Laggies (2014) Reviewed By Jay

United States, 04 April 2014

 

Jay´s Review

Act your age? What a concept! We see a (sorta) happily engaged gal lie to her fiancé so she can hide out for a week with her new-found (and very young) friend. Directed by Seattle's talented Lynn Shelton ("Your Sister's Sister") this charming little R-rated comedy was mostly shot in Vancouver B.C., although there are many establishing shots of Seattle. The aerial views are particularly appealing.

We see our heroine confronted by evidence that she has grown-up issues in her life, friends getting married, friends having babies, parents hitting a rough patch, a marriage proposal, none of which are welcome from her immature perspective.

Featured are:

  • Keira Knightley ("Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit") Megan's erratic reaction to the bumps in her personal road show us that she has never developed adult coping skills. Seeing a teenager deal with similar problems is a BIG surprise that offers unexpected insights.
  • Chloë Grace Moretz ("Hugo") Annika is a wise girl; she has been competently raised by her father but still misses her mother. Her issues are the normal ones that teenagers encounter: curfews, boyfriends and a bit of alcohol.
  • Sam Rockwell ("Moon") Craig is an attorney who has a BIG problem with a grown woman having a sleepover with his teenage daughter. He too, has lingering issues from his wife's abandonment.
  • Mark Webber ("Save the Date") Anthony is a younger version of Megan's father: over-indulgent, adoring and eager to be with her. His marriage proposal sends her into a tailspin.
  • Jeff Garlin ("Arrested Development") We only need to see Ed once to understand why Megan is a permanent adolescent. This father is the poster child for over-indulgent parenting.

Shelton has a knack for giving us relatable characters, a reality based script, witty dialogue and (fairly) good, clean fun. We are not subjected to sweaty bodies, gunfire, vehicular mayhem (although a car hits some mailboxes), or blowie uppie stuff. We liked it!

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