I’m Totally Fine, 2022.
Directed by Brandon Dermer.
Starring Jillian Bell, Natalie Morales, Kyle Newacheck, Harvey Guillén, Karen Maruyama, Blake Anderson, and Cyrina Fiallo.
SYNOPSIS:
A woman in mourning takes a solo trip to clear her head after the death of her friend. However, Vanessa’s self-care vacation plans change when she’s met with a situation out of this world.
Everyone wishes they could have another day or two with loved ones following their deaths. For Vanessa in I’m Totally Fine (Jillian Bell, expertly balancing grieving with her typical sardonic sense of humor), that becomes a reality when, on an isolated getaway for morning and decompression, an extraterrestrial appears with identical skin and features to her best friend Jennifer (Natalie Morales, capable of finding the emotional beats even through the prism of robotic dialogue delivery).
Naturally, Vanessa is initially convinced that she drank too much the previous night or died and is experiencing the afterlife; she’s justifiably freaked out but, given the exact resemblance to Jennifer, decides to roll with the interaction, both as a coping mechanism and to embrace potential mental instability. The extraterrestrial explains that its superiors have sent her down to earth on assignment, allocating 48 hours for human research on Vanessa (a wide range of emotions and physicality are studied, ranging from increased serotonin levels to bladder speed assessment and more). As such, there is much standard fish-out-of-water comedy baked into engaging drama and many irreverent details about the alien (its beverage of choice is olive oil for reasons I won’t spoil).
A short time ago, Jennifer passed away from a heart defect right in the middle of her and Vanessa’s store shelf unveiling of an organic soda they collaborated on. Due to the stress and depression, Vanessa has also forgotten to cancel several party arrangements, with an enthusiastic DJ stopping by at one point. It’s not necessarily a surprise that the extraterrestrial takes a liking to Vanessa and develops human emotions, eager to learn more about human life and activities while exploring more, but the direction from Brandon Dermer and script from Alisha Ketry (a prominent writer on American Dad, which could explain why the alien behavior is the right amount of endearing and eccentric even they are far different from one another) never loses sight of the emotional gravitas regarding this concept.
There’s also a sense that Vanessa has always been a bit too guarded and that Jennifer was there to give her a push into living life and having fun. The extraterrestrial also has access to Jennifer’s memory bank, allowing unknown details of their friendship to come to light, further layering Vanessa’s grieving process. As Vanessa continues to open up to befriending this new version of Jennifer, they bond, sometimes in the healthily upbeat ways that left her out of sadness (the friends always had an affection for rock band Papa Roach and find themselves performing karaoke for their hit song about suicide, Last Resort, with Jillian Bell and Natalie Morales imbuing the electric performance with pathos).
Barely crossing the 80-minute mark, there isn’t necessarily much to I’m Totally Fine (it’s unmistakably a pandemic-era film, with its single location setting and a small cast of characters), but the script and performances are thoughtfully crafted, leading to a genuinely emotional climax. Two severely underappreciated performers get to flex their acting muscles inside a unique sci-fi filter, and that’s totally fine.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
