Review of Joshy (2016) by Lewis M — 29 Aug 2016

This was a much better film than I thought it was going to be. Much like Life After Beth, Jeff Baena has an uncanny and original way of showing you something you haven't seen before. He is definitely an original talent and he has made a very funny movie that in the long run is not funny at all- because it is all about the human condition in all its foibles both comic and tragic. There is alot more going on in this film than meet the eye and it will definitely require another viewing. Yet is very gratifying to find out after seeing this fine film that he adapted a Mike Leigh style of rehearsing and letting the actors improvise in character. Especially when the cast is this good. There is an aforementioned 'bachelor party'- following a tragedy that is the entire focus of the film and while not a whole lot gets said and done- everything gets said and done that is both meaningful and real. The film speaks miles about the mysteries between the sexes as well as the emptiness and pain that can be found in relationships...

Especially in the scene when the lead character is confronted by the parents of his fiance... wow! I do highly recommend this one, as I was lucky to see it on the big screen in Oakland... and incidently if you don't know who Mike Leigh is- do your f'*&king research!