Ann (Heather Graham) a yoga teacher has a family causing her stress. Her father is a religious fanatic dispensing righteous commands of salvation to Ann. Her mother Dorothy (Julie Halston) laments that her marriage and children ruined her career. Sister Clio (Julia Stiles) is a drug addict in and out of rehab. They ply Ann with guilt to achieve their own goals.
Ann has terrible luck with men until she meets hunk man Steve (John Botherton) in the midst of a divorce and what a nice guy causing viewers to conclude she has met the right guy until such moment as darling Lilly, Steve’s young daughter, is introduced. At this point the romcom begins its freefall. Lilly as a child may be suffering from a marriage implosion so is deserving of compassion and empathy but she is at the core nasty and manipulative and all childlike innocence is quickly dissipated. Steve is the prime victim of this manipulation and as towards Ann he pulls another guilt trip…poor Lilly.
In a drastic finale Ann’s family humiliates her publicly and she realizes her chosen family is not her nuclear family. The freefall romcom morphs into an intelligent foray into a study of guilt infliction on others but it is also a lesson in friendship. As for a genre label how about a stand up and cheer film?
Directed and written by Heather Graham.
VOD and Digital release 11October2024.
RKS 2024 Film Rating: 72/100.
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