Despite the efforts of “Lola Versus” to be a quirky romantic comedy, the humdrum script and the lack of direction for its characters leaves an underwhelming aftertaste.
Twenty-nine-year-old Lola (Greta Gerwig) seems to have everything falling in place: She is recently engaged to her longtime boyfriend Luke (Joel Kinnaman), is soon to receive her graduate degree in literature, and is surrounded by her best friends Henry (Hamish Linklater) and Alice (Zoe Lister-Jones).
Luke dumps Lola just weeks before the wedding, blaming the overwhelming planning Devastated, Lola finds herself grieving and coping by testing different relationships while trying to piece herself back together now that her life has crumbled into a mess.
Things get even more complicated when she turns to Henry for comfort, who happens to be in love with her and is a “mutual friend” of Luke’s, thus crossing their social circles and intensifying their issues.
This fast-paced flick, directed by Daryl Wein, leaves an unsatisfying feeling after Lola’s journey toward self-fulfillment. The screenplay, written by Zoe Lister-Jones and Daryl Wein, could’ve embodied a stronger narrative for Gerwig’s character. Instead, the writers decided to play it safe and kept the film cute without a strong narrative background, although the scenarios that it depicts are genuine.
Pacing seems to move especially fast because of the editing, which feels like a collage of very brief and hasty separate clips that jump from one to another.
“Lola Versus” fails to explore new character archetypes and instead delivers expected personalities around the protagonist. Here we have the on-and-off-again boyfriend, the female best friend who supports Lola’s new chapter in life by recommending she meet new people, and the male best friend who is in love with Lola. And naturally, there are the hip parents who tend to throw in more outlandish advice than the friends do.
For her first time in a titular role, Gerwig delivers a decent performance as a heartbroken and confused urbanite who goes through so many ranges of emotions in a short amount of time. She actually carries most of the film, and it was a delight to watch her fit the humor and drama in the short timespan.
In a way, it would seem that “Lola Versus” tries to distinguish itself through its cinematic style to match the success of “(500) Days of Summer” but falls short in comparison via script and development. However, this eccentric low-budget film manages to provide a few laughs amid a young woman’s frustration and heartbreak.
Director: Daryl Wein
Cast: Greta Gerwig, Joel Kinnaman, Zoe Lister-Jones, Hamish Linklater, Bill Pullman, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Jay Pharoah, Debra Winger
Running Time: 87 minutes
Rating: R
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