This film isn't plot-driven, as much as it is a character study about a young Black filmmaker in Brooklyn, New York. What plot it does have centers on the titular, airline employee perk. In this film, if you're an employee of an airline, you have the option to give someone free plane tickets to anywhere. The only downside is that the person has to wait on standby, meaning that the person can only be let on the plane if there's an open seat after last call. It's a perk that was meant for spouses of airline workers, but those workers can assign that perk to anyone they choose. It doesn't have to be a spouse. It's a way to save money if you fly someplace far, but, as the film demonstrates, it can also be really frustrating.
Tristan Turner (The Residence and All American) stars as Simon Beckaroo, an aspiring filmmaker who mainly works on documentary projects. He made a thesis film, two years ago, which is probably the time he finished grad school. He works as a videographer for a taxi company, doing ads for them. He doesn't want to do ads forever. It's just a job to pay the bills, but it doesn't earn him enough to fly all over the country and world. Yet, he feels like he has to do a lot of flying because he wants to attend film festivals all over. Plus, he also wants to scout locations for a future project he's currently developing.
Anthony Oberbeck (Dad & Step-Dad and Shrill) co-stars as Bruce, the roommate and so-called best friend of Simon. They've known each other since 3rd grade, which means that they've probably been friends for the better part of 20 years. They live together in a rather tiny apartment, and Bruce works for an airline at LaGuardia. We see him spend a lot of time with Simon and explains that he assigned his job perk to Simon. However, when Bruce gets a girlfriend, Simon becomes worried that Bruce is going to give that perk to her and that Simon won't be able to use it any more.
This wrinkle starts to tear at the friendship between Simon and Bruce. It's mainly due to Simon becoming increasingly annoying and insistent that Bruce not give the perk to his girlfriend, Beatrice, played by Naomi Asa, in her feature debut. Simon does become obsessed over it and highly annoying, bringing it up constantly and trying to do all he can to hold onto this perk. The film depicts a lot of the frustrations that Simon experiences attempting to use this perk. Several times, Simon isn't even able to get on a flight. He's forced to wait at the airport for hours, if not all day, only to be turned away over and over. Given those frustrations, I'm not sure if the film ever justifies why Simon is so desperate to hold onto this perk. Does he really need it to attend these festivals? Does he really need to scout those places? Is it just a way for him to get cheap vacations?
I'm not sure we get as full a picture of Simon as we could've gotten. Simon says that he suffers from imposter syndrome or agrees with someone who brings that up. He definitely feels very insecure or just uncertain about his work. Turner, as an actor, does a good job of portraying that insecurity and anxiety, as well as self-doubt over whether he'll be able to pursue a career in filmmaking. Turner's performance also conveys that desperation, sometimes quietly and sometimes rambling, but we never get an explanation of why or where Simon's insecurity, anxiety and desperation originate. Yes, Simon says being an independent filmmaker is the source or cause of a lot of stress. He talks about hustling because he doesn't have funding to be as professional as he would like, but, at the same time, he's a documentary filmmaker, so he wouldn't need as much funding as a director with actors and sets. Plus, it seems like Simon needs the airline perk to go to various film festivals, which means all those festivals must have liked his film and are accepting of him. So, again, it's not clear where his self-doubt is originating or how it's so bad that he acts this way, given that he is getting affirmations all over the place.
The opening scene is an indication from where the self-doubt could be coming. We literally see Simon get dismissed, but the joke of that scene is not about Simon's talent or any criticism of his work. Yet, even if those questions are put aside, more questions arise that this film doesn't answer or address. For example, in that opening scene, Simon is at a film festival screening his thesis. Bruce is the only person that Simon knows in the audience. Why wouldn't any of Simon's family or other friends attend? Simon jokes he's been milking his thesis for two years, so maybe his family and other friends have already seen it, but presumably Bruce has already seen it too, so why did he show up and no one else?
Yes, this film is about the relationship between Simon and Bruce, so I get why the filmmakers would have narrow vision or blinders when it comes to Simon's other relationships. But again, being so narrow doesn't give a full picture of who Simon is. Seeing Simon interact with friends or his family also would have been a good contrast to his issues with Bruce. There's commentary on Bruce's dating life, but nothing at all about Simon's. We never get any indication if Simon is dating anyone, or if he isn't, then why not? Is he even interested in girls? Is he gay? He's a good looking guy. He'd probably do well either way, but the film has no interest in exploring that, which further limits our understanding of Simon.
In one scene, Simon and Bruce host a dinner party, which indicates that they do have other friends. This film doesn't show us any of it, except the ending when everyone is leaving. It gets us to a really great argument scene between Simon and Bruce, but we go out of our way not to show Simon interacting with other friends or family. Doing this creates this insular feeling that the filmmakers may have intended, but it keeps the protagonist at a distance.
Not Rated but for mature audiences.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 31 mins.
In select theaters.
