Lola Versus

This is a decent flick..pretty funny, but the one thing that I really dislike is the fact that Lola (Greta Gerwig)uses the term "deaf-mute" to describe her friend's character when she goes to see her play. First of all, there is no such person as a 'deaf-mute' unless they are deaf and have had their vocal chords removed. This is 2013 and I am certain many people were involved in making this film. I am surprised that no one at all knows that the term is not only offensive, but completely inaccurate. Just an FYI, and I hope someone will read this and "ALERT THE MEDIA"!! Thanks :) I don't usually base a review entirely on the use of an offensive word, or phrase but this is just so ridiculous, and I continue to hear it in so many films. Otherwise, Lola Versus is fun, quirky and over the top regarding sex,and her seemingly self loathing actions. The other characters are also really strange and quirky, but I think that is what makes it a decent film. It's like, we all know someone like them, albeit not quite so dramatic. There is a lot of irony in this film and some of the scenes are similar to the humor in Napolean Dynamite (which I loved), so that is not a bad thing. So, overall, funny film. If they could only edit out the deaf-mute part, it would be even better!

Lola Versus (2012) Greta Gerwig stars as the unlikely heroine in this indie Rom Com. I know that people know her from other comedies but this was my introduction to her. Lola is a quirky and naive 29 year old who thinks her life is right where it needs to be apartment in the city with fiancée, graduate school, great friends, supportive parents and even though she is also selfish, you grow to like her. When her fiancée dumps her out of the blue you feel for her. Her two sidekick best friends are the most predictable part of this unorthodox movie providing the love triangle aspect. The best thing about this movie is Lola's insight. What she learns and how she transforms. I saw it over a week ago and I still cant get it out of my head.

With having heard about Greta Gerwig for the first time a few years ago,in connection to being the "queen" of the Mumblecore genre,I was pleasantly surprised to recently receive 2 Gerwig Mumblecore titles from a friend,which led to me getting ready to see the "Mumblecore queen" in action for the first time. The plot: As her 30th birthday appears on the horizon,29 year old Lola begins to feel that her dream life is about to become a reality,when Lola's first (and only) boyfriend Luke proposes to her.Getting prepared for her big day,Lola is stopped from making her dream a reality,due to Luke telling Lola that he needs some "space" between him and herself just 3 weeks before the wedding. Surrounding her self with loyal friends Henry and Alice,Lola begins attempting to move the painful feeling which Luke has left behind,by preparing to experience life as a single for the first time ever. View on the film: For the screenplay of the film,co-writer's Daryl Wein (who also directs) and Zoe Lister Jones (who also gives a strong performance as Lola's walking on eggshells friend Alice) takes a refreshing approach in avoiding the traditional boy-meets-girl route,by making Lola's "dream ending" one that crumbles apart within the first 10 minutes of the film,which leads to Jones and Wein instead showing Lola trying to build a good,but realistic single life for herself. Making sure that Lola's transition from being engaged to newly single is one that never becomes too downbeat,Wein and Jones fill the movie with whip-smart dialogue,which along with giving the film a real snappy pace also allows for the close knitted relationship between Lola and her friends to be fully shown.Along with the sharp dialogue,Wein and Jones also show that they are not afraid to make their lead character occasionally look a bit stupid,with some of the best scenes in the film showing Lola go on some less than successful dates for the first time. Backed by Daryl Wein's smooth directing,which keeps Lola's feet firmly on the ground,whilst also showing a stylish eye for cut-aways that reveal the nightmare that Lola sees her future as being,the beautiful Greta Gerwig gives an excellent performance which carefully makes sure the films comedic moments always stay rooted to Lola's struggle of living a single life,and also shows Lola having some serious doubts on what direction her life should take. Joining Gerwig,Bill Pullman gives a fun,mini performance as Lola's dad Lenny,which is partly helped by Gerwig and Pullman having a slight resemblance to each other,whilst Hamish Linklater gives a terrific performance as Lola's loyal friend Henry,with Linklater showing what can happen when the wires of friendship unexpectedly cross.

I really enjoyed this movie. It was not too fast nor not too slow, not too heavy nor too light. This movie is about a young women in her mid twenties going through the ups and down in her life due to her selfish/thoughtless decisions, and her name is Lola. Her life was a total wrecked after her fiancé decided to bail a couple of weeks before their wedding. So as you all might have guessed correctly, this movie is technically about Lola's messed and screwed up life. I felt extremely sorry for Lola through out the movie, everything seems to be happening at the wrong time and place for her. It gets pretty depressing at times, but I think the dialogue and screenplay was really genuine and realistic. It has a pinch of comedy with it too. If you're not in the mood so something rather slow and not happening, I would advice you not to watch this movie. You'll end up getting annoyed and impatient. Only watch it when you are in the mood for it! Cheers.

