AnneCarlini.com Home
 
  Giveaways!
  Insider Gossip
  Monthly Hot Picks
  Book Reviews
  CD Reviews
  Concert Reviews
  DVD Reviews
  Game Reviews
  Movie Reviews
  Check Out The NEW Anne Carlini Productions!
  [NEW!] Sasha Lane & Brandon Perea [‘Twisters’]
  [NEW!] Sir Ian McKellen [‘The Critic’]
  Josh Lovelace (NEEDTOBREATHE)
  Michael Des Barres [2024]
  Belouis Some (2024)
  Jay Aston’s Gene Loves Jezebel (2024)
  Fabienne Shine (Shakin’ Street)
  Crystal Gayle
  Ellen Foley
  Mark Ruffalo (‘Poor Things’)
  Paul Giamatti (‘The Holdovers’)
  The Home of WAXEN WARES Candles!
  Michigan Siding Company for ALL Your Outdoor Needs
  MTU Hypnosis for ALL your Day-To-Day Needs!
  COMMENTS FROM EXCLUSIVE MAGAZINE READERS!


©3272 annecarlini.com
Exclusive Magazine Banner

'Laggies'
(Keira Knightley, Chloe Grace Moretz, Ellie Kemper, Mark Webber, Sam Rockwell, et al / DVD / R / 2015 / Lionsgate)

Overview: In the throes of a quarter-life crisis, Megan panics when her boyfriend proposes, then, taking an opportunity to escape for a week, hides out in the home of her new friend, 16-year-old Annika, who lives with her world-weary single dad.

DVD Verdict: Don't know what a "laggie" is? No worries, read on. At its core, 'Laggies' is a coming of age drama that depicts real life dilemmas and weighty matters in a convincingly unmanufactured way. Megan Birch (Keira Knightley) is a woman in her late 20s who suddenly has an epiphany that catalyzes a string of events that help her contextualize her life journey. Megan's sobering realization she may be headed down the road to conformity like her absent-minded "friends" terrifies her, so she embarks on a fun, offbeat vacation from adulthood.

In the process, the audience is exposed to a range of sentiments that vary wildly from bubbly humor to downright melancholic. Keira envelops Megan in a sophisticated and compelling enough a manner that enables the film to carry on without any fear of emotional deficiencies. Her characters flaws only served to humanize her and give her acerbic charm. To me, Keira was the absolute standout in the film. Keira's emotions, facial, and body language in many of the scenes have so much unrehearsed honesty that it is truly moving to behold.

In truth, I don't think she could have done a better job if she tried. I do think the supporting roles could have been afforded more character development, especially in the case with Sam Rockwell. But anyone unaffected by ANY of the performances in the film will be doing themselves injustice because 'Laggies' demands a fair amount of vulnerability on the audience's behalf for any of the themes to have internal relevance.

I did have grave issues with the conflict-resolution, namely the finale that seemed unnecessarily idealized in an otherwise grounded screenplay . Although I feel that the peculiarity of the conclusion was a bit heavy handed for my taste, its awkwardness is forgiven due to the execution of everything else. 'Laggies' commends those who are unapologetic about their life decisions so long as they inspire happiness. This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.85:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs and comes with the Special Features of:
Deleted Scenes
Audio Commentary with Director Lynn Shelton
"Lagging On with Lynn Shelton" Featurette
"Shooting Seattle: The Look of Laggies" Featurette

www.LGF.com





...Archives