Chris Kelly's Other People is a brilliant film---a meditative comedy-drama that reminds everyone in the audience of why we go to the movies. This is what every film about a young man who must go home and deal with his dying family member should be. At times it's a hoot before making you bawl your eyes out in an equally effective manner. This is helped by the fact that leads Jesse Plemons and Molly Shannon, as well as the wonderful supporting cast know how to anchor Kelly's terrific script. There is a realness to the whole production that makes this film all the more effective and relatable.
The film stars Jesse Plemons as David, a struggling comedian who has recently broken up with his long time boyfriend Paul (Zach Woods) and has now found out that his mother, Joanne (Molly Shannon) has terminal cancer. He goes back home to his small town, where old family issues reignite and he pals around with Gabe (John Early, a total scene stealer,) an old high school friend. Among family problems are his caring father (Bradley Whitford,) who still has trouble accepting his son's life decision and his sisters (Madisen Beaty and Maude Apatow,) who resent David for leaving them to a certain degree.
Plemons is terrific, especially considering that his character is a fairly emotionless person, so he has to imbue this guy with sympathy and heart without ever outright doing anything, save for a scene or two where his emotions get the best of him. As for Shannon, she must get an Oscar nomination this year. As someone who has never been her biggest fan, I can say she is absolutely brilliant here. Her role is as tough as Plemons' since her character wants absolutely no sympathy from anyone. She is fine with her disease because she is happy with the life she has lived thus far. Shannon has to make a sympathetic character out of one who doesn't want anyone's sympathy, a difficult task if there ever was one. One scene where she has to go back to her old school to pass on her teaching skills to her co-workers is especially powerful and is Shannon's ultimate Oscar clip moment. These two performances elevate what is already excellent writing and direction from Kelly, the head writer on "Saturday Night Live," which mysteriously got excellent for the last few years and now I can identify one of the reasons why.
Kelly himself has stated this is a very personal story and it shows here. Every scene is grounded in complete realism. Even the wacky grandparents (June Squibb and Paul Dooley) feel like real people that exist somewhere in the world. Also, look out for the brilliant use of a song that I personally love.
Comedy-dramas about a young guy who has to go back to his small town to face tragedy are a dime a dozen (Garden State, This Is Where I Leave You, etc) but Other People completely elevates this material, making it a film that everyone absolutely must see. Whether or not you have experienced this type of situation before, this film will be completely relatable while you are watching it and will only go up in your mind as you think about it.
(5 out of 5 Stars, The film is Not Rated.)
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