‘Fantasy Life’ occasionally figures out how to get real
Sometimes a movie you can describe as a “snapshot” feels observant and precise, glimpsing well-defined lives and leaving with something resonant. And sometimes the snapshot feels like something you take a short look at and move on, feeling about the same.
I wouldn’t argue with anyone who placed “Fantasy Life” in either category. It’s a little funny, a little affecting, and moderately forgettable.
Writer/director Matthew Shear (“The Alienist”) stars as Sam, who struggles with panic attacks and at 30 might seem too old to take a babysitting job to help out his therapist’s (Judd Hirsch) secretary’s kids. But Sam doesn’t have a lot of options, and when one night turns into a more consistent “mannying” gig, if you will (you don’t have to), this anxious Jewish man who diagnoses himself with “internalized antisemitism” has both somewhere to be and a developing crush on Diane (Amanda Peet) – yep, Sam and Diane, cheers – an actress wondering if her best days and opportunities are behind her.
The dynamic between the two is like a much nicer tweak on Marty and Kay in “Marty Supreme,” except for the fact that Shear can never quite convince us of Diane’s warmth toward him. Sure, of course Diane’s husband (Alessandro Nivola) is a doofus who’s usually gone playing bass with Warren Haynes, and the friendship that evolves between Sam and Diane achieves a sort of low-key comfort that is pretty platonic by design. (If you’re wondering if it resembles Netflix’s new “Age of Attraction,” and you probably aren’t, the answer is sporadically.) It’s also great to see Peet, probably one of the more successful performers to never have a major lead role, given room for a part that showcases what everyone should’ve already known she could do anyway. She makes “Fantasy Life” (which doesn’t really earn the grandiosity or irony of its title) worth sticking with, even if it’s hard not to do a double-take when she tells Sam that he’s kind of nice to be around.
This is the kind of movie that often makes people say a filmmaker will do better next time, and here we are. Shear finds some funny lines and thoughtful moments about disappointment and religious identity, and some more common ones about aging and parenting, and ultimately struggles to put it all together. Though “Sinners” also couldn't figure out how to bring its ideas together either and landed 16 Oscar nominations, but who’s counting.
B-
NEW: WANT TO SETTLE A MOVIE DEBATE, TALK ABOUT '90S FAVORITES, OR EVEN HAVE YOUR SHORT HOME MOVIE REVIEWED? BOOK A VIDEO FROM MATT VIA CAMEO
ORDER “TALK ‘90S WITH ME: 23 UNPREDICTABLE CONVERSATIONS WITH STARS OF AN UNFORGETTABLE DECADE”
Matt’s new book arrived Sept. 27, 2022, and Richard Roeper raves: “Matt Pais deserves four stars for reintroducing us to many of the greatly talented but often unsung heroes of 1990s film. This is a terrific read.”
ARE YOU A “SAVED BY THE BELL” FAN?
Order “Zack Morris Lied 329 Times! Reassessing every ridiculous episode of ‘Saved by the Bell’ … with stats” (featuring interviews with 22 cast members, plus the co-founder of Saved by the Max and the creator of “Zack Morris is Trash”)
GET 100 STORIES FOR JUST $4.99