A drama devoid of emotional resonance. A comedy that evokes no laughter. “Are You Here” appears to suffer a case of what many would call schizophrenia. While a diagnosis seems appropriate, it does little to help illuminate the fact that the solution is equally perplexing in its fantasy space that is ridden with a calcified version of the beast widely dubbed by Hollywood as the man-child.
Other times, it attempts to be light-hearted and tries to incorporate elements of comedy, such as in Broadcast News where Owen Wilson portrays the role of the disingenuous freeloading leech, just like he has done so many times prior. The difference here is that this time he plays a weatherman in Annapolis, Md, and as we all know, in Annapolis mooching is an art form. This simply makes Bill Murray’s weatherman in “Groundhogs Day” seem like a reliable gentleman indeed.
Wilson’s Steve Dallas is an authentic cowboy all right a rodeo show, full of flatulent bulls. It is only natural that he has an endless urge to have a possible bedmate, whether a colleague or casual street whore, available at any time. He even has the tendency to watch his delightful neighbor across the street as she transforms her garments through her window each evening, but not in an orthodox non-stalker fashion like Jimmy Stewart. Not to mention his alluring language of “paying” the bill with his irrelevant credit cards and drug use while working all day long.
At other times “Are You Here” appears to be a portrait of a dysfunctional family drama along the lines of August Osage County when Ben, Steve’s best and seemingly only friend, learns that his father passes away and the funeral comes with a road trip to the backwoods of Pennsylvania. I do not want to state the shocking fact that this almost-recluse, manic-depressive, idealist who is a fellow stoner and lives in a portable shack unrealistic in every manner with an interior decorator of the style of the Unabomber was played by Zach Galifianakis.
Hints of Witness are also there as the Amish appear from nowhere and disappear, trying perhaps to lend some demi rusticity to the existence muddle that unfolds on the screen. There is a story of sorts, loosely based on the ever popular contested last will and her son the ‘beloved’ scanner of the blindly suicidal zombie show, but the plethora of ideas is too much to construct a narrative around.
The most astonishing fact about Are You Here is not the casual insertion of a sex scene that can only be described as pseudo-incestuous and utterly vile or that at one point there is a chicken running around with no head.
The astonishing thing is how Matthew Weiner is the responsible party of this sad enterprise. The most shocking thing is that Matthew Weiner is the perpetrator behind this sad enterprise. Weiner only needed two years to change the entire script, along with the title and concept, and like an obsessed writer who’s constantly brainstorming, managed to turn it into what is now known as “Are You Here“. It took the much-lauded creator of TV’s Mad Men and an invaluable contributor to The Sopranos, Matthew Weiner, eight years to bring this venture to theaters. As a frustrated would-be movie director, it feels like he has scattered every single one of his ideas over the screen, including a farmhouse kitchen sink, and no desire for self-editing. After ‘What Do You Do All Day?’ which was a very tiny effort back in 1996, Are You Here is now the film that has the marking of Weiner’s first alleged feature.
Let us scorn the man who created the impossibly complex female characters Peggy Olson, Joan Harris, and Sally Draper for bringing to life Angela (played by Laura Ramsey of Mad Men’s “The Jet Set”), the young, earth-mama stepmother of Ben and Terri’s who struts around in gauzy white dresses while living on a farm. She serves no purpose but to satiate the whims of several men including Wilson, Ben, and his father who, in attempting to bestow upon him a will filled with nauseating details of his sexual exploits, brought her to life.
To credit, Weiner has at least one credit to his name that deserves praise: Among his supporting casts, at least he seems to make some sensible and intelligent casting decisions. He watches other series when assigning these roles since he has the insight to cast Paul Schulze, so marvelous as pharmacist Eddie on Nurse Jackie, as Wilson’s boss, and Lauren Lapkus, who plays the vile female prison guard Suzanne on “Orange Is The New Black,” as his love-struck subordinate.
If Matthew Weiner wasn’t Matthew Weiner, there’s every chance that this script would not appeal to Peter Bogdanovich who worked on The Sopranos as a judge and Edward Herrmann would not agree to take the role of Ben’s therapist, or Jenna Fischer from The Office would never have come on board for a minor part in the last ten minutes.
Perhaps Weiner earned this opportunity. Perhaps he has gotten it out of his system. But rather than stabbing at such a ridiculous excuse for a movie, maybe he should be more worried about how to stitch together a satisfying “Mad Men” finale which he told “Rolling Stone” he will be looking forward to with mixed reviews next spring.
To watch more movies visit Fmovies
Also Watch for more movies like:
