[yasr_overall_rating]
Life for a single mom in Los Angeles takes an unexpected turn when she allows three young guys to move in with her.
Reese Witherspoon, the queen of rom-coms, is back and this time as a potential cougar. Director Hallie Meyers-Shyer (known for “The Parent Trap” and “What Women Want”) took a fun script to create a heartfelt movie full of warmth and friendship. While films, in general, are moving more and more towards raunchy and senseless action, “Home Again” revives the romantic comedy genre without flashing unnecessary body parts.
Newly single Alice decides to move back into to her late father’s estate in LA. Her two young daughters miss not just their music producer daddy but also the hustle and bustle of New York. With school starting for the kids, and Alice starting her own decorating business, life is busy if not familiar. One of the girls, Isobel (Lola Flanery), believes every symptom on prescription drug commercials applies to her, while her spunky, younger sister Rosie (Eden Grace Redfield) spends her time making others laugh with her snarky comments. As life settles into a routine, the girls spend more time with their grandma Lillian (Candice Bergen), a former actress.
On her fortieth birthday, Alice goes out with a couple of friends to drink away her years. Then along comes Harry (Pico Alexander). Young insatiable Harry, who starts up a conversation with Alice and invites her and her friends to party with him and his friends. Before long the party ends up at Alice’s house and almost gets hot and heavy, but young Harry can’t hold his liquor. When he wakes up, his clothes are freshly washed and folded, and his friends are passed out on the couch in the living room.
Harry and his twenty-something best friends, George (Jon Rudnitsky) and Teddy (Nat Wolff), focus on working their way into the film industry. They have no place to live as they really are starving artists living on hopes and dreams. When they meet Lillian the next morning and realize Alice is the daughter of famous filmmaker John Kinney, they manage to form yet another unlikely friendship. Lillian invites the boys to live in Alice’s guest house, and for some reason, Alice agrees.
Now Alice finds herself with live-in tech support, a babysitter, and a lover. To complicate matters, her ex-husband, Austen (Michael Sheen), shows up to find out if the boys living in the guest house will be competition for his soon-to-be wife’s affections. He tries to wriggle his way back into the life of his daughters and ex, which turns into a pissing match between Harry and Austen. Alice has to decide if she wants her ex-husband and their old life, or Harry, the fun new guy, who promises an exciting adventure. Harry has to learn to accept that his friends can have lives of their own, instead of being actors in the play of his life.
The awkwardness in each relationship is what makes this movie work. A forty-year-old woman dating a twenty-five-year-old man, after losing her fifty something old hubby. A sixty something-year-old woman forming bonds with boys young enough to be her grandchildren. Young girls becoming dependent on the young man who has a crush on her mother. Drama almost becomes necessary, and the film handles the ensuing drama with a touch of civilness that is almost unrealistic.
The legacy from Alice’s father does not add up, despite the hype. What was the purpose of this little detail, besides Alice having a ready-made home to move into after her divorce? Her mother’s fascination with the boys, based their film careers as common ground, would not lead to a grandmother forcing three strangers to live with her grand daughters. The romance aspect of this film was entertaining for a while, but let down after Alice overreacts to a little issue from her boy-toy Harry. She has her expectations too high for his age and then condemns him for his age and for not meeting her expectations. I would have loved to see some more sparks between her and her ex-husband instead of him just playing the, ‘I don’t want strange men around my daughters’ card.
George and Teddy were the more enjoyable characters. Teddy is as cute and lovable as his name and deserved a little more spotlight action. George had a better story than his counterpart Harry, and he had better chemistry with Alice. The ball was dropped on that side plot. It didn’t take long to know George has feelings for Alice and she seems to reciprocate without ever addressing her interest. Why not make the movie a love triangle and have her fall for the friend? Yes, he was also too young, but a much better match for Alice.
Plot issues aside, I enjoyed the movie and plan to watch it again with a bowl of popcorn and a glass of wine on a rainy Saturday afternoon. Some of the elements may not add up but did not diminish the nervous humor or the love-ability of the characters. Definitely not Reese’s best film, but she performs solidly, and keeps her name on the big screen where it belongs. Although, whoever was in charge of Reese’s wardrobe needs to rethink their clothing choices. How in the world would a button up shirt tucked into mom jeans ever attract a twenty something-year-old guy?
In theaters Friday, September 8th
