Michael Angarano is an Emmy-nominated actor for his role in This Is Us (2016). Angarano is in his mid to late 30's but he started acting as a child, going all the way back to the 90's. Angarano has appeared in critically acclaimed films, such as Almost Famous (2000) and Seabiscuit (2003). One of the first leading roles in a major motion picture was Sky High (2005), a superhero film aimed at children. However, the first time that I noticed Angarano as an adult actor, especially one in a leading role, was in Max Winkler's Ceremony (2010), which was about two male friends who go on a trip. One friend is played by Angarano who basically misleads his friend or has alternate plans to reconnect with a woman he lost by crashing an important time in her life. Angarano has done a lot of films and TV shows since then, including Will & Grace (1998) and Oppenheimer (2023), but to me, that Winkler film is still one of Angarano's standouts.
It's interesting because this feature, which is Angarano's sophomore effort in the director's chair, feels the most like Winkler's Ceremony. Ever since that Winkler film, Angarano seems to have found a kind of style that he enjoys, a style akin to someone like Edward Burns. If anything, this film could be considered a sequel, a spiritual sequel to Angarano's debut feature as director, that of Avenues (2019). That film was similarly about two male friends who go on a trip, a trip that takes them across the Big Apple, walking the streets and riding subways, as the two talk about their lives, again like you'd see in an Edward Burns film. Avenues was also about a young man dealing with the loss of a family member, doing so by spending time with his tall, more awkward and more anxious friend, a friend who is more put together and not as messy. The friend is in a relationship but they meet two women who live together and suggest a romance. The two guys bicker and even play-fight. That template in Avenues is almost exactly the same template that Angarano employs here in his second feature as director. The only substantial difference is that his second feature takes place on the west coast in California.
Michael Cera (Barbie and Juno) co-stars as Glenn, a man in his mid 30's. He's married and his wife is pregnant. Glenn is a man who suffers from panic attacks or has anxiety issues. He might even have an obsessive compulsive disorder. He likes his environment to be clean and organized, and if it isn't, it can cause him to lash out or have overreactions. His latest obsession is the safety of his pending baby, so much so that it upsets his wife. He hints at having a past life that was perhaps not as clean or organized. However, he now is considered more responsible with boundaries and wants to be more of an adult. This is possibly not the case with his friend, Rickey, played by Angarano, which is probably why Glenn is trying to distance himself from Rickey or slowly phase him out, as Glenn calls out.
Because Cera is in this film, there are obvious comparisons to one of Cera's most popular films, that of Superbad (2007). If so, Cera is playing a more neurotic version of his character in that 2007 hit, almost 20 years later. It could also be argued that Cera is playing a more neurotic version of Nicholas Braun's character in Avenues. That directorial debut from Angarano was a small, independent that flew very far under the radar. This film is a bit higher in profile, so it feels more of the successor to Superbad, which was about two male friends in effect having one last hurrah before splitting up. This sophomore feature from Angarano is the reverse with two male friends having a kind of hurrah as a way to get them back together or mend what was a phased out friendship.
Maya Erskine (Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Pen15) also co-stars as Tallie, the love interest of Rickey. She plays a woman who loves to go camping, which is where she meets Rickey. She seems like an adventurous and fun-loving person, even though going for a swim in the river scares her. A lot of that fun-loving nature went away when she became a mother. She's grinding at her waitress job. Being a single mom has made a mess of her life, taking it away. It's also made a mess of her home. She's taking care of her child but not necessarily herself. She believes she can do it alone and that she doesn't need help. She won't ask for it, so she's surprised when Rickey pops up, seemingly offering it.
Something that Superbad could never be about is parenthood, but this film is, or at least it's about pending parenthood. Glenn's wife is pregnant. His wife is Rosie, played by Oscar-nominee Kristen Stewart (Spencer and Love Lies Bleeding). She's the apparent breadwinner. She's likely the only one with any kind of job. Glenn is without employment. He's waiting to hear from an employer if he's going to have one or not. This obviously gives him anxiety about whether he'll be able to care for his child. Handling the emotional toll of that is what's at hand here. In fact, there's clearly something about men at this age and their emotional lives that's at the core of what Angarano is tackling.
There's also a lot here about modern-day male friendship or the lack thereof. Paul Rudd in I Love You, Man (2009) was an example of how certain men have trouble making or keeping friends. This film isn't a true examination of the issue. It's a very comedic look at the issue with two very gifted, comedic performers. Angarano and Cera might not be doing anything they haven't done before, but I think they're both very well used here. There is a great bit where the two sit and talk about projecting and gaslighting and sympathy that was hilarious.
Rated R for language.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 29 mins.
In select theaters.