By: Vidal D’Costa (Four Beers) –
Maggie’s Drinking Game Plan
Knock back a shot: every time Bill Hader/Tony serves up life lessons & is brutally honest & upfront about Maggie’s bad relationships… or about his balls.
Knock back a shot: for every time Maggie & whatshisname Hawke bring up academia or philosophy in their highly cryptic conversations.
This film is a slow-paced indie romcom about the indecisive Maggie who plans to have kids but also craves a stable relationship. But her self-sabotaging nature gets in the way of her being happy. Will Maggie finally stop sabotaging her own love life and will she finally attain the happiness she desires?
A Toast
Maggie’s Plan benefits from its performances, from Greta Gerwig who plays Maggie with enough quirkiness that it would put Zoey Deschanel to shame, to the versatile Bill Hader who plays it straight as her brutally honest friend Tony & brings much-needed comic relief through his funny banter & cracking chemistry with fellow SNL alumnus (& queen) Maya Rudolph, who plays his instantly likeable spouse Felicia. Even the kid who plays their smart aleck son gets to squeeze in some snarky humor.
Endearing moments like the one between Maggie & her step kids may resonate with viewers who have kids or step kids of their own. I also liked the bearded sperm donor guy who makes his own pickles & I’m glad he succeeded at his pickle start-up dream. More power to you, pickle guy!
Beer Two
I love Julianne Moore, but that untraceable accent she puts on in this is BAD! I’ve no clue what accent it is or why it’s so atrocious & hard to listen to. It distracts from her actually good acting as the ex wife, Georgette, & from her funny expressions. It seems unnecessary.
Beer Three
There’s not enough character development for Ethan Hawke’s character John. I hated him at the start because he was just pretentious & then I hated him even more in the second half because he cheats & leaves Maggie on her own. What an unlikeable douche. Also I’m tired of Ethan Hawke being typecast as the brooding guy who gets away with cheating in almost every romcom he’s in. Give it a rest, Ethan! I know you’ve got more range than this.
Beer Four
I can’t forgive the nonexistent chemistry between the leads John & Maggie (Ethan Hawke & Greta Gerwig). It makes me want to fast forward through the ‘romance’… or nod off til Bill Hader shows up again. All they bond over is boring & bland academia jokes & philosophical conversations from start to finish & then they snog that one time. Yes, just the one time.
It quickly turns into a borefest. I get that they’re teachers & all, but I’d kill for the occasional cheesy romcom conversation once in a while. Just sprinkle it in there, you two. Keep the magic alive before it turns into a philosophy textbook that’s been read once, been put away, & is collecting dust on some shelf somewhere.
Verdict
Not bad, but Maggie’s Plan could’ve been a better romcom if the characters were more developed & the plot a little less cluttered with clichés, but it works as a one time watch. Also, who do I talk to about a spin-off sitcom about Maya Rudolph’s & Bill Hader’s characters (Felicia & Tony)? I desperately need one! There wasn’t enough of them in this.
