FilmSnobReviews

Title: Sell By
MPAA Rating: Not Yet Rated
Director: Mike Doyle
Starring: Scott Evans, Augustus Prew, Patricia Clarkson
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins

What It Is: Couple Adam (Evans) and Marklin (Prew) have been dating for quite some time. Marklin, an internet influencer and Adam…who is an artist of some sort. They’re trying to figure out life and relationships together. Simultaneously their friends are struggling as well. Cammy (Michelle Buteau) has made the mistake of sleeping with a homeless man and Elizabeth (Kate Walsh) and her husband are going through some things. How do you deal with all this? Life in this century can be difficult. We examine that here.

What We Think: I think this does a wonderful job of telling a really familiar story. It’s a romantic comedy at its core but simultaneously so much more. Performances are stellar and funny. In particular, Scott Evans is fantastic. Mike Doyle does some great stuff here for a feature debut. He has so much confidence in both his script and actors. As we discussed below with Mike Doyle it is Michelle Buteau who steals the show. Every time she’s on-screen she’s doing something hilarious. There’s a personal nature to this and it is prevalent within the entire film.

Our Grade: A-, If you get the luxury to see this. Do it! This is one of the year’s funniest and most wonderful pieces of comedy. One that will make you laugh and also feel something. It’s life in the 21st century, the diversity, and the uglier parts of living in a city as expensive as New York City. This is not a good “gay film” it’s a good film. Period. That the main characters are a homosexual couple is a secondary point and one that has no bearing on the plot. Instead, we get a glimpse as to the reality of homosexual couples. They’re literally the exact same as their heterosexual counterparts.