Support the Girls, 2018.
Directed by Andrew Bujalski.
Starring Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, James Le Gros, AJ Michalka, Dylan Gelula, Shayna McHayle, Lea DeLaria, Jana Kramer, and Brooklyn Decker.
SYNOPSIS:
The general manager at a highway-side ”sports bar with curves” has her incurable optimism and faith, in her girls, her customers, and herself, tested over the course of a long, strange day.
Andrew Bujalski (Computer Chess, Results) makes another keen step away from his Mumblecore roots with this accessible workplace dramedy, which despite its more mainstream appeal, nevertheless remains awash in the affectionate humanism that’s defined his career to date.
First, know that this is the movie Regina King has been waiting for her entire career, and as Lisa, the manager of a Hooters-style boobs-and-burgers sports bar, she firmly rises to Bujalksi’s challenge.
The first time we meet Lisa, she’s crying in her car for (at that time) unknown reasons, yet by and large she functions here as a problem-solving pragmatist, putting out fires at work and trying desperately to keep the masses happy. When she organises an impromptu sexy car wash in order to raise some fast cash, though, it’s clear Lisa’s ended up in a tough spot.
Bujalski’s typically subtle and loose approach to plot and incident ensures he keeps things fairly ambiguous for the movie’s first two acts; we know the basics, but Lisa’s strained relationship with her husband feels especially obtuse, and perhaps frustratingly so to some viewers.
The bulk of the movie, however, focuses squarely on the dynamic between Lisa and her employees, primarily the effervescent Maci (Haley Lu Richardson) and the less-affable Danyelle (Shayna McHayle). As a focal trio, they play off one another splendidly; Richardson’s easy-on-the-eyes appeal makes her perfect for a role like this, but the part never feels like a sexist or condescending caricature.
McHayle’s performance as her somewhat snide, overworked colleague meanwhile makes for a fine comic ballast between Richardson’s bubbliness and Hall’s straight-woman act. That’s not to forget fine work by Orange is the New Black‘s Lea DeLaria as a loyal restaurant patron, nor Brookyln Decker, who makes a brief-but-memorable cameo as the skin-crawling executive of a rival restaurant chain.
There is certainly an inherent daftness to Hall’s restaurant manager, though, who firmly believes she’s operating a wholesome family restaurant despite all the evidence pointing to the contrary (most of all her clientele). It’s a devilishly amusing hook on which to hang a surprisingly comprehensive examination of service industry work, and one that’s far more intriguing than you might reasonably expect.
This all leads towards a third act that’s largely a delicious avalanche of awkwardness. It’s bolstered, however, by a boisterously poignant final sequence that makes a loud cry of solidarity for anyone who’s ever felt overworked or underappreciated at their place of employment, whatever it may be.
Regina Hall nails the role of her career in this darkly comic expose of the “breastaurant” experience.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Shaun Munro – Follow me on Twitter for more film rambling.
