“Misanthrope seeks misanthrope” is the how Wilson (Scoot McNairy) seeks a New Year’s Eve date on Craigslist. “I had to look it up,” says Vivian (Sara Simmonds), when she meets her hook-up using tri-syllabic bait. These two indie film types meet in indie writer-director Alex Holdridge’s semi-charming date film. Unlucky-in-love, they’re new arrivals in L.A. from Texas who are not making it. Wilson is a writer who’s not writing and Vivian auditions more than she acts. Well, she does do a lot of acting, obnoxiously, in her one-woman show for Wilson. “You’re a real ‘All About Eve,'” he marvels. “Whoever Eve is,” she snarks. McNairy does the David Duchovny thing with many of his lines, and is rather winsome. But Simmonds’ character is designed to be offensively defensive, and her acting out asks for more than Simmonds can manage. Playing back-up is a couple on the brink of betrothal or break-up. Jacob (Brian Matthew McGuir) and Min (Katy Luong) are Wilson’s roommates doing plot duty as the second banana duo. The executive producer plugs her “Before Sunrise” and “Before Sunset” to lend cred to this romantic lark with a similar time frame. The HD black-and-white look is a nice indie nod to a NYU-NYC style, but the video static is a flaw, not a DIY certificate. One sophomoric cut goes from a water drop falling from a faucet to a tear falling down a cheek. Word of a pregnancy reeks of unoriginality. However, Holdridge redeems his long date’s journey into New Year’s Day with a very wise ending. With Bret Roberts, Twink Caplan and Robert Murphy. 90m. (Bill Stamets)
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