Making his feature directorial debut, actor-turned-director Mike Doyle delivers a more than enjoyable, breath of fresh air in the cinematic spectrum with ALMOST LOVE. Thanks to a light visual tone and beautiful color palette (the use of bright blue as the base color motif is gorgeous), complemented by perfect casting and resonant, believable performances, ALMOST LOVE feels like spring, evoking a sense of life renewing itself – which is essentially what each of our couples is doing in one manner or another.
Meet Adam and Marklin. Has the seven-year itch become the five-year fizzle in today’s world? Meet their BFF, Cammy. Desperate for companionship (and sex), is she “settling” by bringing homeless guy Henry into her home and bed? Then there’s Haley. A teacher whose professorial perfection has her helping a student who has anything but book learning on his mind. And then there’s Elizabeth and Damon. Appearing to be the perfect married couple and an inspiration to the rest of this circle of friends, what happens when wedded bliss turns into potential divorce?
Everyone is spinning their wheels and at this juncture in each of their lives, even spinning out of control like a hamster on a wheel. Everyone is “almost” something – almost happy, almost successful, almost dating, almost a couple. And while on the surface, each appears somewhat shallow, they are, in fact, not. Each has deeper issues and concerns which slowly reveal that the only thing holding each back from being happy, being in love, being a couple, is him or herself. Each of these folks is their own worst enemy with insecurities and secrets bubbling beneath a beautiful exterior patina.
Thanks to a wonderful blend of drama and humor, we care about these people, as individuals, as potential couples, yet we never get bogged down in what could have become a “woe is me” dark outlook on life and the film. The key to ALMOST LOVE is that writer/director Mike Doyle crafts the story and the visuals with a light touch, allowing the humor to come to the fore organically, most of which is thanks to witty, free-flowing dialogue, and that perfect casting of Scott Evans (Adam), Kate Walsh (Elizabeth), Augustus Pres (Marklin), Michelle Buteau (Cammy), Zoe Chao (Haley), Colin O’Donnell (Henry), and Christopher Gray (Scott James).
There is a diversity of characters and while all but for Henry are actually more economically advantaged than your average 30-something, questions are posed as to topical themes like homelessness (although Henry is just lazy and freeloads off women, in particular, which is why he is homeless), divorce, fidelity, friendship, ethics, but framed through individual emotional perspectives. It’s an interesting and nuanced examination of life, showing us that everyone goes through the same things whether you are black, white, Asian, gay, straight, rich, poor. One area within the story which could have been explored a bit more is the character of Henry and his homelessness.
One of the benefits of Doyle writing and directing is his experience as an actor which bodes well for the freedom we see onscreen and feel emanating from the actors. The performances never feel constrained or pigeon-holed, with individuality and informal conversational exchanges adding to the film, as well as scenes where no dialogue is needed, as the actors perfectly convey the emotional tone and beat with just a look or movement. There is no sense of “over-speaking” or unnecessary exposition. And Doyle adds just enough physical comedy to garner some real laugh-out-loud moments, most courtesy of Scott Evans.
Truly an ensemble piece, leading the performance pack are Scott Evans and Kate Walsh as Adam and Elizabeth, respectively. As onscreen BFFs, their chemistry is through the roof. They are incredible together. There is not a moment you don’t believe Adam and Elizabeth are friends for life. And damn! Chris Evans better look out because brother Scott may be stepping into the “action hero” slot given the punches and pratfalls he takes in ALMOST LOVE.
Augustus Prew is a nice complement as the other half to Evans’ Adam, bringing a somewhat inflated ego to the character which sets the tone for Adam’s unhappiness.
Zoe Chao is a pure delight with her take on Haley. Adding a quirkiness to Haley which precludes her using any contractions and continually referring at all times to her student by his full name, “Scott James”, we get the sense of Haley not only being a teacher, but one who may have been trained to teach elementary school children, thus adding a level of fun to the dynamic between Chao and Christopher Gray as Scott James.
As the independent bossy and brassy Cammy, Michelle Buteau walks a fine line between Cammy’s public persona and her unspoken insecurities that come flooding forth when she’s alone at home or whenever Cammy is with Henry. On the one hand, your heart aches for her and her loneliness, but on the other you want to slap Cammy upside the head and yell “Snap out of it!” when she lets Henry sponge off of her, tacitly diminishing her own self-worth.
A cameo by Patricia Clarkson as an art dealer who passes off Adam’s works as her own is the icing on the cake thanks to deadpan wry delivery.
Production values are high and well polished with none moreso than Ludovic Littee’s cinematography. Lovely lensing that keeps everything light and bright – visually and tonally, with great attention paid to color, and most notably the use of the bright blue. Blue is considered to be a calming color so that immediately sets a tacit tone as a backdrop to the characters and story. Lensing is crisp. Framing well done.
And then you add Dabney Morris’ score. A joy! Every note mirrors the beauty of Littee’s lensing. It’s almost as if the music feels like the bright happiness of the film’s primary shade of blue. Completing the picture is a running sonic motif of a neighborhood ice cream truck with the peppy upbeat “Mister Softee” lilt that always brings a smile to the face and to the heart.
Written and Directed by Mike Doyle
Cast: Scott Evans, Kate Walsh, Augustus Prew, Michelle Buteau, Colin O’Donnell, Zoe Chao, Christopher Grey, Patricia Clarkson
by debbie elias, 04/07/2020
