How I Met Your Mother star Josh Radnor writes stars and directs here in this indie romantic comedy about a New York writer. Making up the rest of the ensemble cast are Malin Akerman, Michael Algieri, Kate Mara, Pablo Schreiber and Zoë Kazan. The movie is about the changes made by those in their thirties as they make the conscious decision to ascend into adult hood, which includes taking an insight into the way they feel about love and companionship.
The movie starts off rather badly, resorting to obvious and slightly over used plot turns and narrative clichés, however once the movie finds its feet Radnor’s writing talents really begin to show and you are presented with a personal and insightful look into modern relationships.
Happythankyoumoreplease is not just a nightmare to say, but it is also an intelligent and articulate movie in which Radnor demonstrates an ability to capture personalities and emotions through minimal speech and expression; this is quite a feat in a world where an excess of language has come to signify intelligence. I feel the need here to highlight the difference between intelligence and cleverness, it doesn’t take much to write a clever movie, one with wit and bite, but to write a movie that makes you actually look into yourself and those around you, that touches on your own thoughts and feelings in a simple, honest and eloquent way, that is intelligence and that is rare.
My only compliant about this movie is perhaps the camera work, which at times seems a little clumsy and even self indulgent on Radnor’s part. Yet this is barely an issue once you get used to it and the sight of Radnor looking adorably uncertain.
All in all this a movie telling a story that has been told many times before, yet it has a fresh and discerning feel to it, highlighting the truly unique phenomenon that is your late twenties when you finally realise the dreams you had of adulthood as a child are far from what really awaits you.