Fantastic!

Crappy film

A Major Disappointment

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

"Mr. Roosevelt" is fairly typical for an indie comedy, especially one written and directed by its star. Indie movies used to be an alternative to Hollywood in that they would show you characters and situations that were something you wouldn't ordinarily see at the multiplex. Somewhere along the line that difference became a cliche. If you want to see something different, it doesn't help that you already know what that difference is going to be. Where's the surprise? Where's the challenge?"Mr. Roosevelt" being an indie comedy means you can expect a lot of weird, off-hand lines of dialogue like "I forget what funny is", and nudity which, in a Hollywood movie, is usually a device to titillate audiences, but here just seems added to up the weird factor. It's not unusual to see an unconventional lead in an indie flick, but I think Noel Wells doesn't really have star quality. Having written and directed the movie herself, of course she also cast herself in the lead role, but they can't all be Lake Bell (from "In a World") or even Lena Dunham ("Tiny Furniture"). The camera doesn't exactly love her. While watching the movie I found myself forgetting what she looked like occasionally, which is funny since she is in every scene.The movie does have a few funny moments, though not many.The plot concerns a struggling comedian who comes back to her hometown to say fairwell to her cat, the titular Mr. Roosevelt, as her ex-boyfriend and his new squeeze must have the cat put down.The stage is obviously set for a "young person faces their past and confronts their issues" sort of movie, but here's the problem: I never believed that this character had a past, there or anywhere else, and I never believed that she cared about her cat enough to go all that way, or anything else. You can understand she might feel toward her ex's new lover, but the movie doesn't deal with them head-on, making her own feelings and motivations opaque, and making the character more distant than she ought to be.

I went into this because it seemed like a cute little film, and it was. It's not flawed or that amazing, but it's super enjoyable and funny, and it has a super hilarious actress in the lead role. I loved Noël Wells in Master of None's first season and I had no idea she was such a talented comedic actress. She's aces here and is definitely the best reason to watch the film. She's a huge talent to watch out for, not just in acting but in writing and directing.

Screw the other reviews that say "Pointless from the get go". It isn't an SNL alumni movie, it's a filmmakers movie. Noel Wells uses startlingly amazing and nostalgic cinematography to portray the most authentic Austin I've seen in a movie. Yes, it's plot is little, but it really explores an millennial that feels like she's watching her life and friends move through adulthood while she's still mentally a teenager. She basically says "No! It's gotta be something else's fault not mine." and acts totally out of immaturity. It's a small movie, so do't see it if you want a blockbuster. I expect to see it at indie movie houses for years to come.

So this is a film about a lady who leaves without notice her boyfriend and her cat behind as she relocates across country. Months maybe a year later she gets news her cat passed away, so she travels back across country to pay her condolences to a cat she ditched and left behind.. Like seriously, she left the cat behind.. why would she pay for a plane ticket and be all crazy about this cat? Completely pointless not to mention she is a bit more annoying than funny. Not sure how it won awards. Mainly watched it to see how a self wrote/directed film would work while playing the lead role. Id have to say Tommy Wiseau did a much better job with the Room, even though that's terrible. At least there were some good boob shots.