[yasr_overall_rating]
A lonely college freshman’s life is turned upside down by her impetuous, adventurous soon-to-be stepsister.
Freshman year in college can challenge even the most confident of us. Tracy (Lola Kirke), however, isn’t confident. She’s shy, almost a wallflower, and her life is more complicated than most. At 18, she’s about to become a college freshman at Barnard College in New York City and a step sister when her mother marries later that fall. Further complicating matters, her soon-to-be step sister lives in a flat on Times Square, and her mother insists she make contact. There’s also the campus literary society she’s desperate to get into, and the boy she falls for. But ultimately, her adventure begins when she picks up the phone and calls her future sister, Brooke (Greta Gerwig). Brooke takes Tracy under her wing and vows to show her how make the most of the Big Apple. So, naturally, they go bar hopping, meet up with a band Brooke knows, and Tracy learns her new sibling’s life history in short order, including her aspirations to own a restaraunt.
“Mistress America” is a dialogue driven character film, and the acting from the two leads carry it with an energy and thoughtfulness reminiscent of Woody Allen at the top of his game, putting New York on display in all its hazy dizziness. Gerwig spouts tongue twisting dialogue non-stop as Brooke seems to need the spotlight constantly. She offers her advice to Tracy in such a constant manner Tracy simply becomes another prop in the scene at times, a living statue listening intently to the sage advice of her wiser counter-part. Gerwig seems made for this performance as she slips naturally into Brooke’s persona. Seeing the character on screen instead of the actress remains one of the hallmarks of a great performance. She acts as the perfect foil for Tracy. While Gerwig doesn’t stretch herself as much as in “Frances Ha,” her part doesn’t call for it. Brooke’s innate self-absorption dominates most scenes. It’s only when she makes a few self realizations that the subtle facial expressions and muted vocal intonations become powerful as Gerwig throws some weight into her role. I don’t think this film will get the same kind of recognition that endeavor received, mostly because “Mistress America” is lighter fare with a bit of emotional impact near the end. Even the climax is in some ways played for laughs, though.
The film focuses on the lonely freshman Tracy. Lola Kirke is more than up to the task, perhaps even delivering the best performance of the film. She gives Tracy room to grow from the beginning, and we see her evolve in many ways before the end. Kirke infuses Tracy with a blending of the plaintive expectation of failure and a smidgeon of hope to keep her going forward. She leaves for college only to see her first aspiration dashed in humiliating fashion. Then things get worse. Kirke portrays her as shy, but highly intelligent (even though she falls asleep during a reading of Antigone). I think she captures the essence of the character director Noah Baumbach and Gerwig had in mind when they typed out the script. Tracy thinks she’s a girl looking to break out of her cocoon and flourish as the woman she’s meant to be. As she learns, life rarely turns out so simply. While Kirke lets Tracy be Tracy throughout the film, she begins the slow transformation from caterpillar to butterfly, taking on important new characteristics during the story. Where Brooke remains mostly static, Tracy evolves. Kirke makes her subtle transformation wonderful to see.
Baumbach and Gerwig make a talented writing team. I can’t imagine the dialogue being simple to read as an actor, but at least Gerwig gives herself the most circuitous lines, which she pulls off flawlessly. Gerwig herself referred to her films as “talkies,” and “Mistress America” is no exception. While I tend to shy away from these films, especially if they’re set in New York, I quite enjoyed this peek into these lives. From start to finish, the dialogue fires off witty lines that will speed past you if you don’t pay close attention. Within all the wit is contained a great amount of cautionary wisdom. Impulse rules the day, and at best its results disappoint the characters. I left the theater thinking about this film, and find in that a satisfying experience.
Baumbach directs with a steady, laser-like gaze. IMDb states that one small scene of Tracy and Brooke looking through a closet was re-shot a whopping 55 times for the director before it satisfied him. We’re talking Kubrickian standards here. The final product is pared down to 84 minutes of snappy dialogue, interesting characters, and relatable problems. Everything fits together and the story progresses well. I can’t imagine the movie extending much past its current length without losing some momentum. With the authenticity of its setting, NYC and the actual Barnard College dorm where Gerwig went to school, it’s hard to quibble with any of his decisions.
“Mistress America” ends up feeling like a mixture of “Gilmore Girls” and “Seinfeld,” with witty banter thrown across the screen and silly, self-absorbed characters looking rather foolishly so. The major players even travel from New York City to Connecticut just to make the connection even more solid. It felt authentically like a bit of self-absorbed New York representing a bit of self-absorbed America. Unless you’re truly narcissistic, or in the movies, self-absorption only leads to disappointment. Here, it gave us a fun, interesting film you’ll be thinking about long after you leave the cinema.
In select theaters including the Angelika Film Center in Plano August 28th
