Mistress America (2015)

User Review

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  buffed_film_buff

  6 / 10

  
  Frances Ha is one of my all time favorite movies, so seeing Baumbach and Gerwig team up again was like a dream come true. Unfortunately, with dislikable characters, a messy theme, and a lack of heart makes this movie fall not so high in my ranks. Mistress America follows college freshman Tracy (Lola Kirke) as she adjusts to new life in the city. She has a difficult time making friends and she didn't get into the writing club she so fervently desires. So, in a random act of desperation, she calls her 30 year old future step-sister up (Greta Gerwig), leading to a friendship she'll never forget. I'm going to get pretty straight here: what made Greta Gerwig so lovable and relatable in Frances Ha is basically nothing here. In Mistress, she does have herself written as a far more confident character (as Gerwig cowrote the script), but what was supposed to come off as charming just felt obnoxious and over the top. Tracy was actually kind of wonderful for about the first twenty minutes, with her quieter demeanor and softer side, but once she became friends with Brooke I sort of wanted to punch her in the face. There are a couple of other supporting characters, like Tony and his annoying girlfriend, a stereotypical and harsh Mamie Claire, and the rich ex-fiancé. It was frustrating when Tracy complained about boys as if there were no other guys on an entire college campus. I have to tell you, I can't remember much of this movie before the house scene and I only watched it yesterday, if that says anything. When they did have the "restaurant pitch scene" it was pretty inspiring, although that did not last for long. The climax was melodramatic and way over exaggerated, as is any friendships undoing, but Brooke is 12 years older than Tracy! Should she really get that offended at something she wrote? Overall this film did not really sit well with me, although it did have beautiful city cinematography and a few smart scenes. If you like Greta Gerwig I would give it a try, but it really didn't recapture the magic with me.

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