I'd heard good things about this since it came out, and only recently realised that it starred Holliday Grainger (the only one of the cast I recall seeing elsewhere), so decided to give it a go. It was enjoyable in places, but also more often very irritating, which was a shame, and prevents me recommending it.
For me, a big problem was the character of Tyler and the asserted relationship with Laura. Basically, Tyler came across as a huge pain in the arse - so much so that I really didn't believe that Laura would have stuck with her for ten years. Fair enough, Tyler was supposed to be threatened by Laura's engagement to Jim, and ratchets up the bad behaviour accordingly in an attempt to keep her - but to my mind she was *already* unbearable, so this looked risky at best. With a different actor playing Tyler (or a different script that gave her some attractive traits) I think that the film would have worked much better.
Also unconvincing was the economics - constant partying is expensive, as I'm sure are flats in Dublin, and wedding dresses. Unless Tyler is being funded by her parents (a theory sort-of undermined by her reaction to her father's death), how can she afford all that as a barista - not to mention allowing Laura to keep skipping her rent? Again, a bit more of a credible story about where all the money was coming from would have helped.
I wasn't sure what to think about Laura's arc. 10 years at one page per year may indeed be true of some "blocked" novelists, but as someone else says, once she has Jim's example and encouragement, there didn't seem to be much of a renewed effort before she allows the poet and his circle to drag her back into partying. This was probably the point though - and perhaps the book handles this at a more even pace - but the ending was quite nicely handled and set up by that, I think. It's difficult to feel sorry for her though.
For me, a big problem was the character of Tyler and the asserted relationship with Laura. Basically, Tyler came across as a huge pain in the arse - so much so that I really didn't believe that Laura would have stuck with her for ten years. Fair enough, Tyler was supposed to be threatened by Laura's engagement to Jim, and ratchets up the bad behaviour accordingly in an attempt to keep her - but to my mind she was *already* unbearable, so this looked risky at best. With a different actor playing Tyler (or a different script that gave her some attractive traits) I think that the film would have worked much better.
Also unconvincing was the economics - constant partying is expensive, as I'm sure are flats in Dublin, and wedding dresses. Unless Tyler is being funded by her parents (a theory sort-of undermined by her reaction to her father's death), how can she afford all that as a barista - not to mention allowing Laura to keep skipping her rent? Again, a bit more of a credible story about where all the money was coming from would have helped.
I wasn't sure what to think about Laura's arc. 10 years at one page per year may indeed be true of some "blocked" novelists, but as someone else says, once she has Jim's example and encouragement, there didn't seem to be much of a renewed effort before she allows the poet and his circle to drag her back into partying. This was probably the point though - and perhaps the book handles this at a more even pace - but the ending was quite nicely handled and set up by that, I think. It's difficult to feel sorry for her though.