ST. LOUIS — Mark (Ed Helms) is 45 years old and single, yet wants a kid. Anna (Patti Harrison) is a 26-year-old loner who ends up being his surrogate. Bound by the promise of reproduction, the two become closer and start to redefine the meanings of love and connection. No, this is not what you already think it is.
Thankfully, and amazingly, Nikole Beckwith's "Together Together" defies the usual constraints of its looks, becoming one of the most intelligent scripts that the new year has to offer. Carrying a similar no-mercy storytelling style as 2016's "Drinking Buddies" but with a pregnant twist, you won't see what this lovable yet honest film has to offer. Instead of making itself confined to a certain area, Beckwith's film explores the uncomfortable yet true realizations and boundary-less confrontations that occur when a man and woman meet and don't decide to just hop in bed.
Using chalk to draw lines between romance and friendship, Mark and Anna navigate a relationship that doesn't exactly have a name or sex, just like the kid they are "sharing" and giving a temporary gender-neutral name of "lamp" during their time together. But does that time end once the baby is born? Will it naturally develop into love--and what kind of love will that be? Cinema-blended, easy-to-please audience syrup--or maybe something else. Beckwith's relentless yet charismatic script will keep you guessing and laughing.
Helms hasn't been better. While his talents have touched a number of comedies, including film ("The Hangover" series and "Tag") and television ("The Office"), I don't think you have seen him this vulnerable before. He hasn't been given a role like this one just yet either, one where he's not sharing the screen with Bradley Cooper or Steve Carell. There's mystery to Mark behind that goofy yet adorable façade he puts up. Helms has been valuable to a production before, but not this indelible.
The nimble frankness about Harrison's acting is that Anna could be telling you something about herself, but you still won't get the whole story. While she reminds you of a combination of the Deschanel sisters (Emily and Zooey), there's a mystery to her face that the actress keeps tightened until the film's third act, where it gives you a little more clarity. I like performances like that, ones that hand you a half-drawn map and ask you to fill out the rest on the way home.
Special kudos to Sufe Bradshaw, the ultrasound tech who works overtime as a referee/buffer between the bickering Mark and Anna as the baby grows and the tensions get higher during the check-ups. Bradshaw shined in "Veep" and several other shows, and adds a signature element of humor here. Anything with Tig Notaro in it is better already. She's the actual surrogate shrink appointed to the couple, if they are actually a couple. Julio Torres is the co-worker/best friend of Anna, providing the movie with easy-going comic relief.
The movie plays with those easily thrown-around labels and ideas in a refreshing way. There is also no abrupt, neat ending to "Together Together," just one proverbial finishing point. Like most great 90 minute films, the happenings were so good that you wanted more time. That's exactly how they should be, and how they should feel upon impact. Instead of watching a story overextend to meet genre expectations, I can just revisit a much more precise version.
Beckwith's film is perfect in its own form. It celebrates the joys often found in uncomfortable silences and the conversations that follow. It challenges instead of following the standard quo. Give it some time this weekend in theaters, including Marcus Ronnie's in St. Louis.
