"Girlfriend" Review by New York Times

"Girlfriend" Review by New York Times

A Kindhearted Man in a Small Town

Justin Lerner’s debut feature, “Girlfriend,” is set and shot in his Massachusetts hometown, and the story is built around a man in his 20s named Evan, a character inspired by, and played by, a local actor with Down syndrome, Evan Sneider. As you might expect, the film is eminently respectful in its handling of this kindhearted, sexually curious protagonist, at times irritatingly so, as when the camera goes coy and turns away to focus on autumn leaves during one particularly physical encounter.  

It’s just as well, though, not because the scene in question would be hard to watch, but because it’s the crowning touch in a screenplay that doesn’t miss many clichés of small-town, working-class, going-nowhere life. Evan’s improbable acquisition of a large sum of cash enables him to pursue his goal of obtaining a girlfriend by doing favors for Candy (Shannon Woodward), a single mom with rent and boyfriend problems.

This prompts a melodramatic and, while not necessarily predictable, not very surprising chain of events, through which Evan, despite Mr. Sneider’s capable performance, mostly remains a too-good-to-be-true cipher: someone to goad the other characters into action and then puzzle over their bad decisions.

The overall mildness and inconsequence of “Girlfriend” (which was handsomely shot by Quyen Tran) is disrupted for a while by Amanda Plummer, who gives a vivid yet gentle performance in a small part as Evan’s patient, protective mother.

GIRLFRIEND

Opens on Friday in Manhattan.

Written and directed by Justin Lerner; director of photography, Quyen Tran; edited by Jeff Castelluccio; music by 100 Monkeys; production design by Seth Chatfield and Harrison Lees; costumes by June Suepunpunk; produced by Mr. Lerner, Jerad Anderson, Kristina Lauren Anderson and Shaun O’Banion; released by Elephant Eye Films and Wayne/Lauren Film Company. At the Quad Cinema, 34 West 13th Street, Greenwich Village. Running time: 1 hour 34 minutes. This film is not rated.

WITH: Shannon Woodward (Candy), Jackson Rathbone (Russ), Amanda Plummer (Celeste Gray), Evan Sneider (Evan Gray), Jerad Anderson (Kenny) and Seth Chatfield (Jeremy). 

Source => The New York Times / Via => JRathboneFB