Grade: 59/100
Lynn Shelton’s latest directorial effort may be titled “Laggies,” but at times it felt like the film needed to maybe slow down and enjoy the ride.
Starring Keira Knightley, Chloë Grace Moretz, and Sam Rockwell, and with a promising debut screenplay from Andrea Siegel, “Laggies” had all the pieces in place for a joyous romp of a slacker comedy, but they lost a few of them along the way. Admirable performances by the perpetually-awkward-but-charming Knightley, as well as seemingly perennial newcomer Moretz are overshadowed by the clumsily penciled-in relationship between Knightley’s and Rockwell’s characters and the generally disappointing third act.
The story begins with a familiar premise. Megan (Knightley), a 28-year-old who still lives with her high school boyfriend and works for her father’s accounting firm as a sign flipper, clearly hasn’t matured past high school. When said boyfriend decides to get down on one knee and force Megan to make a rash decision, she panics, fleeing to her new best friend Annika’s (Moretz) house. The two bonded unreasonably quickly in an instant after Annika and her friends wanted some booze, and Megan acquiesced to purchasing some for them.
Annika agrees to let Megan crash with her and her world-weary father, Craig (Rockwell) for a week’s time while she essentially avoids her problem, and as expected, hilarity ensues. The film is admirable for its attempt to widen the gender spectrum on slacker films, as Knightley assumes the traditional Sandler/Rogen/Apatow role, but there’s a definite line that “Laggies” refuses to cross with its genuine protagonist, as if it is searching for a real reason to match the ridiculousness its heroine puts forth.
Additionally, while Rockwell’s character is a prototypical Rockwell one — arrogant and sharp-tongued — he may just be the most interesting of the bunch. The fallback of the writers on the single dad cliches, however, are regrettable. He could have been so much more than he ended up being, and the eventual stock use of his character is a disappointment of the highest degree.
“Laggies” is worth a DVD rental for a future lonely night, sure, but amidst this season of cinema, make no mistake about it — leave it off your radar.