[yasr_overall_rating]
A good-natured womanizer and a serial cheater form a platonic relationship that helps reform them in ways, while a mutual attraction sets in.
In my recent review of the South Korean love story “The Beauty Inside” (read it here), I briefly wrote about how the rom-com genre is gradually fading in this cynical decade, with excess and straightforwardness replacing romance and subtlety in Hollywood fare. While Baek Jong-Yeol’s film resolutely – and successfully – managed to embrace the genre’s tropes, Leslye Headland’s “Sleeping With Other People” takes a different route, and attempts to subvert the cliches, “Trainwreck”-style, with naughty humor and general explicitness amidst all the heartfelt sentiment. As with most films tagged with the “Produced by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay” credit, “Sleeping” lives up to the lewdness that we have come to expect from the two goofball moguls. Yet, while the two leads possess effortless charm and chemistry, the film falls short on delivering a profoundly affecting and incisive romance.
Headland showed promise with her debut directorial feature, the flawed, “Bridesmaids-lite” “Bachelorette,” and even more so with her surprisingly subtle script for the remake of the 1980’s classic “About Last Night.” “Sleeping With Other People”, her second stab at helming a feature, marks another step in the right direction, albeit a small one. If you’re willing to go with its utterly predictable storyline and outcome, you’ll discover a pleasant diversion, anchored by a stellar cast.
The plot is basic. It’s all in the synopsis. You’ve seen this film many times before. In fact, I can summarize the entire story in two succinct sentences. Lainey (Alison Brie) and Jake (Jason Sudeikis), both late bloomers, “de-virginize” each other in college, just to accidentally meet again, years later, at a sex addict anonymous meeting. Despite their predilection to infidelity, they become friends and (spoiler alert!) grow to love each other.
The opening scenes are by far the sharpest, filled with memorable one-liners and a giddy, “anything goes” vibe. Once the plot jumps to the present, it, along with the characters, becomes more “adult,” losing momentum by valiantly trying to be insightful and clever, while maintaining its profaneness. Headland never quite maintains the balance between a mature sensibility and juvenile, abrasive whimsy.
There are some keen little observations along the way. The film explores people’s tendency to pretend to be assholes, in fear of their actual personalities not being “good enough.” It deftly portrays the desire to constantly crave more in a partnership, and touches upon the age-old question of whether men and women can maintain non-sexual friendships. For the most part though, “Sleeping” is a breezy, light affair – like “Sleepless in Seattle,” if it were directed by Judd Apatow and contained naughty words and dildos.
Memorable appearances by a top-notch supporting cast add depth to the narrative. Adam Brody has a funny cameo, throwing a tantrum in a classy restaurant. Billy Eichner pops up briefly as a member of a sex addict group. Amanda Peet plays Jake’s boss with a touching sincerity. The always-hilarious Jason Mantzoukas steals scenes as Jake’s “second-best friend” Xander (his shining moment comes during the end credits). Adam Scott (wearing a thin mustache) hams it up as Lainey’s sleazy ex. Natasha Lyonne is… well, Natasha Lyonne (and there’s nothing wrong with that), Lainey’s best friend. It’s a slew of cameos, and credit’s due: everyone gets a moment to shine – with the sole exception of Katherine Waterston, who was so good in “Inherent Vice,” and is massively underused here as a sex-bomb with no personality.
“Sleeping With Other People” is chock-full of great lines. Jake refers to Lainey’s first fling as “the Pontiac Aztec of people.” Other standouts include: “Sex is like shooting heroin in a controlled yet moist environment,” and “I’m raising friendless children because of you.” Both Sudeikis and Brie are expert comedians, their talents exemplified perfectly in the film’s standout kid’s birthday party sequence (featured on the poster). While Headland resorts to the somewhat-tired “our protagonists are on drugs, and hilarity ensues” cliche, the sight of Sudeikis drinking water from a swimming pool to come down from a molly trip is worth the price of admission alone. Some jokes fall flat – particularly the “Notting Hill”-style ludicrous fight towards the end.
Headland’s film sticks to the well-worn rom-com structure. No stone is left unturned: from the “meet cute” staple, to the sappy piano music, to the issues our heroes face, to the exchange of text messages that pop up in adorable bubbles, to the split-screen, to the happy ending…Hopefully next time the writer/director will avoid resorting to those cliches, focus more on subtlety and plunge deeper into exploring what makes her characters tick. That said, you could do worse than spend an evening with Lainey and Jake. They may not be especially deep, but their raunchy shenanigans are never less than entertaining.
In select theaters including the Angelika Film Center and the AMC North Park in Dallas September 25th