LOLA VERSUS (2012) **1/2 Greta Gerwig, Joel Kinnaman, Zoe Lister Jones, Hamish Linklater, Bill Pullman, Debra Winger, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Maria Drizzia. Gerwig continues her cottage industry as the mumble core poster-girl makes a head-and-shoulders attempt in her first leading role as the titular heroine, a young psychology grad student in NYC whose fiancée suddenly flakes out and dumps her just before the impending nuptials, causing her to reflect, react and retract - not necessarily in that order - in response as she attempts to find herself without losing her mind. The arch screenplay by co-star Lister Jones (a hoot for the most part as Gerwig's New Age-y BFF with novice filmmaker Daryl Wein has its hands full in trying to set the right tone somewhere between Woody Allen, Nora Ephron and Edward Burns with uneven results in a hit-and-miss too-cool-for-school dialogue and 'awkward' for awkward sakes situations yet the picturesque cinematography by Jakob Ihre makes Manhattan even more romantic than it has been in years (!) Gerwig shines but has a lot of heavy lifting to do.

The plot: Lola gets dumped by her fiancée and uses that as an excuse to become a * (thank you, imdb profanity filter), ruining the lives of every male in her orbit, and somehow she plays the victim, all set to a forgettably vapid indie soundtrack. My opening sentence tells you everything you need to know. If you're a fan of this genre (cute girl acting clueless with her life and having a lot of random, regretful sex) along the lines of the abominable tv show "Girls" written by Lena Dunham, then you will adore this film. Everyone else will have a reaction ranging from mild annoyance to extreme irritation. Believe the negative reviews. This is an excruciating experience. The only reason I watched as long as I did was I was hoping Lola would contract some horrific fresh-eating STD from having unprotected sex with strangers. Then I'm sure she could play the victim in the hospital as she has sex with all the orderlies. 2 stars out of 10, only because I reserve 1-star ratings for films where the director abuses animals. That didn't happen here, but if you watch it with your dog then you may be guilty.

LOLA VERSUS (dir. Daryl Wein) The film sets out to expand the parameters of Romantic Comedy by taking a typical gambit (almost a cliché) and gently bruising it a bit. Lola's dreamy life in NYC comes to an abrupt halt when she's dumped by her fiancé. Not in a relationship, and creeping up on thirty...Oh, the horror! Now things get complicated, and she might fall for her best male friend, or even get some emotional help from her hippie parents. The jokes are barbed, and Lola makes some ill suited choices not usually covered in the genre, yet she's got oodles more pluck than the standard sugarcoated heroine. Greta Gerwig is enchanting in the lead role, and her delightful comedic mannerisms and facial expressions are perfect for this wry comedy. This film is a splendid choice if you're looking for something more than the run-of-the-mill lighthearted (empty-headed?) Rom Com.

At it's core, this is almost as entertaining as a Romantic Comedy should be. But, the setting for this story about a narcissistic, big-city, gen-Y girl seemed 'off'. I can imagine that girls in many places around the world get a sense of dread for that approaching 3-oh, but it's just not true for women, especially in many urban areas, where serious romance, and courting happens not only before 30, but after. I just can't imagine a girl living in a socially sophisticated place like New York City with a sense of foreboding that age is a limiting factor to finding the one she really should be with. The story also meandered a bit, as it tried to develop a clear direction, but while it was scattered, it finally found a direction at the end.

I really liked this movie.. Kind of strange and cute at the same time. You know, things like this do happen to some people - maybe even more than we know. Lola gets dumped, and her whole world turns up side down. It's not easy being left alone when you're almost 30. And all of the things you thought would be there the rest of your life falls apart. So I think that Greta who portrays Lola is doing a wonderful job in that role. And I was both surprised, sad and happy that it ended the way it did. I'm a fan of happy endings (that people get back together), but sometimes it might be best that people don't - really. I also think that the other actors in this movie did a good job. I LOVED Lola's friend Alice! Ah, I wish I had a friend like that. So funny comments, how do even writers come up with it? So funny! This is a movie I would recommend to my friends, and a movie that I would like to watch again.

I can't complain about the camera work or the acting. While I didn't particularly enjoy them, nothing really struck me as bad in those departments. The characters premise seemed to be one of emotional immaturity (whether prevalent or circumstantial), and with that in mind at least all behaved in understandable manners. The problem is: I don't quite get why this was made into a movie. It was a pain to watch all the self-destructive behavior (most of it on the main characters side). It's a film about the usual average drama that happens in real life and no mitigating qualities to it. I tried to come up with reasons why anyone would want to see this movie, I could not come up with a reason.