People Places Things (2015) directed by James C. Strouse – A Film Review

When a graphic novelist discovers that his wife is having an affair, his life is knocked out of balance. After a year of social paralysis, Will (played perfectly by Jermaine Clement of Flight of the Concords fame) is coerced on a date with his student’s mother.

This film is a kind of comedy of manners. It doesn’t go in with the big strokes, as broader comedies are known to do, but instead plays out its humor in the little details. That’s not to say that this film isn’t overly funny. There’s a great sense of comedy and character to this piece. But it’s all a very subtle affair.

The protagonist Will is kind of morose in his lethargy. He is stuck in the moment of his wife leaving him, and as such he has been unable to move on. It is only when one of his students Kat (Jessica Williams), sets up a date between him and her mother (played brilliantly by Regina Hall) that he begins to come out of his shell.

Altogether the story works quite well. There is a very naturalistic, almost improvised way in which the story is told. The big events of the film are kind of down played, as they might be in real life. Confrontations aren’t so much thrust into the story, as the characters themselves attempt to avoid or divert away from them. When they do come about it is usually in a much more anxious and organic manner.

In terms of the other aspects, the characters are well crafted and performed greatly. Jermaine Clement delivered a great performance as Will, a man who seems to be trying to ignore his anxieties bubbling to the surface. Regina Hall also stands out in this sober performance as Diane, Will’s new love interest and mother of one of his students. As I am most familiar with Regina Hall’s performances in  broad comedies (in particular the Scary Movie films) I was pleasantly surprised to see her deliver a much more down played straight man role here.

That’s not to say all the performances were perfect. In particular, I felt that Stephanie Allynne’s performance as Will’s ex Charlie was a bit stilted at times. It may be that she was simply overshadowed by the previously mentioned performances of Clement’s and Hall’s, but Allynne certainly stuck out here as inconsistent by comparison.

However, overall People Places Things is a very good indie comedy. It has a nice minimalist setup, good characters and a fun sense of direction and humor. Whilst the comedy might not be to everyone’s taste, I personally found it rather eloquent and charming.