Maggie's Plan

Without Ms. Moore, the movie would still have been good, but not a 7. Every scene she's in glistens, and all you can do is watch her. Credit must also go to the writer/director, Rebecca Miller (Arthur Miller's daughter) for a tight screenplay and terrific direction re Ms. Moore's performance, but the life the actor breathes into the role is awesome. Moore plays an academic, and although early on you think she is a stereotype, that does not develop: she turns out to be the most human of them all. Now for Greta Gerwig: she plays, essentially, the same character she played in "Greenberg" and the disappointing "Francis Ha." That is, the somewhat neurotic, ineffectual woman confused about relationships. She should def broaden her repertoire before she ends up committing career suicide; perhaps change agents. Oh--she is a talented actress to be sure--but she's got to get out more. Ethan Hawke is good and believable, but is not asked for much here. This is a movie written and directed by a woman and about two women; the men are written well, but the character development focuses on the Gerwig and Moore characters. The movie kept my interest throughout and moved along. But do not expect a comedy that will have you laughing out loud, because all you will get are a few chuckles. Also, this is a very New York City- centric work, so if that is not your cup 'o tea, do not bother. But no matter: although I have never seen Ms. Miller's previous works, I will certainly look forward to her next. Congratulations to you, Rebecca Miller, on a thoughtful and enjoyable movie. And nice casting with Julianne Moore.

source: Maggie's Plan

In this awful film, screenwriter-director Rebecca Miller aspires to a Woody Allen-style drama-comedy. The characters are pseudo sophisticated New Yorkers engaged in a game of musical love chairs. Like Allen's recent screenplays, "Maggie's Plan" even attempts to draw upon a classic work work of literature in Shakespeare's comedy "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Unfortunately, the film fails in all of these goals. The main ingredient that is missing is Woody Allen's clever dialogue. His own films often feature well-known actors stretching into a flimsy roles. The sparkling dialogue can compensate for plot holes and far-fetched situations. In "Maggie's Dream," the situations are entirely unbelievable, especially in the lead character of Maggie (Greta Gerwig). It was never apparent that she was in love with the writer-professor John Harding (Ethan Hawke). And it was never credible that she too was a faculty member, who never brought any worked home. The third part of the love triangle was a star turn by Julianne Moore, affecting a strange Slavic accent as Georgette, another member of the New York intelligentsia. The serial adultery of the characters was not funny, and the family system was as disturbing as that of "August: Osage County." By the end of the film, the viewer recognizes that Maggie never really had a "plan," especially for her own life. In "A Midsummer Night's Dream," it is possible to empathize with the young people, who are the victims of magic tricks played on them in the forest. In "Maggie's Plan," the tricks played by Maggie, John, and Georgette are neither amusing nor life-affirming. And the reason is that they are being played on themselves.

Maggie (Great Gerwig) is planning on having a baby of her own, but her plans are derailed when she meets John (Ethan Hawke), the two fall in love and he divorces his wife Georgette (Julian Moore), yet things don't seem to go as well as John and Maggie had planned and when Georgette and Maggie meet, a whole new plan starts coming to life in Maggie's head. Written and directed by Rebecca Miller, "Maggie's Plan" also stars SNL cast members Bill Hader and Maya Rudolph. The description above might not reflect the movie in all of its delight and fun, but it might be indicative of the sweat messiness of the characters we get to spend a hundred minutes with and whom, by the end of the film, I wouldn't have minded spending a little time more. Going into this film I just really wanted a quirky, classic comedy with good heart and drama and that was exactly what I was handed. "Maggie's Plan" can't be commended for particular originality in storytelling or cinematic language, it also has a very derivative style from the New York indies of the recent years, but nothing of the above takes away from the fresh take we get to experience on characters who all have depth and interesting struggles to overcome that and with who we spend a very pleasant time alternating between moments of joy and fun, which are the ones that work best, and moments or dramatic dynamics that fit perfectly in the tone by remaining lighthearted but keeping a weight to what is going on. The direction the film has is very straight forward, I really enjoyed the off beat comedy sprinkled around the film, it was a very nice touch and fit in the very non invasive staging. We just get to see the five performers go at it, on a well written and thought out screenplay which is just the proof of the fact that when you have a good story and passion for it there will always be something to stick behind to for an audience. The cast is really the beating heart of the movie and the reason for its success. Greta Gerwig as always lights up the screen with her infectious energy and quirky charisma, she might be playing the character she has already done many times, but it doesn't really matter when the results are so pleasant. Juliane Moore sells her character perfectly and doesn't come off as a unlikable presence she could have been, you get her arch and stand with her as much as you do with the other characters. Ethan Hawke is as flawless as always, I think I've never seen him give a bad performance and even if this isn't exactly his best work it is another one where you just loose the actor and only see the character. The supporting cast is just as good as the main one and they are the reason for many of the big laughs in the film. Bill Hader doesn't even have to move to be funny, Rudolph plays off him pitch perfect and she even manages to overcome his titanic presence at moments. And then there is a revelation: Travis Fimmel, I think this guys has something special and I'm really rooting for him. After really liking him in Warcraft, here he does something totally different and crafts a cameo character that steals every scene he is in. He is hilarious and manages to get laughs by just moving around, it's really inspired work. "Maggie's Plan" is such a welcome entry in this year's movie list and whilst nobody I think will come out having had their lives changed, it is not its purpose to do so and with the heart in the right place it tells and absorbing story having loads of fun in the way.

