When one thinks about it, writing is not an inherently fascinating thing. Sure, writers such as myself are fascinating people with fascinating ideas but our stories don't really add up to much. We're ordinary people who express themselves by putting words together to make sentences. Listen Up Philip is a film that presents writers in a cliched, largely egotistical nature but fascinatingly avoids fully following through with the cliches. Sure, title character Philip Lewis Friedman (Jason Schwartzman) is an appallingly self-centered jerk (we're not all like that) but he's also easy to relate to even outside of a writer's perspective. You can't help but root for this horrible guy because you see what has made him the way he is. In a lot of ways, he's similar to Leonardo DiCaprio's portrayal of real life con artist Jordan Belfort in last year's The Wolf Of Wall Street. In both cases, these are men whom the audience feels bad for because they've let their success and power get to them. If there's one type of role that Schwartzman was born to play, it's this one. From Rushmore to I Heart Huckabees to Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World to the HBO comedy "Bored To Death," Schwartzman has proven he has a knack for playing characters who would be far too unlikable if played by anyone else. He takes characters who hand out misery to others like candy on Halloween and gives them an edge that makes the audience root for them.
The film follows Schwartzman's Philip as he struggles with his day to day life in the fast paced world of Brooklyn. His photographer girlfriend Ashley (Elisabeth Moss) no longer shows signs of caring about him, all his friends have gone onto less green pastures than him and turned against him. In fact, the first two scenes simply consist of Philip tearing into people who he regrets having in his life. Even his latest book has a huge potential for failure. One day, he meets Ike Zimmerman (think Ira Levine, I suppose) (Jonathan Pryce,) a highly successful author who enjoys Philip's work immensely. Ike mentions to Philip that Brooklyn is "good for inspiration but not productivity." Ike makes a somewhat facetious offer to Philip that he can stay at his country home to write. Philip jumps at the opportunity, takes a job at a college teaching creative writing and discover Ike's daughter, Melanie (Krysten Ritter) has fallen victim to his "the whole word revolves around me" attitude.
Pryce is perfect as the author who has no real redeeming qualities. He's kind of charming but that's only a lead in to his awful behavior. Ritter and Moss also get nice roles as the women in these mens' lives. The women get their own arcs and their perspective is as essential to the story as the male point of view. The film is funny but also pulls out a lot of great dramatic stops. Schwartzman plays up the charm but is never afraid to let his character explode in frustration. His brutally honest speeches are both amusing and sad. We see the hurt in this man that he's trying to hide but we can't help and chuckle. The film is directed in the style of an old, grainy 1970's film (like John Cassavetes or older Pedro Almodovar,) which adds to the nuanced and nostalgic feel of this story. However, I could have done without the multiple, shaky closeups of people's faces. That's a small quibble for a film that works so well, however.
The clever dialogue helps boost the realism of the story. As we watch Schwartzman and Pryce trade conversational one liners to each other, we feel like we're actually watching two well known writers. While it may not exactly break any new ground, Listen Up Philip is a welcome throwback to a different kind of film. The performances, especially from Schwartzman, flawlessly playing a charming schmuck as ever, add a lot to the well done nature of the film. Writers are not always enjoyable to learn about but through writer-director Alex Ross Perry's scope, they most certainly are.
(4 out of 5 Stars, The film is Not Rated but contains adult language and situations)
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