"The Overnight" is an intimate look at the lives of two young couples dealing with the sense of perceived isolation that comes with the first addition to the family, where old friends may fall more distant before new friends with kids surface in their neighborhood environment. On one night, our four protagonists encounter some unexpected twists that add outrageous "color" to their daily routine. The story shows us what happens when established inhibitions are broken down through the unexpected outlet that new acquaintances and unforeseen circumstances can bring over the course of an evening. A current of hilarity runs beneath what seems on the surface to be a serious tale.
This movie lets us look into a mirror of the moral conditions imprinted upon us by our society, of our preconceptions on how to handle those natural sexual urges always mischievously lurking under the surface of our respectable adult facades. The hypocrisy is that we believe that we erase the temptation to cheat on our partner by framing our existence by with strict moral rules. However, the constraint of these rules is often at the very heart of a misbegotten lapse in loyalty.
Our society in this country has especially harsh rules about nudity. While living abroad in my late teens to early 20s, I witnessed the startlingly different attitude that Europeans had towards their bodies. While visiting some French friends for a family picnic, it was suggested that we all go swimming in the lake. Everyone, including children, immediately stripped naked out in full view in the public grounds without any embarrassment and climbed into their bathing suits. You find that when no one else feels awkward, you become completely relaxed about it as well. Often in our country, our inhibitions can compound themselves and then spread to affect those around us.
Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman and Judith Godreche create wonderful and natural characters as the couples. Be advised that the make-up team uses some prosthetics (you'll see). Writer/director Patrick Brice has created a tightly written narrative. It's not surprising to see that the Duplass Brothers, Mark and Jay, are involved in the production — this film's style is similar to their quirky, fun HBO series, "Togetherness."
This movie is not for kids. Ironically though, kids would take in stride all the unexpected and awkward moments that happen in the film much more easily than do adults, as their innocence is still intact. In fact, the two boys in this story are the foundation of its balance. In a pivotal scene, we see that the kids lack the inhibitions of the adults, and it adds a wonderful sense of comedic absurdity to a potentially shocking scene. In "The Overnight," some very sensitive subject matter is handled with great humor. Writer/director Patrick Brice was nominated for three audience awards for this film: Sundance Grand Jury, SXSW Film Festival and Edinburgh Film Festival. See this movie, then look at yourself and have a good laugh.
Rated R. 79 minutes.
Kathryn Whitney Boole was drawn into the entertainment industry as a kid and never left. It has been the backdrop for many awesome adventures with crazy creative people. She now works as a Talent Manager with Studio Talent Group in Santa Monica. Reach her at kwboole@gmail.com.For previously published reviews, see https://kwboole.wordpress.com.
