“Let Them Chirp Awhile,” NYU grad Johnathan Blitstein’s Lower East Side-set mini-indie has an aspiration that’s foiled a few filmmakers over the years: to capture the romantic roundelays of smarties in the city, to get tart talk into play without falling into mannerism or smugness. That would be… making a retread of Woody Allen’s movies, y’know, the funny ones? That’s a pitfall the filmmakers have to fear, yet Blitstein is pretty fearless in portraying the elemental ridiculousness of his comic caricatures while providing sufficient plot to keep an able, well-chosen cast from shuffling or mumbling through their shortcomings. A key, underplayed line: “I can’t even concentrate when you’re not talking to me.” Crass behavior ensues, to often engaging result. With Justin Rice (from Andrew Bujalski’s “Mutual Appreciation”), Brendan Sexton III, Laura Breckenridge, Zach Galligan and the fetchingly named Pepper Binkley. The location work is sweet, especially since the film was shot on 35mm stock. Among the film’s festival honors: Best Feature, East Lansing Film Festival. 91m. (Ray Pride)
Related Stories
Heart: A Review of Soul The real world is soulful, too, in Pixar's bountiful life of the mind.
Seeing The Elephant: A Review Of Babylon The boisterous, brawling yet melancholy "Babylon," is a variation on film history, but more drawing for drama. It's gaudy and mean, celebratory and sorrowful.
Uncanny Ally: A Review Of M3GAN "M3GAN" sells itself in its first handful of seconds in how it introduces the handiwork of roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams, "Get Out") and her present product, PurrPetual Petz from Funki.
Spawn Sacrifice: A Review Of The Creator "The Creator" is richly detailed, punchy, pulpy, punkish entertainment that still has highly serious subjects in mind, without growing didactic and with substantial heart.
A Drag Getting Old: A Review Of Indiana Jones 5 In the protracted opening couple of reels, a very young, computer-crafted Harrison Ford plays a younger cultural marauder who first encounters the dull MacGuffin of the title.
Fine Line: A Review Of Shortcomings It's a season for the comeuppance of a curmudgeon in Randall Park's smart, biting "Shortcomings," adapted by Adrian Tomine from his graphic novel of the same name.
