Review of Afternoon Delight (2013) by Matt L — 21 Feb 2014

Jill Soloway, who has previously written for and served as a produced for shows that include Six Feet Under and How to Make It in America, pens and directs Afternoon Delight. The film stars Kathryn Hahn as Rachel, a mother of one that spends her days either at home, planning preschool activities, and with a therapist, Lenore (Jane Lynch) - talking about her sexless marriage.

Rachel is married to Jeff (Josh Radnor), and the couple's obvious comfort level has led to a stale marriage to the extent that neither of them appears to be overly happy. In order to spice things up, Rachel takes the advice of her close friend, Stephanie (Jessica St. Clair), to take her husband to a local strip club.

At the club, Jeff buys Rachel a lap dance from a stripper, named McKenna (Juno Temple). Rachel is quickly intrigued by McKenna's choice in lifestyle and repeatedly uses her love for coffee as an excuse to keep bumping into her on the street. As it just so happens, McKenna finds herself in a bind without a place to live. Naturally, Rachel thinks it's a good idea for McKenna to stay with her and Jeff - and also serve as their live-in "babysitter.".

The more information Rachel learns about McKenna, the more she's intrigued by what she discovers about her. It turns out that not only does McKenna dance at the club, but she also serves as a "sex worker" - in other words, a call girl. Even though the news is shocking at first, it's still an element of excitement that Rachel decides to incorporate into her life. But, it turns out that McKenna's "free" lifestyle doesn't translate very well to the suburban household of a married couple with a child - or to the lives of their neighboring friends.

Kathryn Hahn, probably most recognizable from her roll in the former NBC TV series, Crossing Jordan, portrays a mediocre character. She's what you might call under whelming, not because Hahn does a poor job with the character, but because the character itself is written in such a shoulder-shrugging manner. From one scene to the next, she goes about her day - continuously making choices like a two-year-old child that's doesn't understand the consequences of her actions. In essence, it's only a matter of time before Rachel screws up her life.

Rachel, the obvious focal character of the film, is undoubtedly a boring character. However, it's hard to believe that an individual of her mental build would require therapy - but without the therapy, there'd be no reason to have Jane Lynch in the picture. It's funny how that works. Normally, Lynch brings a high does of creativity and excitement to her roles, but in this case, the therapist seems like an absolutely worthless character that does very little to move this film in either a positive or negative direction.

One of the other main characters of the film, Jeff - portrayed by Josh Radnor, who most will recognize as the central character in NBC's prime time comedy, How I Met Your Mother, is another bland individual that will garner viewer indifference. Jeff is a relatively emotionless personality that simply goes through the everyday motions of being a typical husband and father. He goes to work, comes home, goes to sleep - and occasionally hangs out with the guys. The substance of this character is virtually non-existent, and that noticeably translates to the lacking chemistry between Hahn and Radnor.

While both Hahn and Radnor basically chug along on cruise control, Juno Temple is able to be the shining star and set herself above the rest of the pack. What happens when you introduce a seemingly innocent young stripper in a boring world of predictability? Fireworks. Temple's character introduces the unknown (some might even call it chaos) into a sheltered, average neighborhood - thus creating the underlying theme and point of the story. Temple's portrayal is delightfully unhinged, though charming when she needs to be, and downright sleazy when she's out for revenge. Without a doubt, Juno Temple is the driving force that makes this film go.

Overall, Afternoon Delight is far from captivating, but still manages to present a relatively fresh story - even though it takes quite a while to really gain momentum. The characters are often drab, lack substantial depth, and simply don't create that much interest. Juno Temple is easily the bright spot of the film, serving no real purpose other than adding spice to a married couple's completely boring life. Still, this film is one of those stories with an array of hidden messages within it - like "you don't know what you have until you lose it" or discovering that not everyone is capable of being saved or reformed. Regardless, unless you're a diehard fan of any of the four semi-famous stars of this film, there's really not much to see to make it worth a view.

GRADE: C-.