The Trouble with Jessica
This article contain discussions about suicide and sexual assault .
Dark humor is a very guileful tightrope to walk , particularly in the world of domesticated storytelling , with movies likeDanny DeVito’sThe War of the RosesandHarold and Maudebeing some of my personal favorites of the subgenre . WithThe Trouble with Jessica , co - author / director Matt Winn is clearly aiming to surveil in those pace with his and co - author James Handel ’s intermixture of a serious plot and pitch black wit , though it really come flat .
The Trouble with Jessicafocuses on two married couples — Shirley Henderson ’s Sarah andAlan Tudyk ’s Tom , and Rufus Sewell ’s Richard and Olivia Williams ' Beth — as they enjoy a dinner night at the former ’s home , which they are about to settle selling . Their dinner becomes a tense Nox of past conflicts bubble to the surface when the group ’s free - spirited friend , Indira Varma ’s Jessica , invite herself , critique the radical for their socially normal life and flirting with Tom . When their night is interrupt by one of their last , the group tries to hide the physical structure to invalidate bear on the business firm ’s sale .
The Trouble With This Movie Is Its Insensitive Handling Of Its Plot
There Doesn’t Seem To Be Any Sympathy
The apparatus ofTrouble with Jessica ’s plot of land is actually one that could ’ve led to a fun dark drollery , something in the nervure ofWeekend at Bernie’sor both the original andDon’t Tell Mom the Babysitter ’s Deadremake . Instead , it ends up being uncomfortable to watch . As the deed of conveyance jot , Jessica is the one to expire in the middle of the dinner party party , but rather than from inadvertently strangle on solid food or being murdered by one of the other company guest , she dies by felo-de-se , seemingly due to a tense argument she had with Sarah .
This becomes all the more troublesome as the movie come on , as it never really feels likeThe Trouble with Jessicarecognizes the innovative implications depicting this post has .
It ’s an already difficult effect to handle in storytelling , and make it the accelerator for the movie ’s plot does n’t experience like the right pick , particularly because of how the movie handle it . The rest of the cast take very little time to actually recognize the seriousness of the situation , namely Sarah and Tom , who almost right away wrick to imagine about themselves and how Jessica ’s all in soundbox would upend their endeavour to trade their home and avoid bankruptcy .
This becomes all the more troublesome as the movie progresses , as it never really feels likeThe Trouble with Jessicarecognizes the modernistic implications of depicting this situation . I ’d argue that tackling this topic through a comedic crystalline lens is a bad thought , but with so much of the motion picture ’s dialogue turn Jessica into the villain of the tale , the photographic film seems to lack any sympathy for suicidal ideation , thus adjudicate for the story to be a morose drollery all the worse .
The Movie Is Also Just Largely Unfunny
There Are A Few Chuckles To Be Had, But Most Jokes Are Signposted & Unoriginal
I hop that since the movie point to be a clowning , it would deliver joke either before or during its dead body - hiding focus ; unfortunately , The fuss with Jessicacouldn’t even find a way to be laughable to right for its insensitive plot . The domesticated bickering that happen in the movie ’s first number find no unlike from any other in the music genre , with atypical complaints about job , children , and lamenting of aging fail to be original , or even that funny .
Even putting apart my own look about the movie ’s handling of this chemical element , the panorama is so tonally imbalanced that it direct me out entirely .
The moving picture ’s loser to nail its dark comedy end arises during the discussions surrounding Richard ’s task as a defense counselor for rapist . It ’s a topic that everyone in the motion-picture show is clearly uncomfortable discussing , specially as Richard tries to make jokes about it and defend himself through the lens of supply for his family ’s comfortable life style . But it ’s very clear we ’re meant to sympathize with him and chuckle at his distaste for the job , but all I felt was disgust at the things he said .
The Trouble with Jessica centers on Sarah and Tom, who face financial ruin when an unexpected event disrupts the sale of their London home. Their plan to move a friend’s body to hide a suicide spirals into chaos, challenging their morality and pushing friendships to the brink.
Another good example of the motion-picture show ’s sullen humor failing to set down comes when the characters find Jessica ’s trunk . Rather than have it be an appropriately dramatic or heartbreaking moment , Matt Cooper and Matt Winn ’s gaudy original soundtrack kicks into fast - pace gear , with Tom failing to assist after suffering from a muscle spasm , while everyone else runs in forget me drug trying to envision out what to do . Even put away my own feelings about the moving picture ’s treatment of this component , the scene is so tonally imbalanced that it took me out solely .
That ’s not to sayThe Trouble with Jessicais entirely without jokes that work , as an unexpected run - in with the couple wanting to buy Tom and Sarah ’s house create a broadly queer , deadpan turn of the shoes . to boot , a drive to Jessica ’s place results in a twentysomething couple getting a picayune too romantic on the grouping ’s parked car , which progress to for an enjoyable moment of shock humour for them all .
The Cast Plays Their Unlikable Parts Well
Maybe I Would’ve Been More Invested In The Story If The Group Were Less Detestable
One of the bigger domain that ultimately left me feeling more mixed was the movie ’s talented stamp . The four leads surely have an inherent savvy of who their character are have in mind to be , and do a great task portraying them , particularly Henderson , who is a compelling wild batting order throughout the film . Sewell is also fairly delightful with his increasingly frenzied performance , a far cry from the cool , collect defense attorney we see at the movie ’s start .
Despite their best efforts , though , The Trouble with Jessica ’s cast still ca n’t overcome just how unlikable their lineament are . Given how troubling their actions are , the playscript should have made some effort to help us associate to the group , and yet , despite all of their posturing about morality and ethical code , there are few import that allow us to sympathize or empathize with them , adding up to a largely frustrative escalation of issue and eccentric moments .
The Trouble with Jessicareleases in theaters on April 25 .
The Trouble with Jessica centers on Sarah and Tom , who confront financial ruin when an unexpected event disrupts the sales agreement of their London family . Their plan to move a friend ’s body to hide a suicide spirals into topsy-turvydom , dispute their morality and bear on friendships to the brink .
