An awkward slumber party

‘The Overnight’ is a sex comedy with dramatic heft

The law of unintended consequences is the backbone of the best uncomfortable comedies: A well-intentioned choice creates a domino effect of bad ones. When the writing isn’t clever, you wind up with predictably telegraphed bad ideas and shallow, stupid characters you kind of want to see suffer. A well-made comedy of errors offers vividly-drawn characters and a gleeful subversion of expectations. The filmmaker orchestrates an assured turning of the screws before eventually bringing us all back to a (more or less) happy place.

“The Overnight,” the second feature outing from writer/director Patrick Brice (“Creep”), firmly resides in the latter category while somehow being a different animal altogether. 

We first meet Alex and Emily (Adam Scott and Taylor Schilling) during a verbose sexual tryst. Not dirty talking so much as instructional—like an awkward sex scene in “Girls.” The married parents of a toddler named RJ (R.J. Hermes), Alex and Emily now have to find their orgasms together when, where, and if they can.

Freshly transplanted from Seattle to L.A., Alex stays home and tends to child-rearing and domestic duties while Emily works. Largely cloistered from the outside world, Alex worries that he won’t be able to make new friends without a job (“I’m a grown up person. I’m supposed to just ask other grownups if they want to be friends? Seriously, am I seven years old?”). But at a birthday party for RJ’s new friend, Max (Max Moritt), they meet Kurt (Jason Schwartzman), Max’s amiably weird, mysterious and distinctly Californian father. Kurt invites Alex and Emily over for a kids playdate and dinner with his French expat wife, Charlotte (Judith Godrèche). Once the wine takes hold, the children go to sleep and the breast-milk fetish is revealed, things take a turn for the strange.

“The Overnight” strikes a satisfying balance between the raunchy sweetness of Judd Apatow and something darker. One scene, in which Emily is dragged by Charlotte on a liquor store run, ends with a detour to a sleazy massage parlor where things get weird in a hurry. Meanwhile, Alex discovers that Kurt is a gifted painter who specializes in anal self-portraiture—though he’s always looking for new models. 

Finding the right tone between genuine character study, contemporary sex comedy and dark satire of upper-middle-class privilege, Brice delivers with an auteur’s handheld intimacy and a playwright’s eye for thematic heft. Yet, considering the serious questions it evokes about trust, sexual insecurity and the viability of monogamy, it’s also impossibly lighthearted and funny.

The cast is perfect. Schwartzman’s Kurt is Willy Wonka: full of mirth and an agenda that isn’t what it seems. As Charlotte, Judith Godrèche gamely plays the polysexual adventurer to the hilt. Adam Scott employs his trademark charm and deadpan timing to inhabit the life of a married man who’s still deeply insecure about the size of his manhood. Emily is Alex’s support—sexually, emotionally, and financially—and Schilling’s chemistry with Scott anchors our stake in the outcome as the couple’s sheltered marriage collides with a narcotic, unnerving night of uncomfortably enticing possibilities.

“The Overnight” fits firmly into the pantheon of indie cinema defined by a decade of the Duplass Brothers (credited here as executive producers). It’s another smart and funny film about intelligent, privileged white people sympathetically bending under the weight of love, life and adulthood. 

Bi-weekly bits

Pumped sequels

If you were looking for follow-ups to “The Terminator” and “Magic Mike” (or not), you’re getting them this weekend. “Terminator: Genysis” brings back Arnie for a hybrid reboot/sequel to the long-running sci-fi action franchise. No synopsis needed—you already know the drill. I’ve been avoiding trailers (I recommend you do the same), as they apparently give up pretty massive plot spoilers. The production was a troubled one, but series creator James Cameron has given his enthusiastic approval (for what that’s worth), and early words seem to indicate that perhaps it’s not the train wreck one might assume. Hardly a ringing endorsement, but I’m always up for a potentially kick-ass “Terminator” movie. Keep hope alive.

“Magic Mike XXL” is the sequel to director Steven Soderbergh’s great 2012 comedic drama set in the world of male strippers. And while Soderbergh sadly doesn’t return to the director’s chair, Channing Tatum is back in the banana hammock, along with True Blood alum Joe Manganiello. Three years after Mike (Tatum) disbanded the Kings of Tampa, he’s getting the band back together for one last shot at glory—going on the road to compete against a bunch of MILF killers at a Myrtle Beach strip show. New director Gregory Jacobs doesn’t inspire the same confidence or excitement as Soderbergh, but this is a world close to Tatum’s heart (the first film was inspired by his real-life experiences), so perhaps it will have some weight beyond being another flick that makes insecure guys not want to see it with their girlfriends.    

Splatter U 

The Circle’s late-night cult film series Splatter U continues July 10-11. The theme is apparently “remakes that are better than the originals.” The night begins with the 1982 John Carpenter classic “The Thing,” starring Kurt Russell, and concludes with the 1988 incarnation of “The Blob,” starring Kevin Dillon and Shawnee Smith. “The Thing” is a master class in crafting paranoia in suspense filmmaking (as well as stunning practical special effects) that finds a group of scientists in the Antarctic confronted by an interstellar beast that surreptitiously kills them off and assumes their likeness. It’s up to R.J. MacReady (Russell) to make sure the creature never makes it to civilization. I’ve seen “The Thing” so many times it’s almost embarrassing, and it miraculously maintains its intensity.

Chuck Russell’s remake of “The Blob” doesn’t carry the same pedigree of terror, but it’s certainly still a blast to watch—arguably the “fun” one of the pair. Kevin Dillon plays an outcast small-town bad boy who’s forced to care about those who’ve scorned him when a gelatinous alien beast begins eating everyone in sight and growing exponentially larger in the process. Eventually, when mysterious government scientists show up to take control, the town bands together with Dillon. 

As usual, attendees who make it through both features receive a customized certificate of completion.    

For more information and tickets, visit circlecinema.com.

Want more from Joe? Check out his take on "Slow West" and "The Last Unicorn" or his Summer 2015 film preview.