Together a graphic look at love and dependency
Curiously paced and
at times a bit overt, Michael Shanks’ Together ultimately
overcomes these faults to deliver an entertaining, albeit disturbing
examination of co-dependency. Intimate in setting and scope, the
couple at the center of this ever-devolving relationship enact a
relatable situation for married viewers who find themselves dealing
with disproportionate power dynamics. Meanwhile, genre fans will not
be disappointed with the body horror hijinks that take place, that
is, once they arrive.
The disharmony
between Tim and Millie (real-life couple Dave Franco and Alison Brie)
is evident from the start. She’s taken a job as a schoolteacher in
a small Connecticut town, something that does not fit in with her
husband’s lifestyle. A struggling musician who has yet to find the
success he longs for, Tim is still convinced he will make it big and
leaving the New York City music scene will derail his hopes. Yet,
Millie has been more than understanding, standing by him for years,
making sacrifices to help her husband on his way. As a result, Tim
doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Like it or not, they’re moving.
It doesn’t take
long before Tim’s resentment over the situation starts to show, a
sudden strain becoming the focal point of their relationship. It only
gets worse when, one day while hiking on a nearby trail, they stumble
into a sinkhole littered with odd artifacts and a pool of pristine
water. Forced to spend the night there, Tim takes a drink from the
pool, which precipitates a change in his behavior. He starts to feel
ill whenever he’s separated from Millie, to the point that he starts
to suffer seizures. He comes to realize the only way to avoid this is
to stay near her, a situation that only exacerbates the tension
between them.
What results is
quite clever as the pair end up becoming literally stuck together
when they make physical contact. A kiss results in their lips
adhering to each other, while a bout of lovemaking becomes incredibly
awkward and very, very painful. Tim does some research regarding a
couple that went missing recently in the same woods they ventured
into, as well as on a short-lived cult that resided in the area. He
determines the water he drank is the cause of this odd condition,
though no cure presents itself.
As the couple begin
to realize their fate, it’s as if they’ve each been given a dose
of truth serum, their honest opinions regarding their feelings for
one another suddenly out in the open. Statements of resentment, envy
and disgust are uttered, the couple finally realizing that while
their actions towards one another were based on love, they’re laden
with emotional baggage they hadn’t anticipated.
Shanks’ script is
very good in this regard, its examination of the compromises we make
and the ever-increasing animosity that results, resonating and
growing as the couple’s plight grows more dire. Equally effective
is the way in which their co-dependence is brought to life as Tim
and Millie’s efforts to stay apart ultimately prove futile.
Combining practical effects with CGI wizardry, the gradual melding of
their body parts is impressive as well as horrifying.
While Shanks’
premise is clever, he nearly loses the audience with his deliberate
narrative. Far too much time is spent establishing the history of
the small village the couple has moved to and the source of their
troubles. Yet, in the end, the vicarious nature of the narrative
keeps us hooked, curious as to if there’s an escape provided for
Tim and Millie. That you might be on the lookout for a way to get out
of a relationship of your own while taking in Together is
something you should perhaps keep to yourself. In theaters.
Gilmore 2 comes in barely under par
Adam Sandler
engenders a great deal of goodwill. You never read a bad thing about
the guy; he’s self-effacing in his humor and about his success and
is, by all accounts, an incredibly loyal friend. As a result, I have
often wondered if critics and the public go a bit easier on his films
than other stars of his caliber. To be sure, not all his movies have
a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but in reading a great many reviews
from a diverse sampling of critics, there’s a sense that “It’s
fine” is a general response to much of his comedic fare. (In the
interest of full disclosure, I should state that I am a fan of his
unfairly maligned 2011 effort, Jack and Jill.)
That’s certainly
the sense I had watching Happy Gilmore 2, an unnecessary but
pleasant enough time-filler that made me laugh, made me roll my eyes
and made me check the time repeatedly throughout its third act. As
with most of the films Sandler produces, this plays like a reunion,
his usual stable of friends showing up for roles large and small, all
obviously happy to be on board this ever-lucrative party train that
has no sign of stopping.
Gilmore 2 is
everything you’d want in a sequel to the Sandler classic, as well
as a few things you can do without. The perpetually angry golfer has
mellowed with age, having fathered five children – four boys and
one girl – with the love of his life, Virginia (Julie Bowen), and
found incredible success on the links. However, a freak accident puts
him in a tailspin, causing him to lose all his money and retire from
golf. Resigned to wallowing in self-pity, he’s ultimately convinced
to take up his clubs once more when his daughter, Charlotte (Sadie
Sandler), is accepted into a Parisian ballet school with a hefty price
tag.
Sandler and
co-writer Tim Herlihy lean heavily into the sports cliché handbook,
Gilmore’s comeback following a familiar storyline. However, this
one is replete with too many cameos for the sports world as well as
the movie industry, to count. Former golfer John Daly, whose own
career mirrored the crash-and-burn decline Gilmore’s does here, is
on hand to give sage advice, while every living U.S. Open champion,
except Tiger Woods, whose absence is conspicuous, makes an appearance
at one point or another. Not to be outdone, current tour leaders,
including Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler and others join Sandler on
the links.
As for story,
there’s a vague semblance of one as Gilmore and a team of pros
enter a tournament where they face off against a team of physically
enhanced players who specialize in a new brand of the game that plays
like golf on steroids. The third act in which this showdown takes
place is like being emersed in a video game, the viewer bombarded by
cheap graphics and an amped up soundtrack. More of an assault than
entertainment, any charm the film may have contained is nearly
squandered here.
There are little in
the way of surprises, though it is pleasant to see Gilmore’s old
nemesis, Shooter McGavin (the always game Christopher McDonald) given
a redemptive arc and, if anything, the film would have benefitted by
giving him more screentime. In the end, I laughed more than I thought
I would, and Gilmore 2 does exactly what it’s supposed to
do. However, unlike its predecessor, I doubt I’ll ever watch it
again, as it lacks the edge that made the first film effective. I’ll
take a Gilmore eager to take risks over one who lays up any day.
Streaming on Netflix.