Tig Notaro and Stephanie Allynne direct this endearing, and often funny coming-of-age tale of two best friends in contemporary Los Angeles, each of whom are approaching a crossroads in their lives. One is looking at making a life-changing professional move to London, the country of her birth, while the other officially comes out as gay at the age of 32.
The two friends are Jane (Sonoya Mizuno) and Lucy (Dakota Johnson), a pair of thirty-somethings who, judging from their chemistry during the opening scene in a typical L.A. diner, have known each other for years, and know absolutely everything about one another. Jane is a British national who has been working for an American advertising agency, while Lucy is a receptionist at a swanky boutique spa. They eat together, drink together, take yoga classes together – in fact, it’s apparent that they do most things together. Jane is settled with a long-time boyfriend, Danny (Jermaine Fowler), while Lucy is constantly single. The two friends’ lovely lives are set for a bump in the road, though, when Jane is offered a big promotion to open a London office some 5000+ miles away. The planned move is a while off, but the impending threat brings Lucy to admit to her friend the one thing she doesn’t know about her; she is attracted to women.
The admission kick starts the journey that both women go on through the film’s tight 86 minute run time, Lucy’s late coming-out prompting Jane to arrange trips to local gay bars, and push Lucy to try to hook up with her hot masseuse at work, Brittany (Kiersey Clemons).
Skillfully written by Lauren Pomerantz, the film is staged with light-hearted aplomb and is heartwarming, life-affirming, and very funny throughout. Johnson, in the second of a two-hit run at this year’s Sundance (following the brilliant Cha Cha Real Smooth), steals the show as the shy, but adorable singleton, but there are strong turns from Mizuno and Clemons, as well as a scene-stealing appearance from Sean Hayes as Jane’s boss, Stu.
Molly Gordon adds more to the narrative as Jane’s co-worker, Kat, the colleague who will accompany her to the UK – providing Lucy with serious FOMO and replacement insecurities as the move date approaches. Notaro also turns up late on with an appearance as Sheila, a hammock-retreat leader in a sequence that the film could really have done without.
Apart from that, the film manages to avoid cliche and is generally a really well-made, lovely film about life-friendship and those who we can count on both when the chips are down, and when we’re riding the crest of a wave.
Am I Okay?
Summary
A brilliantly-told, and acted film full that is heartwarming, life-affirming, and very funny throughout. Dakota Johnson steals the show yet again.
