Plot Synopsis: Spans the life of Max Youngman (Keith Poulson), a sardonic waiter whose family and love life is anything but normal.
Justin Oberholtzer
If you take “Somebody Up There Likes Me” as an examination on a terrible person, it almost works. It’s not as sharp as Rick Alverson’s “The Comedy”, nor is Max as condemnable as that film’s lead, which holds it back. You almost get the impression that Bob Byington wants you to relate to Max, which is hard to do. Most people can’t relate to being directionless, selfish & unintentionally rude. You can get a laugh out of watching a character like this interacting with others, but you (hopefully) can’t relate.
There are definitely some laughs in this. Most come from Nick Offerman as Sal, the manager of the fancy restaurant that Max works at. He shares some of the same qualities as Max, but is more innocent in nature. He never quite grasps that he’s being rude, which kind of makes him endearing. It helps that the wonderful Offerman’s line delivery is hilarious! He also has a good running gag where he mistakes certain words for one another.
It’s at this restaurant that Max meets Lyla (Jess Weixler), who becomes his second wife. The first cheated on him and it doesn’t take long to realize why. It only takes five years into his second marriage for him to start hitting on the nanny. I think it’s at this point the film started to fall apart for me, as the direction became more slapdash and uninvolving. Most of the scenarios pop up in peculiar ways, with the nanny situation having Max hit on her while she’s jogging just hours before it’s revealed his wife hired her. That’s not the weird part. That would be him mistaking her signal to roll down his window as a request for a handjob. Yeah…
To say I didn’t laugh at all during “Somebody Up There Likes Me” would be a lie. I already mentioned that Nick Offerman provides good material, but the entire cast truly does. Keith Poulson makes the most of his character and mines some humor from his clueless abrasiveness. Jess Weixler is cute as the bubbly wife, the various incarnations of their child is amusing & the cameos by Kevin Corrigan & Megan Mullaly put a smile on my face. It’s the aimless writing and direction that left me feeling cold.
Oh, and one more thing. Why is it that the film spans over decades, yet nobody outside of the kid ages? Is this supposed to be funny or lazy filmmaking? Could nobody be bothered to apply some makeup to make the characters appear older? Speaking of lazy filmmaking, did the running theme of Max’s suitcase only exist to make the viewer think of “Pulp Fiction”? Technically, I added two more things. I apologize for the abrasiveness. I guess this film is wearing off on me.
Why Should You Put This In Your Queue? The cast is solid and there are laughs to be had. It’s also short, only lasting seventy-five minutes.
Why Shouldn’t You Put This In Your Queue? The tone can be very offputting and the direction is all over the place. You never feel fulfilled by the actions happening on screen. They seem to simply float by.
Matt Stetler
Years ago, Napoleon Dynamite caught audiences off guard with its offbeat style and almost lazy like storytelling. The movie, weather you liked it or not, was a huge hit and films tried to recreate that same style to varied success. Somebody Up There Likes Me feels just like Napoleon Dynamite, but where so many filmmakers failed to capture the same kind of magic, Bob Byington succeeds.
The film follows Max, who inherits a suitcase from his deceased father. Much like the suitcase in Pulp Fiction, a magic glow emanates from it. This glow, whatever it is, causes Max to have luck time and time again throughout his life, even though he’s lazy as hell and doesn’t seem to care about anyone or anything. The movie plays out in five year increments, showing the ups and downs in Max’s life and how, due to whatever the briefcase holds, he always lands on his feet and somehow for the better.
The humor can be odd and dark, sometimes both at the same time. This may make it hard for some to laugh at the moments that are supposed to be funny, because they try to make unfunny things humorous. Also, no one is really a likeable person in this movie so some may also find it difficult to have a vested interest in anyone since you don’t really have a clear cut person to be “rooting” for. The movie also has its artistic moments, yet I found these to be pretentious. They come across almost in a way that says “this movie is saying something, but you need to be smart to understand it.” I hate that, and it’s not because I’m stupid either. I would have enjoyed it without all the unnecessary “art film” stuff.
Nick Offerman, famous for Ron Swanson of Parks and Rec, is solid in this movie. He should be hired for every movie where there is a role for a guy that has an “I don’t care about anything” attitude. He just about steals this movie away from Keith Poulson, who plays the lead role of Max. Poulson plays the same kind of character as Offerman, but with an even more lazy spirit and he plays it well. All around, it’s a comedy for certain kind of audience. You have to be able to find humor in things that aren’t humorous. So if you can laugh at suicide, adultery and heart attacks, then there will be plenty of laughs waiting for you with this one.
Why you should put this in your queue? A free flowing comedy with loose plot, filled with a great mix of dark and goofy humor. Also, great performances by the two male leads Nick Offerman and Keith Poulson.
Why you shouldn’t put this in your queue? It can come across to independent/art film for some. Also, some of the moments that are funny are things that aren’t meant to but humorous, so if dark comedy isn’t your thing, then probably best to skip this one.
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