By Samir Mathur
Contributing writer
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'See Girl Run' has a pre-credits sequence that features several women talking, one-on-one to the camera, about their exes, about each of their "one that got away". It's an interesting framing device, but it doesn't really have a whole lot to do with what follows. Robin Tunney plays Emmie, the owner of a dog-walking business in Brooklyn who's married to Graham (Josh Hamilton) but pines for her high-school boyfriend Jason, played by Adam Scott. He's a waiter at a seafood restaurant, and, when he isn't drawing frogs, he's dreaming of her too. Apparently, they never "officially broke up" before going their separate ways after graduation, and for both of them that still is a big deal.
Contributing writer
Staff page | Twitter | Tumblr
For all my Film Festival coverage, look for the tag FFF2012
SEE GIRL RUN plays in the 21st annual Florida Film Festival, at 7.15pm at Regal Winter Park Village on Saturday (4/14) and again on Wednesday at Enzian (Details)
'See Girl Run' has a pre-credits sequence that features several women talking, one-on-one to the camera, about their exes, about each of their "one that got away". It's an interesting framing device, but it doesn't really have a whole lot to do with what follows. Robin Tunney plays Emmie, the owner of a dog-walking business in Brooklyn who's married to Graham (Josh Hamilton) but pines for her high-school boyfriend Jason, played by Adam Scott. He's a waiter at a seafood restaurant, and, when he isn't drawing frogs, he's dreaming of her too. Apparently, they never "officially broke up" before going their separate ways after graduation, and for both of them that still is a big deal.
After wondering "what if" for a long time, Emmie drives back to her hometown without telling Graham, and then sort of thinks about maybe getting back with Jason. Throw in a depressed brother and bickering parents, and she starts to wonder if going back to the place she left behind is really the best idea.
I didn't much like 'See This Girl' - the central character, Emmie, makes big decisions without communicating well with anyone, based on a hunch, and that really bugged me. There's a darkness at the center of the film - she's clearly unhappy in her marriage, her family has a ton of problems - and Adam Scott's character feels out of place. He's equally deluded, but is charming in a dorky way, which won't be a surprise to anyone who's seen him as Ben Wyatt on Parks and Rec. Other minor characters, such as Emmie's grandma and her employees at the dog store, lighten things up a little, but I just couldn't get behind the lead character's misguided adventure.
I appreciated other details about it: the cinematography is really pretty, and I like that the score was entirely instrumental and unobtrusive but the overall effect was just of sad people being sad, and that didn't do it for me.