New Yorker Maggie Hardin (Greta Gerwig) wants to have a baby. Her relationships never last more than six months except her college romance with best friend Tony (Bill Hader) but that doesn't count. She decides to get sperm from college acquaintance, pickle entrepreneur Guy Childers. She works at an art school with Tony's wife Felicia (Maya Rudolph) and John Harding (Ethan Hawke). Maggie and John meet over a paycheck mixup and start a relationship over a novel he's trying to write. He's unhappily married to Columbia professor Georgette (Julianne Moore) with two kids. The appeal of this movie depends a lot on one's appreciation of Gerwig's flighty, quirky persona. It's a rom-com where the romance is not the most likable. Harding starts off poorly and I never find him a good match for Maggie. Even the pickle guy is better although Tony could be the best if there is no Felicia. I'm actually glad at the turn in the second half of the movie and it becomes an anti-rom-com. The funniest relationship is between Maggie and Georgette. The movie could do with more of them together.

Without Ms. Moore, the movie would still have been good, but not a 7. Every scene she's in glistens, and all you can do is watch her. Credit must also go to the writer/director, Rebecca Miller (Arthur Miller's daughter) for a tight screenplay and terrific direction re Ms. Moore's performance, but the life the actor breathes into the role is awesome. Moore plays an academic, and although early on you think she is a stereotype, that does not develop: she turns out to be the most human of them all. Now for Greta Gerwig: she plays, essentially, the same character she played in "Greenberg" and the disappointing "Francis Ha." That is, the somewhat neurotic, ineffectual woman confused about relationships. She should def broaden her repertoire before she ends up committing career suicide; perhaps change agents. Oh--she is a talented actress to be sure--but she's got to get out more. Ethan Hawke is good and believable, but is not asked for much here. This is a movie written and directed by a woman and about two women; the men are written well, but the character development focuses on the Gerwig and Moore characters. The movie kept my interest throughout and moved along. But do not expect a comedy that will have you laughing out loud, because all you will get are a few chuckles. Also, this is a very New York City- centric work, so if that is not your cup 'o tea, do not bother. But no matter: although I have never seen Ms. Miller's previous works, I will certainly look forward to her next. Congratulations to you, Rebecca Miller, on a thoughtful and enjoyable movie. And nice casting with Julianne Moore.

So much more entertainment than everything else on the market now that it is summer. The fact that it is written in the context of academic genre with some faux anthropology references should not dissuade you (not faux? should be). Fantastic script focusing on a uniquely circumspect millennial and mother wanna-be. Many plans go awry here but all things work out nicely and in an utterly unexpected way. The unmitigated narcissism of the Hawke and Moore characters is priceless especially considering how clueless they are. I genuinely laughed out loud many times. Greta is terrific but all kudos to writer director Rebecca Miller (her dad was married to Marilyn Monroe? who knew?).

