Me and You and Everyone We Know (US, 2005)

Bonkers movie that remains engaging because of a marvellous performance by John Hawkes and the satisfyingly loopy plot/character of Miranda July (who also directs). Some of the scenes are edgy and the teenage girls are out of Ghost World; a typical indie movie so see it. (DVD) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0415978/

Update April 2010

The perfect couple?

Is Me and You and Everyone We Know a romantic comedy? Well it features ‘boy meets, loses then gets girl’ or should it be the other way around as it’s clear that Christine (Miranda July) is the one who’s after Richard (John Hawkes?

In romcoms the ‘ideal’ male often has a perfect bachelor pad, designer clothes, an expensive music system not to mention an enviable physique. Richard, on the other hand, is a normal guy who panics when Christine’s about to visit as his place is a complete mess.

There’s no wedding in Me and You but it does have a romcom ending where we can fantasise that these two oddballs will get together to make a bigger, and maybe slightly less odd, ball.

If it is a romcom, then we’ve left out the two girls seeking sexual initiation and the young boy meeting a woman via a chatroom. Both probably too disturbing for the cloying saccharine that infects the genre.

However, it is funny in its quirkiness (there’s a great first meeting between the two) and Hawkes’ disheveled and loveable ‘loser’ is winning. It’s an indie romcom!