FilmSnobReviews

Title: Support the Girls
MPAA Rating: R
Director: Andrew Bujalski
Starring: Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, Dylan Gelula
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins

What It Is: Lisa (Hall) is the general manager of a local sports bar named Double Whammies. She’s also not having a very good day. One of her employees has run over her boyfriend with her car. Someone is stuck in the roof after trying to break in and to make matters worse her boss is REALLY trying to fire her. Now she is trying to navigate all these things and deal with a separation from her husband. Things ain’t goin’ so well.

What We Think: The movie is good, but not great. Lead by a stellar turn from the always fantastic Regina Hall this is one where her character’s arc is packed to tight for the timeline. That’s a narrative issue. Haley Lu Richardson also gives a decent performance but this is a one-woman show of talent. Bujalski doesn’t reinvent the wheel but he doesn’t have to. It’s a simple, contained story but one well told and featuring wonderful little moments. Even if, as I said, those moments all feel crammed into a “too small” timeline.

Our Grade: B+, When I look at 2018 there are surprises in there. This is one of them. I don’t know what I expected from Bujalski, who previously wrote and directed the pretty good Results. If you don’t have this one on your radar you should certainly change that. Regina Hall received an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her great work here. I am, of course, recommending this one. It’s available now on all of the ways to watch films at home. There’s an audience for this one, but I’m not so sure who it EXACTLY is. Nonetheless, people will enjoy it. It’s a crowd pleaser.