You, Me and Him review: Daisy Aitkens directs David Tennant and Lucy Punch in this delightful little film which is both hilarious and charming.
You, Me and Him review by Awais Irfan.
You, Me and Him review
In the recent tide of incredible LGBT love-stories that have swept us up recently, the latest to join the ranks is the quirky, offbeat David Tennant-starring You, Me and Him.
Despite their age difference, Olivia (Lucy Punch) and Alex (Faye Marsay) are very much in love. However, when the question of pregnancy arises to take their relationship to the next level, and both girls end up pregnant at the same time, the couple finds themselves under some serious strain and stress. Throw their extravagant, cocksure neighbour John (Tennant) into the mix and disaster and chaos is a given for Olivia and Alex’s forthcoming family and their love story.
Related: A Prayer Before Dawn review [Glasgow Film Festival]
You, Me and Him is quite a delightful little film. For starters, Aitkens’ screenplay is a gold mine of comedy. The film is quite literally a laugh-a-minute fest; it’s hilarious and, best of all, the humour is sharp and not reliant on more low-brow caliber jokes. The writing can be a little contrived at times, though; the dialogue is often a little cringe-worthy and stilted – funny, yes, but the film loses a lot of authenticity in conversations that are clearly scripted. The characters, however, are still fairly well carved out by the screenplay and they are full of ineffable charm and heart that makes them easy to get behind and root for. They’re well-performed too; there is veritable chemistry between Punch and Marsay as our central couple that grounds their charming relationship. But it’s the scene-stealing David Tennant as the hyper-masculine and hilarious John that is the standout – every time he is on screen, there are laughs aplenty.
You, Me and Him review
Honestly, there is a lot to like about You, Me and Him. For a directorial debut, Daisy Aitkens has proved herself quite the competent filmmaker. However, the film’s shortcomings come in perhaps juggling its tone. Towards the finale, the story takes quite a sombre turn and whilst it’s an effective story-arc handled with decency, the film struggles a little bit when first approaching that tone – it doesn’t have the easiest time transitioning from fluffy and inconsequential to, suddenly, so heavy with emotional weight and consequence and it makes it jarring.
The film also lacks much of a visual polish; the cinematography and use of colour is a little bland and uninspired – the film boasts a very straight-to-TV aesthetic that makes me wonder if that’s how it started – and given how energetic the characters and performances and humour can be, it’s a shame to see it hindered by a very lifeless and boring visual palette. But, at the end of the day, this is still one very enjoyable film. You, Me and Him is quite the delight; it’s hilarious and charmingly executed with enough heart and passion behind its story to keep you smiling and keep you entertained for its runtime.
You, Me and Him review by Awais Irfan, February 2018.
You, Me and Him was reviewed at the 2018 Glasgow Film Festival.
