Category Archives: Romcoms

Amazon Prime, Indie film directors, indie films, Romcoms

In Search of a Midnight Kiss: A Chaotic Craigslist Date in LA

In Search of a Midnight Kiss poster

 

In Search of a Midnight Kiss (2007) is one of those under-appreciated indie films from the 2000s that’s now getting a revival via streaming. It’s appealing for several reasons, at least if you appreciate low-key films that emphasize characters and dialogue over action.

Alex Holdridge directed this micro- to low-budget film set in Los Angeles. It’s all about an extended date between 20-somethings Wilson (Scoot McNairy) and Vivian (Sara Simmonds), who meet on Craigslist to avoid spending New Year’s Eve alone.

There’s not too much plot to discuss, as most of the movie shows Wilson and Vivian wandering around LA. It turns out both are in an emotionally fragile space, and they alternately bond and quarrel. The meandering conversations as the pair aimlessly wander are reminiscent of Richard Linkater‘s Before Sunrise, but Holdridge inserts more volatility between the two (Linklater saved that for Before Midnight, the third in his trilogy).

Aside from the attraction-repulsion energy between the two, Vivian is contending with a possibly psychotic ex named Jack (Robert Murphy) who threatens (on the phone) to kill Wilson with a shotgun. At this point, I thought the film would take a turn similar to Something Wild (1986), where Jeff Daniels and Melanie Griffith have a wild, spontaneous date until they are pursued by the latter’s violent ex (Ray Liotta, in one of his best pre-Goodfellas roles), and the whole tone of the film turns darker. But In Search of a Midnight Kiss maintains its focus on Wilson and Vivian and Jack fades into the background.

We also get to spend some time with Wilson’s roommate Jacob (Brian McGuire) and Jacob’s girlfriend Min (Kathleen Luong), who may or may not get engaged.

If you’re an action addict or even someone looking for a feel-good rom-com, you should probably skip In Search of a Midnight Kiss. It’s an understated dramedy that underlines the fragility of modern relationships in a big city. There’s also nice footage of the city, including parts of downtown LA and East Hollywood that aren’t as commonly filmed as more touristy areas.

Apart from its other charms, the movie serves as a time capsule of a distinct moment in culture and technology right before the smartphone era. Video stores were still around, people used both flip phones and landlines, MySpace and Facebook co-existed, and websites were still novel and quirky. Vivian boasts about her own site dedicated to lost shoes. As a random piece of trivia, this website, The Lost Shoe Project, actually existed at one point.

In Search of a Midnight Kiss is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and other platforms.

Fantasy, indie films, Romcoms

Another Version of You: Romcom Explores Parallel Realities

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Movies about parallel realities have been popular for a while, at least as far back as Sliding Doors (1998). Another Version of You (2018) is a low key entry into this genre. If you’re fascinated by the possibility that you can shift into alternate versions of yourself, this movie, written and directed by Motke Dapp, is worth checking out despite its shortcomings.

Diggsy (Kristopher Wente)is heartbroken that the woman of his dreams, Suzette (Sara Antonio) has married another man. A mysterious stranger in a bar hands him a key that allows him to shift realities, and off he goes.

Diggsy plunges into dozens of realities and meets different versions of Suzette, including a crazy one and one who is very ill. He also has a fling with another woman named Gwyneth (C.J. Perry) and meets different versions of his sister Daphne (Brittany Belland).

Diggsy visits all kinds of locations, which are never specified. There are scenes in various cities in North America and Europe. Apparently some of the film was shot in Iceland. Not sure why a movie with international locations wouldn’t boast about it.

Many of the scenes are basically montages of Diggsy jumping into other realitie. Some of these seemed like skits on a show such as Saturday Night Live. The ending was open-ended, which I suppose isn’t a bad thing with a movie whose point is that life can be almost anything.

I probably approach this kind of movie too literally, but I tend to fixate on practical details.  For example, how does Diggsy get by? Do his credit cards and bank account follow him from one reality to another? At one point, he even rents an apartment and buys furniture.

I also found the insularity of the concept a little claustrophobic. If you were visiting parallel realities, wouldn’t you be at least a little curious about the world beyond your romantic interest? There’s one reference to a movie having a different cast (in one reality, The Matrix stars Will Smith instead of Keanu Reeves) but nothing else about how the world might be different.

Another Version of You is an extremely lightweight look at a fascinating concept. It won’t provide you with any deep insights into the nature or reality or even human relationships, but it’s a pleasant enough diversion.

Another Version of You is currently streaming on Amazon Prime and possibly elsewhere.