User Reviews

This debut feature by writer/director Jeff MacPherson features an incredible cast of capable actors. The director apparently cut his teeth on short films as a youngster and here displays an adept aptitude with maturity and finesse in his first full-length film.

The story deftly portrays a young man (Tygh Runyan) who is incapable of recovery from a breakup with his love (Laura Harris). The film manages to encapsulate the experience of relationship failure denial in such a way that makes it universal and timeless. The movie is both amusing and heart wrenching; a difficult balance, yet one that is well achieved in these expert hands.

Harris delivers a stunningly complex performance as a the passive and emotionally unstable subject of Runyan's affections. Runyan is no less impressive in his characterization of the shell-shocked ex-boyfriend. To complicate the matters, he finds consolation in the company of a smitten teenage girl, who is only too aware of her current use. Erin Collins, a refreshingly real teenager, delivers a breakout performance in the role.

Harris' brilliantly irritating fiancé is perfectly captured by handsome Russell Porter in a side splitting and tragic scene where all parties meet for diner. Come Together is a film not to miss.

<FOUR STARS>

Linda Bon, Boston Review Film Critic

I lined up for an hour to see this movie at the New York Independent Film Festival. It was not what I was expecting. It's a tender, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking look at the end of a relationship. At the same time a new relationship blossoms between the hunky male lead and an awkwardly younger high school girl (I can identify with that). It is patient in its progress, something I find missing from most films. Above all it is a rare an intimate look at the pain of unresolved lost love. It's actually hard to believe it was made by a guy.

Why can't I find this movie on video?

This film resonated for me quite strongly. It told a very believable, well-titled story in a very sleek manner. We see an intense young man as he begins to survive a break up. Very shortly afterwards, he is shocked to be invited to his ex's wedding. Along the way to the wedding, he meets a high school girl who is many years his junior, and this peculiar relationship becomes an important part of his healing.

The film opens with a terrific title sequence where we follow the progression of voicemail messages that form the demise of his relationship. Most films make heavy use of external answering machines, since they are common in the US, where many films are shot and/or set. The machines afford the characters the opportunity to hear the message from anywhere in the environment. However, I laughed right out loud as our hero struggled to leave the 'appropriate' voicemail response, erasing and re-recording it over and over again, all the while assailed by that annoying prompt voice in the telephone. I had performed this very same dance that very afternoon using my own voice mailbox.

Some reviewers have disliked the use of video footage to provide backstory. I completely disagree and state that they have missed the point of its use. Our hero watches the home movies as part of his masochistic but entirely normal grieving process, perhaps trying to see what went wrong – was there a clue? etc. However the function of the use of the videos for the audience is to allow us to see the personality of our hero when it was intact prior to the break up. We see flowers, songs, hats - all things that represent the joy that has been shed from his personality. It is barely possible to see the same person anymore. He never smiles.

I enjoyed the way the story and the characters' responses were presented very simply for us to observe. This is the way human life is lived – it takes time to respond to what we hear, and there are no rules, or clever phrases stored for use. There are no wrong feelings, and no time frame during which we are obliged to recover from shock and suffering. We cannot always control the people around us, and this tempts us to feel impotent.

Actress Laura Harris, playing the ex girlfriend , bears an astonishing resemblance in essence and vocal tone to the late Marilyn Monroe. As the teenaged girl, actress Eryn Collins plays with a rich simplicity and openness that is often hard to dig out of young performers, who can take years to trust that 'less is more'. As our hero, actor Tygh Runyan is an excellent choice. He is handsome and rugged but not in an alienating and polished Hollywood way. It is easy for us to follow his story as though it were our own.

As an independently-made first feature, "Come Together" is a nice movie with some moments of charm and shows much promise from those involved. Competent video photography and a workable score help give the production a professional feel.

The opening title sequence is unnecessarily complicated. A show-off flourish of image manipulation and graphics distracts from the setup of the story. This attention grabbing stunt seems out of place against the rest of the movie which is shown at a more relaxed and intimate level.

"Come Together" follows Ewan as he prepares to attend the wedding of an ex-girlfriend he is still in love with. Neither he nor the bride and groom seem keen on his attendance but Ewan explains he is looking for closure by attending. The first 20 minutes of the movie are spent establishing Ewan as a bit of a loser and the remaining hour does little to try and discourage this impression. Aside from a few charming moments and a tenderly handled climax, it is mostly a mundane and slow march for Ewan (and the audience) toward the big event that will hopefully provide closure.

I had the pleasure of seeing this masterpiece at the Austin Film Festival (and got to meet people...they're all cool). It was by far the best movie I saw at the festival, due to a fantastic script, outstanding cinematography, and just general beauty. There is not a dull moment in this movie, it will suck you in and keep you captivated for the full 74 minutes. I told all of my friends to go see it, and urge anyone reading this to get their hands on the movie as soon as possible, and sit down for a stunning movie.

I had the pleasure of viewing this movie at the Austin Film Festival tonight and I can't say enough about how great this film is...every aspect. Jeff Macpherson, the writer/director, could do no wrong, Everything was done perfectly...the directing, writing and acting were phenomenal. The dialogue was simply brilliant. This movie went in EVERY direction that I wanted to see it go in...I had countless favorite scenes. You can basically sum this up as a younger generation's "American Beauty". What Jeff pulled off on digital video and a limited budget is an incredible accomplishment. All three actors you'll be seeing more of, there's no question, and expect to see Macpherson's name for a very long time. He's not only brilliant, but one hell of a person to. I had the pleasure of speaking with him before and after the screening, and he is simply one of the "good guys" and someone I will be following closely from this point on. The great movies find a way of hitting home to it's audience...tugging at their emotions, and this film did just that. I can't recommend it enough.

This awesome independant teen/twentysomething drama takes us on the afflicted journey of Ewan McKinnis the greeting card writer (Tygh Runyan), whose true love Charlotte Hart (Laura Harris) has left him alone with his inability to commit to anything but scotch and pot. Upon receiving an invitation to her wedding mere months later, Ewan returns home for the wedding, bearing the decision of winning her back or letting her go, only to have a sixteen year old Lolita, Amy Collins (Eryn Collins) thrust into his path. Amy has her own heartbreak to cope with, and the two, turning a blind eye under intense scrutinization, become unlikely allies in their search for some ease and some answers. This film boasts a very strong cast featuring many sure to be up-and-commers.