I know its heart was in the right place, but charmless writing, unlikeable characters, and unfunny attempts at humor doomed this one for me. This is a film that's trying very hard to be quirky and offbeat, but it's obvious that it's trying, and it just comes across as pretentious nonsense. Add to that numerous instances of putting children into sexual situations, and it quickly became one I actively hated.
The sexual situations include the characters played by Natasha Slayton (age 17) and Najarra Townsend (15) practicing oral sex on Miles Thompson (17) so that they can hone their skills before they continue their flirtation with their older neighbor, Brad William Henke (39). Brandon Ratcliff (age 7) sits in on an online sex chat, where he utters these lines: "I want to poop back and forth. ... Like, I'll poop into her butthole, and she'll poop it back into my butthole. And then we'll just keep doing it back and forth, with the same poop." Miranda July apparently thought this was so clever that she made it a running plot point, leading to an adult meeting and kissing the little kid. Good grief.
I guess what this was going for was to show people of all ages desperate for connection (there are others I haven't mentioned), but held back by awkwardness and vulnerability. None of these people felt real, however, so I never felt invested in any of them. Any potential momentum the film builds in its scenes is quickly destroyed by inane dialogue, particularly coming from July herself. She probably should have cast someone other than herself in the lead role, but I'm not sure anything could have saved this thing. And as quirky as the film wants to be, it settles in for a very traditional, sappy ending. Just an unpleasant way to spend 91 minutes, be forewarned.
The sexual situations include the characters played by Natasha Slayton (age 17) and Najarra Townsend (15) practicing oral sex on Miles Thompson (17) so that they can hone their skills before they continue their flirtation with their older neighbor, Brad William Henke (39). Brandon Ratcliff (age 7) sits in on an online sex chat, where he utters these lines: "I want to poop back and forth. ... Like, I'll poop into her butthole, and she'll poop it back into my butthole. And then we'll just keep doing it back and forth, with the same poop." Miranda July apparently thought this was so clever that she made it a running plot point, leading to an adult meeting and kissing the little kid. Good grief.
I guess what this was going for was to show people of all ages desperate for connection (there are others I haven't mentioned), but held back by awkwardness and vulnerability. None of these people felt real, however, so I never felt invested in any of them. Any potential momentum the film builds in its scenes is quickly destroyed by inane dialogue, particularly coming from July herself. She probably should have cast someone other than herself in the lead role, but I'm not sure anything could have saved this thing. And as quirky as the film wants to be, it settles in for a very traditional, sappy ending. Just an unpleasant way to spend 91 minutes, be forewarned.