Movie Review

Comic awkwardness abounds in bittersweet I Used to Go Here

Almost everyone has sections of their lives that they have idealized. It could be living in a particular neighborhood or city, or when we went to a certain school, but nostalgia is a powerful thing when it comes to thinking about our pasts. Of course, just because something was enjoyable at one stage of life does not mean it will always be that way, a theme that plays heavily into the new film, I Used to Go Here.

Kate (Gillian Jacobs) is at a crossroads in her life. Her just-published book is not the success she hoped, she recently broke up with her fiancé, and her best friend Laura (Zoe Chao) is married with a child on the way. She’s thrown a lifeline of sorts when her former college professor, David (Jemaine Clement), asks her to return to speak at her alma mater.

Her arrival in Carbondale, Illinois brings back a flood of good memories, including staying at a B&B directly across from her old house. But it’s soon clear that the reality of the experience will not match up with her expectations, and Kate finds herself leaning on a group of college students living in her old house for support.

Written and directed by Kris Rey, the film has a story that will be achingly familiar for many people who’ve gone back to visit their old schools. Things are at once recognizable yet different enough as to be disorienting. There’s a desire to reconnect with friends from your younger years, but the intervening time apart can make interactions tentative and uncomfortable.

That awkwardness comes through in every step Kate takes in her brief stay at the university, something which also translates into the viewing experience. You want the best for Kate even while we can see that she’s self-sabotaging with almost everything she does. Rey doesn’t break any new ground with the story, but she hits all the right notes and delivers a number of interesting characters aside from Kate.

Anyone who has tried to make their living as a writer will also empathize with the doubts that creep in on Kate about her own abilities. She doesn’t do herself any favors by immersing herself back in a creative writing program filled with students who are full of promise.

Jacobs makes for an appealing, if somewhat bland, lead. She’s found the most success on TV shows like Community, but an independent role like this serves her well. Clement is always good for a laugh, although he’s understated here. The actors playing the motley crew of college students that Kate hangs out with are all a lot of fun, especially Josh Wiggins, Forrest Goodluck, and Khloe Janel.

I Used to Go Here is a bittersweet journey for a woman still in search of herself, one that’s worth taking for any movie lover who’s ever experienced something similar.

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I Used to Go Here is available on VOD streaming options like iTunes, Vudu, and Google Play.

Gillian Jacobs and Jemaine Clement in I Used to Go Here.

Gillian Jacobs and Jemaine Clement in I Used to Go Here

Photo courtesy of Gravitas Ventures

Gillian Jacobs and Jemaine Clement in I Used to Go Here.

Movie Review

Horror comedy film Y2K goes for nostalgia but maybe too soon

Jaeden Martell, Rachel Zegler, and Julian Dennison in Y2K

Photo courtesy of A24

Jaeden Martell, Rachel Zegler, and Julian Dennison in Y2K.

Movies that rely on nostalgia can be successful if they’re timed right. Generally, 25-30 years seems about the right amount of time to try to take advantage of people’s fond feelings for a certain era, which is why movies/TV shows about the ‘80s have been prevalent for much of the 21st century, and ‘90s-set films started to pop up in the last 10 years.

Y2K, a horror comedy that plays on the fears of technological mayhem many people thought would happen at the turn of the century, is right on the cusp of that rule, taking place 24 years after its timeline. It centers on two teenage boys, Eli (Jaeden Martell) and Danny (Julian Dennison), who are opposite in demeanor but have an unshakeable bond. Eli likes a popular girl, Laura (Rachel Zegler), and Danny convinces him to crash a New Year’s Eve party where she’ll be.

As the clock strikes midnight and the year moves from 1999 to 2000, everything that uses an electrical current goes haywire, with many of them combining forces to attack the humans around them. Eli and Danny find themselves on the run with Laura, as well as two stoners, Ash (Lachlan Watson) and CJ (Daniel Zolghadri), with each of them trying to use their unique skillset to help defeat a growing robot army.

Directed by Kyle Mooney and written by Mooney and Evan Winter, the film lands some solid jokes about the era in its opening 20 minutes or so, whether it’s the extreme slowness of dial-up internet, the goofy user names from AOL Messenger, or the various high school cliques of the time. However, many of them seem to echo ones told in 1999’s American Pie, a weird kind of art-imitating-art moment instead of commenting on real life.

The jolt of the machines attacking partygoers seems to promise a fun-if-bloody romp, but Mooney and Winter don’t seem to know where to take the story. They establish the computer bona fides of Eli and Laura early on, but when it comes time for them to put their talents in action, it feels like two actors going through the motions instead of real people who know what they’re doing. Almost none of the characters are believable or entertaining, and the few that rise above are dispatched way too early.

And because the filmmakers don’t make you care about the main group, nothing they face is that interesting, either. The villainous robots are made up of a bunch of disparate parts, which would seem to offer the opportunity for funny sight gags. Mooney and his team fumble most of their chances, though, leaving that side of the story stuck in limbo where it’s not absurd enough to be hilarious or scary enough to really count as horror.

Martell, Dennison, and Zegler are each rising stars who have their individual charms, but only Dennison is able to make much of an impact. Zegler, who starred in West Side Story and will soon be Snow White, is especially misused. They try to shoehorn in a cameo by Limp Biskit lead singer Fred Durst, but his appearance makes little sense and adds almost nothing to the story.

Filmmakers who want to mine nostalgia, especially in a comedy, need to really commit to the bit instead of throwing in a few references and needle drops. Mooney, who’s making his directorial debut, demonstrates little feel for timing, and so most of the film is like a car spinning its wheels, going nowhere.

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Y2K opens in theaters on December 6.

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