SNAPSHOT
In MISTRESS AMERICA, Tracy (Lola Kirke) is a lonely college freshman in New York, having neither the exciting university experience nor the glamorous metropolitan lifestyle she envisioned. But when she is taken in by her soon-to-be stepsister, Brooke (Greta Gerwig) – a resident of Times Square and adventurous gal about town – she is rescued from her disappointment and seduced by Brooke’s alluringly mad schemes. (synopsis via Indiewire)
Noah Baumbach, fresh from the indie triumph of When We’re Young, is back with another film, co-written as was Francis Ha, with his partner in life and creativity, Greta Gerwig.
And like many of his other films, it has a great deal to say about being human, the messy business of living and as Indiewire points out, a great deal more besides:
“Baumbach’s films are always wry, sharply observed comedies with humanist tendencies, often centering on youth, ambition, and aging out of cultural relevance. Mistress America certainly tackles many of these topics too, but it’s a bit like Baumbach on amphetamines, with a sped-up screwball approach to his already delightful and insightful comedies.”
As someone who has adored screwball comedies ever since he grabbed some popcorn and found his way into a movie theatre, especially those written with more than an ounce of genuine insight into the human condition and wit, all qualities Baumbach and Gerwig have in spades, Mistress America sounds like the kind of movie that will appeal on a number of levels.
Take the zany screwball silliness of something like What’s Up Doc?, throw in some observational life humour such as that found in Francis Ha and you have what, Indiewire again, calls “… another contemporary classic New York tale.”
I like the idea of laughing myself silly at some genuinely clever comedy and then walking away thinking for days about some of the pithy, quite truthful observations about life that I know the talented twosome will make.
And it sounds like Mistress America will do just that, and then some.
Mistress America opens in USA on 14 August 2015, after premiering at this year’s Sundance Film Festival in January.