[Rating: Solid Rock Fist Up]
In theaters April 23, 2021 and on all digital VOD platforms on May 11th, 2021.
Together Together, the new indie film from writer-director Nikole Beckwith, is a different kind of romantic comedy. Starring Ed Helms and Patti Harrison, the movie tells the tale of Matt (Helms), an awkward guy in his forties, who wants to raise a family as a single dad, and Anna (Harrison), the surrogate, who is helping his dream become a reality.
After a year that was sorely lacking in great independent films, 2021 has brought one that is both light and fully realized. What Together Together has going for it is its leads. The movie does a lot right and, trust me, we will get to that. But above all else, I would be remiss to let another word be typed without mentioning the relationship between our main characters.
The two begin their relationship in the oddest of circumstances. And at first, they don’t know what they want their relationship to be. Anna just needs the money, whereas Matt wants to be heavily involved in this life changing process.
It takes a while for them to get on the same wavelength. Matt is an awkward guy who means well and cares about the health of his future child, but is super controlling in the way he treats Anna. Matt telling her what she should and shouldn’t do and what she should and shouldn’t eat quickly wears on Anna.
Unlike the nervous energy that he brings, Anna is blunt. She is straightforward in the way that she speaks and tells him exactly what she thinks of him at any given moment. She is firm in her opinions and she will gladly tell Matt when he is wrong or being rude. She is also kind and just wants to help him. Even when she is put off by his comments, she knows how important this is for him.
Slowly but surely, the two fall in love with one another. They fall in love in a way that is rarely depicted in cinema – platonically. They begin to spend all their time together. Even though he annoys her and her decisions frustrate him, they lean on each other through the journey. It becomes a friendship, rather than a relationship of circumstances.
It is truly a credit to the actors that they can make such a unique, non-romantic relationship feel so romantic. Helms and Harrison absolutely ooze chemistry. As Matt and Anna, they balance out each other’s worse tendencies, while filling the holes left in the other person’s life. It is easy to believe the relationship that we see form because they are both committed to playing it in a natural way.
Writer-Director Nikole Beckwith directs their one-on-one scenes in an intimate way that allows us to feel a part of their relationship. They gravitate towards each other because they are lonely people who share this one, very intimate connection together.
This is where the film becomes more than just your average romantic comedy. Matt and Anna are lonely. Beckwith lets them be lonely. Neither of them dwell on that fact. While they may long for something more, they are each comfortable in their own loneliness. Having accepted themselves, they are able to open up and share their own insecurities with one another, without the pressure of being rejected. They know who they are and have a “take it or leave it” attitude in regards to others.
Despite being opposites in a lot of ways, Matt and Anna are similar in their self acceptance. Without the shared bond of Matt’s baby that is growing inside of Anna, it is reasonable to assume that they would never form this relationship after feeling so negatively towards one another at first. It makes their connection feel all the more salient, as it is one of chance and one of great importance in their lives.
Allowing scenes for their relationship to naturally progress is incredibly important to this story. We don’t have the usual, generic romantic relationship checkpoints that can be ticked off a list. Instead, their relationship is built on a longing for connection.
The conversations that the two engage in perfectly set the stage for them to feel closer to one another, just as they allow us to feel closer to the characters. Between the dialogue full of vulnerabilities and the realistic way in which their bond is depicted, it cannot be overstated how much Beckwith helps us feel as a part of this relationship as Matt and Anna do.
Patti Harrison is especially amazing in the film. Her deadpan style of delivery and incredulous reactions, as she learns of Matt’s eccentricities are a thing to behold. She seamlessly weaves between being the funniest character in the movie and the person with the most depth. We get to see all sides of Anna through Harrison. Frankly, I can’t wait to see more of her because she is an absolute star and it only takes this one performance for me to be sure of that.
Together Together is not an earth-shattering film. It is a sweet portrait of platonic love and the importance of finding connections in our life, no matter how brief. It is amazing how much life Helms, Harrison, and Beckwith are able to breathe into these characters, their relationship, and this film, as a whole, in under 90 minutes. The result is that of warmth. Warmth that can only be found in relationships as deep and as true as the one depicted here. May we all have the chance to experience something like it at some point in our lives.
Logan Van Winkle is an aspiring film critic, born and raised in Kansas City. Since he was a kid, Logan has known two things about himself: He loves movies and he has opinions. A lot of them. Combining those two things is his #1 dream in life. Having people actually read those opinions is his second dream.
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