Band-Aid (MovieMan Dan’s Guest Review)
ZOE LISTER JONES’S DIRECTORIAL DEBUT: “BAND-AID” IS LIGHT, BREEZY AND A LOT OF FUN TOO!
Intro:
“Band-Aid” was another audience favorite at Sundance this year and so naturally, it was quickly added to my watch-list following it’s World Premiere screening at the festival. Since then, the film has now been released into US theatres and on Select VOD platforms following a short but equally well received festival run and thanks to the folks at IFC Films – I got my chance to check it out recently. So, what did I think?
Before I dive in with my full Review, here’s the plot…
Plot:
“Band-Aid” is the story of a couple, Anna (Zoe Lister-Jones) and Ben (Adam Pally), who can’t stop fighting. Advised by their therapist to try and work through their grief unconventionally, they are reminded of their shared love of music. So, in a last-ditch effort to save their marriage, they decide to turn all their fights into song, and with the help of their neighbor Dave (Fred Armisen), they start a band. (IFC Films)
Review:
“Band-Aid” isn’t the best movie of the Summer or anything like that but for what it is I had a good time with it. This is a light, breezy, funny, clever and really entertaining film that’s sure to please the majority of those who choose to seek it out among various other offerings this Summer. It’s no surprise that this one was so well liked at Sundance as it’s definitely a Sundance film if you get my gist *it hits a lot of similar beats but it’s also really original in it’s premise and execution and it’s even somewhat zany too*.
Likewise, It’s a pretty well balanced dramedy with some solid laughs and a surprising amount of emotional moments that sneak up on you near the end and it mostly works for what it is. This movie would make a great choice for a date night and I’m sure that many of those who have already seen it will agree with me on that. There are flaws and I’ll get to those in the coming lines but the film is still really solid regardless and it’s sure to put a smile on your face if you just go along with it for the ride.
Overall, I’m glad that I was able to check it out. If you are one who constantly seeks out the latest quirky indie film than I would recommend this one to you in a heartbeat. It’s light and breezy as mentioned above and with a run-time of a mere 91 minutes, it all just flies by. Actors: Zoe Lister-Jones and Adam Pally have great chemistry together and their fights and lives are very easily relatable as they fight over things that real couples or roommates would actually fight over. Dishes, Nagging, Jealousy, etc. The list goes on and on. They are stuck in a rut in their lives and they don’t know what to do and I’m sure that there are many others in their early-late 20’s/30’s that feel the exact same way. There are some cheesy moments and lines of dialogue *especially in the early songs that this couple write* that make for some awkward moments throughout but thankfully they are far and few between each other and they don’t take away from the fun of things.
On that note, I must give praise here to: Actress: Zoe Lister-Jones *best known for her work in CBS’s: “Life in Pieces”*, who while also starring in the lead role also wrote and directed this film. She is no stranger to acting as she has appeared in many other things at this point in her career but she does deserve some recognition as this is her first feature film as writer-director. She gives more of a female touch to the film and it keeps it from being the clichéd mess that it could have been. She is a rising talent who I will definitely be keeping an eye on in the future and I hope to see more original films from her soon. It’s a shame that the movie isn’t doing near as well as it should be but I hope that this review and others like it will help her out once the film is more widely available on Home Video platforms.
In Conclusion/My Verdict: 3.0 out of 5.0 Stars -
“Band-Aid” isn’t the feel-good movie of the Summer or anything like that but I will say that it’s the perfect date movie. It’s light, breezy, funny and at times really emotionally impactful too. With a run-time of 91 minutes, the film flies by and while it doesn’t have a lot of re-watch value, I had a good time with it. I would say check it out if you’re interested. It managed to put a smile on my face for sure. Zoe Lister-Jones is a rising talent to watch for in the future and the rest of those involved put in some good work here too although I wasn’t a fan of Fred Armisen’s character *who acted as unneeded comic relief here – his subplot went nowhere* . Overall though, I’m happy to say that this is a solid flick and I can certainly see why it was one of the audience favorites at Sundance this year.
Here’s the Trailer.
WARNING: As someone who has now seen the film, I will say that the Trailer (featured below) does give quite a bit of plot away and so I will only recommend watching it if you are wanting to get a better feel of the tone. Otherwise, just check out the film for yourself and skip the trailer.
You Can Pre-Order the film here on Amazon if you’re interested *it will be available in September*: https://www.amazon.com/Band-Aid-Blu-ray-Zoe-Lister-Jones/dp/B0721313WJ/ref=tmm_blu_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1497999842&sr=1-1
Or you Can Use this Link to see if it’s playing nearby: https://gowatchit.com/watch/movies/band-aid-569037
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