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Mutual Appreciation (2006)
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Reviews Counted:51
Fresh:45
Rotten:6
Average Rating:7.7/10
Consensus: Director Bujalski continues to give cinematic voice to awkward, literate twentysomethings with noteworthy smarts and tenderness.
Theatrical Release:Sep 1, 2006 Limited
Synopsis: Alan (Justin Rice), a musician whose band has just broken up, shows up in New York to pursue his burgeoning rock and roll career. He starts by searching for a drummer for a show he's already lined... Alan (Justin Rice), a musician whose band has just broken up, shows up in New York to pursue his burgeoning rock and roll career. He starts by searching for a drummer for a show he's already lined up, and otherwise goes about the mechanics of self-promotion. He finds a champion in Sara (Seung-Min Lee), a radio DJ who sets her sights on a submissive but uninterested Alan and finds him a drummer. In his down time, Alan drinks and strategizes with his old friend Lawrence (Andrew Bujalski), a grad student, and Lawrence's girlfriend Ellie (Rachel Clift), a journalist. Alan endeavors to keep his shoulder to the wheel, while Ellie finds herself compelled by him. The attraction is mutual, but both parties are reluctant to take the next step. -- © Goodbye Cruel Releasing [More]
Starring: Justin Rice, Rachel Clift, Andrew Bujalski
Starring: Justin Rice, Rachel Clift, Andrew Bujalski
Director: Andrew Bujalski
Director: Andrew Bujalski
Studio: Goodbye Cruel Releasing
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Reviews for Mutual Appreciation
You'll either be bored or fascinated by the Cassavetes-like reality of it all.
The grainy, black-and-white look and the characters' ethos dovetail perfectly.
Bujalski perfectly skewers what you might call the "sort-of" generation: educated, mid-20s white Americans hemmed in by their own non-committal uncertainty.
The painful honesty and geeky cool draws you in, but the film’s sweet-natured humour seals the deal.
Indebted to the films of Jim Jarmusch and John Cassavetes, Bujalski invests this love triangle with real empathy for his bumbling, hyper-articulate characters, and a sly, edgy humour.
Bujalski is a shrewd comic observer, and astute enough a director to get the most of his engaging actors.
Just because you shoot semi-improvised scenes in black-and-white doesn’t mean you’re the new Jim Jarmusch.
Despite their lackadaisical impression, the pictures are quite tightly structured: each scene covers emotional and narrative distance. Funny, forgiving, credible and deft, they offer much to appreciate.
Just because it's like real life doesn't mean it's inherently interesting.
To capture the mundane rhythms of everyday existence without being tedious is a tough task, which makes the difficulties [director] Bujalski has had getting his films distributed a puzzling and frustrating thing.
Already an indie fan favourite thanks to the no-budget romp Funny Ha Ha, director Andrew Bujalski here slays the sophomore slump with another scruffy but bang-on look at life in the slow lane.
The shaggy honesty is bracing and the modest stories of young adults too tentative and nervous to do more than talk around an issue have a perceptive authenticity that doesn't shake off easily.
It certainly doesn't help that these characters just aren't worth a two-hour investment. Unless you're a fan of independent music, there's little chance you'll want to spend that much time with them.
Alan, Lawrence and Ellie, intersecting here and there with a circle of acquaintances and strangers, insinuate themselves into the viewer's heart like good friends.
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