn't happen, our couple takes a break from each other.

Most of this occurs simultaneously with Hurricane Sandy that cuts power in lower Manhattan for some days and provides the film with additional humor and satire about how lost the tech generation can be without its apps and all of its electrically-charged devices.

The supporting cast includes a bunch of goofy charmers, most of whom have verbal diarrhea, just as does our lead couple. For me Ms Farsad comes awfully close to sinking the ship but finally manages to balance things out by staying just this side of teeth-grinding annoyance. (My spouse found Farsad more bearable than I but had trouble with Rudi's two best friends/business associates.)

Among the best-known of the actors are Janeane Garofalo (above, left) in a very small role; Phyllis Somerville (below), who plays the couple's funny, wise and love-lorn neighbor; and especially Miles J. Harvey as a much-used and very acquisitive messenger boy.

3rd Street Blackout , released via Paladin and running 87 minutes, opened a couple of weeks ago in New York and is still playing at the Somerville Theater in Somerville, Massachusetts. Soon(er or later), I should think, the film will be available on DVD and digitially. It's certainly worth a watch for those inclined toward quirky rom-coms.

Hello, My Name is TERRIFIC! What a movie Michael Showalter & Sally Field have given us.

Wow. Who knew? With the debut of her latest film, Sally Field is at last destined to understand that, yes, we like her. HELLO, MY NAME IS DORIS is every bit as good as you've heard from most of our critics and undoubtedly, too, from your friends who've seen it and are getting that word-of-mouth rolling. But is it one of those "feel-good" movies that us senior citizen regularly flock to? Well, yes and no. This is a would-be love story about the relationship between a younger man and a much-older woman, much of which goes on in the older woman's head. Is that relationship inappropriate? Of course. But then, older men have been succeeding (on film, at least) with much younger women practically since movies were born. So why not the other way around? Because we still make (or at least fake) obeisance to our patriarchal society, for one thing.

For another, the lead character here, as played by Ms Field, is such a delightful dingbat that we simply can't but love her despite, maybe even because of, her crazy romantic notion. As brought to fine life by the actress and the film's smart director and co-writer, Michael Showalter (shown at right), who collaborated on the screenplay with Laura Terruso (inspired, perhaps, by Ms Terruso's short film Doris & the Intern), Hello, My Name Is Doris bounces along so buoyantly with such good humor that we follow it wherever it goes. And it goes in a lot of surprising, oddball directions that are somehow both believable and germane.

One of the lovely things about this movie is that it treats its younger generation (some of whom are shown above and below) with the same interest and respect that it gives to its seniors. The kids may be younger and less wise (in some ways) but they are generally a decent lot, willing to listen and consider stuff that might be a bit foreign to their current world.

Mr. Showalter (and his movie) understands something that humanity in general often forgets: how a thing -- a costume, an attitude, an odd, offhand remark -- that might seem ridiculous in one context can fit quite beautifully into a different one. This kind of moment happens often enough throughout the movie that, soon, we begin to observe a lot of things from a different perspective.

Consequently Hello, My Name Is Doris works as comedy, character study, even love story (of sorts), as it charts its path of growth and change, This makes the movie more than a little unusual in our current times of beat-your-audience-into-submission blockbusters, as well as a lot of independent film that often seem cut from unusually similar cloth. Doris--the character and the film--is an original.

If Ms Field is not acknowledged come next year's awards time, this will be a major shame. The Academy tends not to give comedy its due, but the actress is so good in every respect that I think it will be difficult not to recognize her gift to us. This is rich, layered performance that keeps us amused, moved, surprised and all the rest -- with every moment completely believable. (Fields is often able to make us laugh, cringe and empathize simultaneously.)

As we move delightedly along, the worry does arise: How will the filmmaker bring all this to conclusion and fruition? He manages it with a surprise that sends us out of the theater questioning, yes, but also considering the possibilities.

Showalter's ensemble cast, though with much less screen time than Fields, manages to hold its own. Primary to the plot is Max Greenfield as the love object, John (shown above, right, with his own love object, played very nicely by Beth Behrs).

Also along for the ride are the fine Tyne Daley (above, center), with Peter Gallagher (shown back view) as a savvy self-help guru. Perhaps the dearest performance comes from the always-wonderful Elizabeth Reaser as a kindly, intelligent therapist dedicated to helping those who "hoard."

The movie has an near-knockabout quality that Mr. Showalter's films often possess. This may make it appear too easy and offhand to merit real criticism. Bullshit. The guy has a gift, and just because it seems easy does not mean it isn't terrific work.

Hello, My Name Is Doris -- from Roadside Attractions and running a just about perfect 90 minutes -- after debuting in our culture capitals last week, opened yesterday here in South Florida, where many of its screenings are already sold out. Book early, seniors. And the rest of you younger audiences, take note: You'll have a much better at this film that you expect! The movie is now showing at Miami's AMC Aventura Mall 24 and Regal's South Beach 18; in Fort Lauderdale at the Cinema Paradiso; in Boca Raton at the Cinemark Palace 20, Regal Shadowood, the Living Room Theaters; at the Movies of Delray 5; in Palm Beach Gardens at Cobb Downtown at the Gardens; in Orlando at the Winter Park Village 20; in Tampa at Veterans Expressway 24; in Ft. Myers at the Regal Bell Tower 20; and Naples' Silverspot 12 Cinemas at Mercato.