Home Entertainment: ‘Catching Up’ digital review

This film is the of breath of fresh air that romcoms need. Bill Crossland’s feature debut is a warm-hearted winner on all fronts. The director also stars, writes alongside Mindy Beach, and produces, but none of that feels like an indulgence. This is a story only he could tell, and he does so brilliantly. 

Crossland’s leading man is Frank, a sarcastic high-school teacher who has, in no particular order: muscular dystrophy, a closeted girlfriend whom he admirably beards for, and a crush on his recently-returned-to-town childhood friend Judy (Isabella Pisacane) that threatens to throw him off his usual cynically detached track. 

The romcom convention of a love triangle is present, but its unique here. Frank is caught between his loyalties to Judy – sweet and charming and oblivious to his crush on her – and his girlfriend Lorraine. Lorraine (Francesca Carpanini) is the actual closest friend in his life, even though their ‘relationship’ is a façade to keep her parents out of her lesbian business. Their chemistry – somewhere between familial and old married couple – is one of the absolute highlights. It gets hilariously chaotic, and even emotional at times when their separate interests – Frank with Judy, Lorraine with a girl she meets at a bar – threaten to pull apart their carefully organized performance. Although the setup is not what we’re used to seeing on screen, what they’re both trying to do – live authentically as themselves, without hurting the people around them – is relatable and sweet. 

Like the best comedies, Catching Up balances each element of the story with style – in turn examining it all with wicked humor, scathing honesty, and touching moments of vulnerability. The result is a world, and a group of people, we can believe in – which is even greater since disabled voices rarely get to share in, let alone lead us into a story. 

Crossland makes his mark as a star. The film is totally his, and Frank is tremendously likeable, (which not all leading men can attest to) his observations of his students, family, and even his sister’s boyfriend (“he’s affectionate and he wears exactly one earring”) can be edgy, but never mean-spirited, and in the end his charisma lights up every scene. 

It’s a great cast all round. Frank’s family have a breezy ease to their banter which reminded me of the Tucci-Stone clan in Easy A. Frank eventually hires an assistant as his struggle to win Judy and a torrent of passive-aggressive ableism threaten to take over his life. The assistant, Woods (Johnathan Fernandez) is a perfect later addition to the circle; an easygoing guy who immediately embraces Frank and even Lorraine as his friends. A wild evening when Woods and Frank team up to destroy a local nuisance who assaults Lorraine is easily one of my favourite scenes of 2020. 

In the end, Catching Up’s exploration of loyalty, friendship and love in a world that tries to marginalize you is important and massively entertaining. Pisacane, Carpanini, Fernandez, and especially Bill Crossland, are all total stars who will hopefully feature in lots more movies to come.