Review of The Overnight (2015) by Dave M — 13 Sep 2015

"Can we have a sleepover?" If you're a parent, you've probably heard that question before. If you don't have children, you probably remember asking that question of your parents. Either way, you understand that there will probably be little, if any, actual sleeping. Kids wouldn't put it this way, but what they want is to bond - and they'll do it by having fun. They'll watch videos, play games, talk, act a little crazy and probably not go to bed until the sun is starting to come up. Now, what if everything I just described involved a group of adults? All those activities would take on a different connotation, wouldn't they? That's the scenario that develops in the comedy-drama "The Overnight" (R, 1:19).

Alex (Adam Scott) and Emily (Taylor Schilling) move from Seattle to California and they're a little concerned about their prospects for meeting new people and making friends. When they take their son RJ (R.J. Hermes) to a local park, they meet a neighborhood couple named Kurt and Charlotte (Jason Schwartzman and Judith Godrèche) whose son Max (Max Moritt) has started playing with RJ. Kurt offers to turn his family's weekly pizza night into a play date for the two boys. Alex and Emily hesitate , but end up gladly accepting, thinking that they may come out of this get together with an "instant friendship".

Kurt seems like this really cool guy, which he is, and so is his wife Charlotte, and both couples' sons are getting along famously. It almost seems too good to be true. As dinner winds down, Alex and Emily are in awe of Kurt and Charlotte's beautiful home and wonderful hospitality, but they feel that it's time to take their son home and put him to bed. Kurt and Charlotte won't hear of it. They're enjoying the evening as much as their guests so Kurt puts the boys to bed. The four adults are now free to enjoy each other's company as long as they like.

Kurt and Charlotte are extremely interesting, talented and generous people. They're also both very much free spirits. Kurt is an educated L.A. liberal and his wife is French, so... The evening turns into an overnight and gets progressively more interesting as it goes along. Alex and Emily grow uncomfortable with some of the things that happen, but they're not prudes or squares and they're having a really good time, so, with encouraging words from their hosts, some alcohol and a bit of marijuana, they start to loosen up and begin doing things that shock themselves and each other.

Now, I can't go much further without spoiling the fun, so I'll just say two more things. 1) The two couples' overnighter also involves unusual videos and paintings, a pool and a hot tub, some increasingly bizarre conversations, an alcohol run that turns into something else, some arguments and misunderstandings and an ending that is as surprising as it is abrupt. 2) Based on what I've written here, you probably think you know exactly what happens in this movie, but you're probably wrong.

"The Overnight" has been described as a sex comedy, a mystery, a drama, etc. It's all of those and none of those at the same time. It's also an examination of marriage in the 21st century, a meditation on the differences among people, a lesson on the proverbial "slippery slope" and a roller coaster of surprises. It's original but strange, simple but well-written and awkward but very well-acted. If you have an open mind and enjoy having (or just seeing) new experiences, it's worth checking out. "B".