Easier with Practice

Critics Consensus

This promising debut from writer-director Kyle Patrick Alvarez is anchored by a startlingly honest and tender performance from Brian Geraghty that helps make Easier with Practice more than just another road trip drama.

91%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 32

70%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 841

Easier with Practice Photos

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Movie Info

A writer traveling to promote his unpublished novel enters into a bizarre phone relationship with a mysterious woman in this cellular love story based on Davey Rothbart's autobiographical GQ article of the same name. Davy Mitchell (Brian Geraghty) is a writer who has yet to realize his full potential. In order to raise awareness about his latest manuscript, Davy hits the road with his younger brother Sean (Kel O'Neill) and begins performing readings for small groups across the country. One night, while sitting in a lonely hotel, Davy's phone rings unexpectedly. The voice on the other end of the line belongs to Nicole, and before long Davy and Nicole have established a unique bond despite the fact that they've never actually met face to face. The more Davy gets to know Nicole, the happier he becomes. But when the time finally comes to meet his long-distance love interest, the itinerant writer realizes that before he can truly be honest with Nicole, he must first start being honest with himself.

Rating:

NR (for a sequence of explicit sexual dialogue)
Genre:

Comedy, Drama
Directed By:

Kyle Patrick Alvarez
Written By:

Kyle Patrick Alvarez
In Theaters:

Jun 12, 2009 wide
On Disc/Streaming:

Apr 6, 2010
Runtime:

100 minutes
Studio:

Lantern Lane Entertainment

Watch it now

iTunes

Cast

Brian Geraghty
as Davy Mitchell

Jeanette Brox
as Sarah

Jenna Gavigan
as Josie

Kel O'Neill
as Sean

Marguerite Moreau
as Samantha

Katie Aselton
as Nicole

Eugene Byrd
as Aaron

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Critic Reviews for Easier with Practice

All Critics (32) | Top Critics (12) | DVD (1)

The film is a slow-burner: a study in loneliness and alienation, whose unexpected ending and ambiguous aftermath require us to reassess all that has gone before.

Dec 2, 2010 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
Top Critic
Kyle Patrick Alvarez's movie stands out as one the year's as-yet-undiscovered gems.

Dec 2, 2010 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Lee Griffiths
Little White Lies
Top Critic
There's no doubting Alvarez's promise, as he weaves familiar indie elements into a film that is likeable, insightful and compelling.

Dec 1, 2010 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Time Out
Top Critic
An unexpectedly stirring first feature by Kyle Patrick Alvarez about the challenges of making human connections in the weird and wired 21st century.

Mar 11, 2010

Michael Rechtshaffen
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic
Amusingly predicated on the romantic possibilities of phone sex, Easier With Practice pushes past its titillating premise to become a quietly provocative love story about emotionally stunted manhood and the risks some guys will take to connect.

Mar 11, 2010

Justin Chang
Variety
Top Critic
Geraghty relies too heavily on facial expressions and mannerisms, but those who appreciate visible effort may be seduced.

Feb 26, 2010 | Rating: 2/5 | Full Review…

Elizabeth Weitzman
New York Daily News
Top Critic
...an erratic yet rewarding little indie.

Feb 28, 2014 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews
What could have been a film that exploits a potentially salacious premise for artificially comedic or edgy effect, feels instead like an honest and truthful dissection of the sometimes-strange way modern relationships can work.

Jan 18, 2011 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Alistair Harkness
Scotsman
Based on a men's mag article, Kyle Patrick Alvarez's debut feature is an honest, funny-sad portrayal of emotional dysfunction.

Dec 8, 2010 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Philip Kemp
Total Film
It is a cool, funny, mischievous movie, with a stand-out, even break-out, performance from Geraghty...

Dec 2, 2010 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
An engaging and moving tale.

Dec 2, 2010 | Rating: 3/5 | Full Review…

Stella Papamichael
Radio Times
Excellent American indie that tugs hard on the heartstrings.

Nov 29, 2010 | Rating: 4/5 | Full Review…

Philip Wilding
Empire Magazine

View All Critic Reviews (32)

Audience Reviews for Easier with Practice

Apr 13, 2015

In "Easier with Practice," Davy(Brian Geraghty) is on his not quite sold out tour of New Mexico bookstores, peddling his collection of short stories, and accompanied by his brother Sean(Kel O'Neill). One night, while Sean steps out, Davy answers the phone and talks to a woman he does not know named Nicole(Kathryn Aselton). What originally starts as a wrong number soon turns erotic for both parties. And that's not the only time they talk. While "Easier with Practice" starts badly and ends much worse, about ten minutes beyond the point of no return in overexplaining who Nicole is/isn't, there is still a thoughtful movie in between about loneliness and a character study about somebody who is so damaged that he can be lonely in crowded room. It's interesting to note that none of this exactly happens in a vacuum, with the movie gradually revealing Davy's backstory as it goes on.

Walter M Super Reviewer
Feb 26, 2011

Interesting counter point to 'Catfish', exploring similar territory about loneliness, identity and our need to connect. Builds in a similar way to the eventual meeting which wrongfooted me and then has the conviction to hold out for a truthful ending.

Gordon A Super Reviewer
May 11, 2010

Superb, slow burning true story told with humanity and poignancy. It's remarkable that would easily could have been an exploitative, overblown thriller is instead a deeply touching, profound and empathetic small scale drama. Acted and written with honesty, this is a largely undiscovered gem of a film.

Daniel P Super Reviewer