The Adults, 2023.
Written and Directed by Dustin Guy Defa.
Starring Michael Cera, Hannah Gross, Sophia Lillis, Wavyy Jonez, Anoop Desai, Kyra Tantao, Kiah McKirnan, Simon Kim, Lucas Papaelias, and Tina Benko.
SYNOPSIS:
The plan to make a trip back home as short as possible begins to unravel as Eric finds himself balancing the challenging relationship with his two sisters and his addiction to a local poker game.
This piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, The Adults wouldn’t exist.
The actors and characters seem on the same wavelength as mumblecore writer/director Dustin Guy Defa for his dry, strange comedy about the struggles after coming-of-age, The Adults. However, the dialogue, humor, and conflicts are so specific to these characters, keeping viewers at an emotional remove, that all one can do is admire the performances on display (at least half of the screenplay feels improvised, considering how much of it doesn’t seem to matter in the grand scheme of things), unable to become involved.
The film centers on Eric (Michael Cera, a solid choice for any film about the trials and tribulations of entering adulthood given his youthful look even with a beard, also a regular collaborator of the filmmaker), returning from work to his childhood town for two reasons. Not necessarily in order of importance, Eric reluctantly reunites with his sister siblings Rachel and Maggie (Hannah Gross and Sophia Lillis), who also have their own problems. When not reconnecting with them, he hits up a friend to restart poker nights, trying to legitimize himself as a player and eventually enter some high-stakes games.
The casting of Michael Cera is perfect beyond his appearance, attempting to subvert the characters viewers typically associate with him, conveying that even the kid from Superbad has to grow up and still find acting work. There is also a lameness to Eric, clearly lost in life and using childhood friend poker night not for fun, but as a sad means to reclaim some of that youth. Or maybe his goal really is to prove his skill at the game.
Either way, there is something off about his intentions, and unfortunately, much inauthentic and strangely presented when it comes to these card games. Mumblecore dialogue is not bad, but one part of the film has one character launching into a quickly identifiable retelling of the inciting incident in the plot of The Lion King, where the other participants react like it’s a foreign language, the script has officially stopped resembling something real people can relate to.
As for Eric’s strained relationship with his sisters, that comes down to confusion over why the shy Maggie has decided to quit college, and why Rachel has become so volatile towards him while also discussing the aftermath of family baggage such as their mom’s death. All three of these children have had adulthood stunted, which causes Maggie to attempt to bring them back together through silly voices and performance art used to act out as children.
The other wrinkle here is that Eric is deceptive about reconnecting with his family members, mostly hanging out with them because he is prolonging his stay to continue to play poker games. However, since the script has no effort put into characterizing these people, none of that registers as interesting drama. It also means that the ending feels hollow.
Again, the performances are solid, and there is some decent choreography when this transitions into a dance number, but these are inside jokes that the viewer has no inside context for, rendering them mostly meaningless, annoying, and the opposite of funny. If anything, The Adults is as tedious as real-life adulthood, even at only 90 minutes.
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
