Reviews

I've got no experience with Veronica Mars, but I can see why people like Kristen Bell. She's real and relatable, as are all of the characters in this film.

At age 29, with her life in the city more disheartening and less complete than she ever expected, Kristen Bell's Leigh heads back home, where her two best friends (Mammie Gummer of The Good Wife and the familiar Martin Starr of Freaks and Geeks and about a million other comedies) are leading lives equally unperfected. During her aimless summer in her home town, she crosses paths with the local drop-outs, played sensitively and convincingly by a trio of young actors, including recently discovered teen actor Alex Shaffer of the Paul Giamatti film Win, Win, in a supporting role. Youthful indiscretions can't really cohabit with adult responsibilities, and the dramatic tension is ratcheted-up (if also resolved fairly easily) in sincere ways.

Nice production and a convincing story of early middle-age indecision with nuanced acting by a strong cast of recognizable faces adds up to a satisfying film.

It's a lot like Wes Anderson's Bottle Rocket, only set in the northeast, with down-and-out superheroes and less than super powers. Not-so-superhero Fridge clings to his super identity even though the world has moved beyond him and his ilk. He and fellow traveler C-Thru are temporarily holed-up at a Hampton Bays inn, tasked with nothing less than reviving the fortunes of the underfunded SuperCorp superheroes collective. But Fridge is more concerned with his relationship problems and the charming desk clerk. The whole thing is winningly underplayed and sincere. It could almost work as a modest stage comedy.