Afternoon Delight

Wealthy (but unhappy) thirtysomething Rachel (Kathryn Hahn)—an L.A.-based woman struggling to “find herself” and revive her bland marriage to an overworked, distant husband—is the subject of Jill Soloway's comedy-drama. Rachel's harebrained solution to her domestic ennui is that she and her husband visit a gentlemen's club, where she meets McKenna (Juno Temple), a young self-described “full-time sex worker,” whom Rachel later offers their guest room for the night. Rachel eventually goes so far as to hire the girl as her son's nanny, although McKenna doesn't give up her night job, as it were. Rachel looks upon all of this as a sort of Pygmalion rescue mission, but it's perfectly clear that she's more in need of help than McKenna. Soloway's portrait of domestic life in Rachel's circle of friends boasts a certain genuineness, but the basic set-up never remotely rings true, and the film suffers from Hahn's frantic, overwrought performance, which is full of hair-pulling and scrunched-up faces. As a result, Afternoon Delight affords little pleasure, regardless of the time of day. Not recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include audio commentary by director Jill Soloway and star Kathryn Hahn, deleted scenes (14 min.), a “making-of” featurette (9 min.), behind-the-scenes featurettes (8 min.), “The Gustavo House” featurette with architect Gustavo Gubel (2 min.), and trailers. Exclusive to the Blu-ray release is a bonus DVD copy of the film. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a disappointing film.] (F. Swietek)