Maggie's Plan (screened at the 59th San Francisco International Film Festival), along with many indie films like it, uses a more ambivalent tone in regards to a character's reaction to dramatic shifts in their lives. It's a popular approach towards acting these days, but it can sometimes make a film seem like it is mocking a situation that should otherwise be dealt with in a genuine and serious way- even if it is a comedy. Greta Gerwig plays Maggie, a teacher at a local university. She is single and seeking to have a baby on her own very soon. She begins spending time with John (Ethan Hawke), another teacher, who is married to Georgette (Julianne Moore). Maggie agrees to give John notes on his book that he is writing, and soon the two fall in love. They consummate their relationship the very night Maggie has inseminated herself with sperm from a guy she knew from High School. Three years later John and Maggie are married and have a beautiful three-year-old daughter. However, Maggie is done with John and realizes she doesn't love him anymore, so she hatches a plan to get him to back together with his former wife. As the film is called Maggie's Plan, it may have been better to only follow her around the whole time. She is a character with a quirky nature in a cast full of overtly strange characters. If the story remained firmly told from her perspective, rather than from others in the film, she may have stood out more, and her motivation might not have been lost. Instead, everyone is just as quirky and just as detached as her, making it hard to become attached to any of them, as none of them feel like they are taking their lives seriously. Gerwig (Frances Ha) is a good character actress, and she manages to represent what this kind of millennial character is supposed to be according to the world: passionate but passive about their interests. With no genuine moments or emotions. She's like a more idiosyncratic blonde Zooey Deschanel; usually this shtick works for her, but this story is so fraught with what should be pure human emotions that it lessens the impact of the situation. Julianne Moore's Georgette is an intimidating character. Moore sports a very confusing European accent, the only reason seeming to be that it adds even more quirkiness to the movie. She has an almost militaristic strategy towards raising her and John's children and how she approaches her relationship with John. In one scene, she says Maggie ruined her life by taking her husband, but she is completely passive about it when it comes to her actions. She's the most well adjusted wronged woman in the world. This is an example of how the characters will talk about emotion and love but perform no action to back it up. Ethan Hawke's John is such a clueless man that it's kind of sad. He works and works on this book that he is writing so much so that he doesn't even notice the games the women around him are playing with his life. There are some truly fun and funny moments in the film, which comes naturally with such a tone. Maggie's interactions with the children are amusing, and she has a few good one- liners in there about the state of relationships. Director Rebecca Miller (The Private Lives of Pippa Lee) may just love this type of film making, which is fine; she is in the same camp as Jim Jarmusch and Yorgos Lanthimos. The ambivalent formula does work for many people, but it seems counter intuitive to make light of love and marriage while also insisting how important it is.

Greta Gerwig as "Maggie" (an independent woman) bakes up a plan to become a single mother and in the process 'the plan' works but then backfires and puts her into a situation 'the plan' did not include - marriage. Gerwig gives a charming performance as Maggie steering a course through a relationship with a overly analytical writer once divorced husband, raising her three year old child, working her job as an instructor in a local college, and realizing her husband is still in love with his first wife! Maggie is in a pickle so she devises another plan! The setting is the New York City intellectual society living in row houses and meeting in cafe's to socialize. The cast includes Bill Hader, Ethan Hawke, Maya Rudolph, Julianne Moore, Wallace Shawn. This is a simple 'slice of life' type story about modern people looking for and finding happiness and direction in their life. It's probably a film more appreciated by a viewer that likes a romantic flavor in a story that looks into the feelings and emotion in the human spirit. This is a cheerful light story that includes just a touch of sorrow mixed into a picture of mostly happy people getting on with life. And don't forget the pickles!

Subtle, nice, funny, lovely, smart, wise & warm, this is a brilliant tale of relationships in our time. A young woman, Maggie, looks at her failures in coupling and decides to have a child alone, before hooking up with a married man, John. After a great barrage of conception gags, the film settles into a deeper exploration of blended family dynamics and good-girl behaviour. Maggie, Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha, Mistress America), falls in love with John, Ethan Hawke (Boyhood) destroying his volatile marriage to the brilliant and difficult Georgette, Julianne Moore (Almost Heaven, The Kids are Alright, Still Alice). Greta Gerwig plays a slightly deeper and more rounded young New Yorker than her 2 brilliant previous efforts & Ethan Hawke again creates a deeply flawed yet sympathetic father as he did in Boyhood. Julianne Moore entertainingly pushes the boundaries of her comfort zone as a fierce Danish academic in a supporting role. The trio's 3 children are also terrific. Set in NYC, you have to be reminded of Woody Allen and he'd be proud if he'd made this one; a brilliant piece of cinema in every way. Maggie's Plan is an original, timeless but contemporary story full of domestic tension, rich characters, interesting locations and beguiling images. The writer/director is Rebecca Miller, daughter of Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Arthur Miller (Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, Streetcar Named Desire). I loved it for its intelligence and I laughed a lot right up until the satisfying ending. At 99 minutes it's taut, neat and spot-on with modern love issues. One of the year's best so far, 4 & ½ stars.