Review of Izzy Gets the F*ck Across Town (2018) by Reuben M — 05 Nov 2018

This a tough movie to describe. The PLOT is that Izzy is trying to get across LA, despite having very limited access to transportation, to break up the engagement of her ex-boyfriend to her best friend (or, I guess, former best friend). Izzy has limited coping skills, so we see her drifting in a very non-lineal way. She has no real job or money, so sleeps on a friends couch (and the friend's husband wants her OUT!), her car is broken and she can't really afford to get it fixed anyway. She gets access to a bike, but even then her journey is interrupted by sidebar characters, and eventually an extended visit to her sister, who is older, more settled and after years of putting up with Izzy's lack of getting a life...more than a little unhappy with little sis. Finally, Izzy gets the meeting she craves, and as only she can do, she both wins and loses.

The plot is almost beside the point. The fun of the film, if you're willing to go with it, rests with:

1) Mackenzie Davis' (HALT AND CATCH FIRE, TULLY) fully committed portrayal of this commitment-phobic young lady. She's intelligent but deeply disinterested in learning how to "deal" with life and its challenges. She's charming but self-centered. She's creative but shockingly uninventive with her coping skills. She'd be VERY easy to deeply dislike (especially from someone like me, a 54 year old man who has little sympathy for a 20-something being afraid to start being an adult)...but Davis juggles this character wonderfully. I'd say it was a star-making performance, but no one is watching this film, which is a bit of a shame.

2) A wildly eclectic set of supporting actors, most of whom appear in a tiny handful of scenes. My favorite is Carrie Coons (as the sister)...because she's one of the 5 best actors working today. She makes EVERYTHING she does pop with intelligence, humor and anger. But you've also got Alia Shawkat (ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT), Lakeith Stanfield, Rob Huebbel, Annie Potts (when was the last time I saw HER in anything) and in a delightfully odd performance, Haley Joel Osment. Just seeing these folks drift in and out of this film makes it a fun journey.

In the end, the film might (or might not) be trying to say something about the difficulties of "adulting" in our day and age. Or about how obsessing over a relationship, even one that's CLEARLY troubled, can stunt our growth and keep us from tackling even the most basic things we need to do. That no matter how smart you are, it's easy to make really dumb romantic choices.

For me, though, it was just a fun, rambling, ambling story with fun actors doing and saying mildly funny things, all with a VERY slight bittersweetness hanging over it all. The ending is both frustrating and perfect. And above all, Mackenzie Davis delivers the goods and is an exciting talent. (She was very engaging in the recent TULLY and interesting to look at in the recent BLADE RUNNER sequel.) It's certainly worth a look!