On the set of a playwright’s new project, a love triangle forms between his wife, her ex-lover, and the call girl-turned-actress cast in the production.
She’s Funny That Way comes from director and writer Peter Bogdanovich and is a character driven comedy set around a new Broadway production in New York. Taking on both writing and directing, Bogdanovich is clearly a strong creative presence behind the film which follows a group of quirky and eccentric characters whose lives all become increasingly intertwined throughout the film.
Not being event story-driven, this movie is entirely dependent on its characters to deliver substance, and material for the audience to engage in and She’s Funny That Way makes this seem effortless. The characters are entertaining, overly dramatic, quirky, and all fun to watch. With a short running time of just over 90 minutes, the script doesn’t allow for any dull moments/sub-plots or needless scenes – everything is constantly evolving the relationships and the story drama as it seamlessly transitions from one situation to the next.
Carrying itself almost as a stage production, there are a small number of locations across which events unfold, but everything is primarily set on capturing the cast’s performances. With drama driven comedic sensibilities, events escalate quickly after a few opening scenes effectively set the context from which the remainder of the film unfolds. With a soapie gossip style insight into the lives of these characters, the film easily takes the audience along for a ride without causing anyone to overthink things, and to instead just go along for a fun time.
In any film where characters are such an integral part, casting is even more important and She’s Funny That Way has assembled a great cast to deliver the film. Owen Wilson and Rhys Ifans are slotted into roles according to their acting type and while familiar there’s no doubting its effectiveness. Rhys isn’t given a huge amount to do but even just being on camera allows him to leave a quirky and funny impression on the film, Wilson doesn’t do anything new but he’s still fun to watch. Imogen Poots is a delight and Kathryn Hahn brings the melodrama as perfectly as you’d expect, while Jennifer Anniston’s performance is a bit different to her traditional type role but something we’re seeing her do more often these days.
A nice change of pace to the blockbuster events of the season, She’s Funny That Way is well worth checking out, it contains good performances and an entertaining gossip comedy flavour that’s fun and easy to enjoy for a good time at the movies.
I’m giving it 7 out of 10 stars, you can check it out in selected cinemas around Australia from Thursday 27th August 2015.
